DALLAS – One of the statement victories the Winnipeg Jets earned this season came against the very opponent they’ll wrap up a six-game road trip against today – the Dallas Stars.
Rewind to November 9 at Canada Life Centre, an afternoon tilt between two of the best teams in the Central Division that saw the Jets pick up a 4-1 win – with Connor Hellebuyck coming within 1:22 of his third straight shutout.
As much as there are a number of video clips that can be used from that game and applied to the rematch with the Stars today, Nino Niederreiter is expecting an entirely different challenge.
“We know that wasn’t Dallas’ team,” said Niederreiter. “We played a great game, we did, we definitely played a good game - but at the same time Dallas wasn’t at their best. We expect a whole other Dallas team tomorrow.”
Like the last team the Jets faced – the Vegas Golden Knights – Dallas has a strong home record. They’re 9-2-0 at American Airlines Center and won four of their five home games in the month of November, outscoring their opposition 22-12.
In order to be successful, the Jets can’t focus too much on the Stars. Yes, there will be adjustments to what each team learned about the other in the first meeting, but the Jets want to stay locked in on their own game.
Of course, a win against the Stars would seal up a long road trip with a split of three wins and three losses.
“When you have a chance to go 0.500, it’s definitely a solid road trip,” said Niederreiter. “Obviously we wish we couldn’t have some different outcomes, especially (Friday). I thought we played a really good game. We had a couple mistakes that ended up in the back of our net. Overall, if we compete the way we did (Friday), we’ll win more than we lose.”
The Jets (18-6-0) are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights. It was a game that saw the Jets rally back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits before giving up the eventual game-winner with 4:55 remaining in regulation.
“I liked the way we kept battling,” said Arniel, who told his team that fact ahead of Saturday’s optional practice in Dallas. “I didn’t like the fact we gave up five or six rush chances against. Sometimes that’s the mental side, our sort outs weren’t great where we usually have that down pat.
“But I liked a lot of what we did (Friday).”
With the early puck drop on Sunday the Jets won’t hold a morning skate before taking to the ice for warm-up against the Stars. Arniel wasn’t making any line-up decisions known on Saturday, but did say that he isn’t ruling out Nikolaj Ehlers – who left Friday’s game in Vegas with a lower-body injury.
“He’ll get full treatment and we’ll see if there is more soreness or if it’s better,” said Arniel. “He’s the type of guy that wants to play. Obviously we know what he means to us. You saw what he did on (Cole) Perfetti’s first goal. He has a skill set that the opposition coaches circle with his speed and his ability to create.”
Ehlers is one of three Jets averaging more than a point per game this season, and scored one of Winnipeg’s two power play goals against Dallas in early November. Winnipeg’s power play had only converted once in its last 18 opportunities (spanning seven games) against Dallas leading into that game.
“They’re going to try and make adjustments to us,” said Arniel with a grin. “For us, it’s our attack mentality, it’s our puck retrievals on those situations five-on-four. We’re going to have to make sure we do what we do best and that’s be on in those areas.”
At 14-8-0, Dallas is third in the Central Division and will be looking to build off a 5-3 divisional win over Colorado on Friday.
“To me, this is the second-best team in the Western Conference,” said Arniel. “These guys are real good and they’re probably going to be real angry after our game we had in Winnipeg. It’s a Central Division match-up with two teams we like to think are near the top. We have to make sure we have all our energy, all our mindset, everything about (Sunday) is right on.”
