Jets plan to stay course inGame5
Winnipeg can win series, but shouldn’t change approach
Now is not the time for the Winnipeg Jets to change their game.
That’s the message head coach Paul Maurice will deliver to his players as they prepare to possibly clinch their Western Conference opening-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild at home Friday night.
Winnipeg leads the best-ofseven series 3-1. Jets players had Wednesday off as Maurice met with reporters.
“I find with teams facing elimination that there’s a freedom in their game that maybe is not there (normally),” Maurice said. “They ’ll push earlier in a game if they get down.
“So we would be aware of that, but the hockey part of that itself, most importantly, can’t change. The game that you play has to be the same.”
Something that will not stay the same for the Jets is their defence.
Second-year defenceman Josh Morrissey had a hearing with the NHL department of player safety Wednesday afternoon about his cross-check to the neck of Wild centre Eric Staal in the first period of Winnipeg ’s 2-0 victory Tuesday. Morrissey was suspended one game for the infraction.
Minnesota was already on the power play, but no penalty was called on Morrissey so the Wild didn’t get a two-man advantage. Staal finished the game.
Jets centre Mark Scheifele scored the first of his two goals with 28 seconds left in the first period.
Morrissey, who plays on Winnipeg ’s top defensive pairing with Jacob Trouba, said after the game the cross-check was an “accident” and he’s “not a dirty player.”
Staal told reporters a referee apologized to him, but that meant nothing. Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau said the non-call “cost us the game.”
Before the ruling, Maurice said he’d be “surprised” if Morrissey was suspended because there was no intent. He was also thankful Staal played the rest of the game.
“There’s a penalty there and very most you might look at a fine,” he said. “Based on what I’ve seen for (plays that) were either suspended or fined for a stick that didn’t hit the head, and some of these others have, there’s no intent.
“There’s a penalty. They missed it.”
With Morrissey suspended, the Jets will adjust as they have all season.
The Jets lost veteran defenceman Tyler Myers to a lower-body injury in Game 3 and there was no update on his status for Friday. Rookie Tucker Poolman took his spot Tuesday.
Winnipeg is already missing veteran defencemen Toby Enstrom and Dmitry Kulikov. Enstrom has been out with a lower-body injury since March 23, while Kulikov is rehabbing a back ailment he suffered March 8.
Boudreau had just heard about Morrissey’s hearing before he spoke to the media Wednesday in Minnesota.
“Well, it’s warranted,” he said. “I’m not up here trying gamesmanship to get the league to call extra stuff.
“It is what it is, though. It was a vicious cross-check to the face.”