Latest news with #JoelErikssonEk
Newsweek
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
How to Watch Golden Knights vs Wild Game 6: Live Stream NHL Playoffs, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild could come to an end on Thursday if the Golden Knights can get a victory in Game 6, moving them on to the second round. The Golden Knights may be the 2023 Stanley Cup champions, but the Wild are still putting up a fight. Will this matchup go to a Game 7, or will the Golden Knights come out on top? Tune in to ESPN at 7:30 PM ET to find out. Adin Hill #33 of the Vegas Golden Knights makes a save against Joel Eriksson Ek #14 of the Minnesota Wild during overtime of Game Four of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs... Adin Hill #33 of the Vegas Golden Knights makes a save against Joel Eriksson Ek #14 of the Minnesota Wild during overtime of Game Four of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on April 26, 2025 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Golden Knights defeated the Wild 4-3 in double overtime. More Photo byHow to Watch Game 6: Golden Knights vs Wild Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025 Time: 7:30 PM EDT Channel: ESPN Stream: Fubo (Try for free) The Golden Knights have taken control of the series thanks to consecutive overtime victories. They won 4-3 in overtime in Game 4 to tie the series and then got a 3-2 overtime win at home on Tuesday to take the series lead. Brett Howden became the hero in Game 5 when he scored his third goal of the series at 4:05 in overtime. Howden is tied with Tomas Hertl for the team lead with three goals. Jack Eichel is leading the team with three assists. A huge turning point for the Wild in this series was Game 4. They led in the third period of that game at home, but couldn't hold on to the lead. They would have taken a 3-1 series lead if they had won that game. The Wild offense has stalled as of late. The team has scored five goals in each of its two wins, but has scored just five goals in its last two losses. Catch the Golden Knights and Wild in Game 6 on Thursday on ESPN at 7:30 PM ET. Live stream the Golden Knights at Wild Game 6 on Fubo: Start your free trial now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NHL Playoffs: Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights odds, picks and predictions
NHL Playoffs: Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights odds, picks and predictions The Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights open a Western Conference best-of-7 first-round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs Sunday. Puck drop from T-Mobile Arena is set for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NHL odds around the Wild vs. Golden Knights odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions. Regular-season series: Golden Knights won 3-0 The Wild are back in the playoffs with a 45-30-7 record after missing out last season, and they're aiming to break a long-standing drought -- having not won a playoff series since 2014-15. The Wild started the year strong but were derailed by injuries to key players. C Joel Eriksson Ek went down early, followed by team MVP Kirill Kaprizov, who missed significant time before returning briefly and getting hurt again. Despite the setbacks, both stars are back and healthy for the opening round. Minnesota's playoff hopes came down to the wire, clinching its spot in the final game of the regular season. Now, with their core intact and momentum on their side, the Wild are hoping to finally make a deep postseason run and shake off nearly a decade of frustration. For the fourth time in their 8-year history, the Golden Knights finished the regular season as Pacific Division champions, posting an impressive 50-22-10 record. Despite roster turnover over the years, Vegas remains one of the NHL's deepest teams, led by elite coach Bruce Cassidy. C Jack Eichel continues to shine, putting up a career-best offensive season, but the real breakout came from 24-year-old LW Pavel Dorofeyev, who led the team with 34 goals. Veteran RW Mark Stone remains one of the league's top defensive forwards, while D Shea Theodore and D Alex Pietrangelo anchor a strong blue line. The 2022-23 Stanley Cup Champions are hungry to make another deep run after a disappointing first-round exit last season, and they've got the talent and depth to do it. Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team's out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now! Wild at Golden Knights odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:20 a.m. ET. Moneyline (ML) : Wild +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Golden Knights -210 (bet $210 to win $100) : Wild +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Golden Knights -210 (bet $210 to win $100) Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS) : Wild +1.5 (-160) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+135) : Wild +1.5 (-160) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+135) Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -105 | U: -115) Wild at Golden Knights projected goalies Filip Gustavsson (31-19-6, 2.56 GAA, .914 SV%, 5 SO in regular season) vs. Adin Hill (32-13-5, 2.47 GAA, .906 SV%, 4 SO in regular season) Gustavsson had a strong season, starting a career-high 58 games and posting personal bests with 31 wins and 5 shutouts. He was outstanding in March, going 7-4 with a 1.98 GAA and a .930 SV%. However, he has been inconsistent in April -- going just 2-2 with a 3.11 GAA and .886 SV%. He struggled in his only start against Vegas this season, giving up 4 goals on 37 shots, and is 1-3-1 lifetime vs. the Golden Knights. Hill had a standout year, starting a career-high 50 games and setting personal bests with 32 wins, a 2.47 GAA, and 4 shutouts. March was especially impressive, as the 28-year-old went 8-1 with a 2.00 GAA, .927 SV% and 2 shutouts. He ended the regular season on a high note, winning his final 3 starts. Hill was dominant against Minnesota this season, going 2-0 while allowing just 2 goals on 40 shots. For his career, he's 3-4 vs. the Wild with a 2.29 GAA and .906 SV%. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! Wild at Golden Knights picks and predictions Prediction Golden Knights 3, Wild 1 PASS. I've got the Golden Knights continuing their dominance over the Wild, but I'll take my wager to the puck line because -210 is too much juice to pay. BET GOLDEN KNIGHTS -1.5 (+135). The Golden Knights dominated the Wild during the regular season, going 3-0 and outscoring them 12-4. Hill played a key role, shutting Minnesota down in 2 of those matchups while allowing just 2 total goals. While teams like the Wild -- who clinched a playoff spot on the final day -- often carry momentum into Game 1, Vegas stayed sharp down the stretch, winning 5 of its final 7 despite already securing a postseason berth. The Knights were excellent at T-Mobile Arena this year, finishing 29-9-3 and winning their last 2 at home. Meanwhile, Minnesota dropped 4 of its last 5 on the road. The Wild did win 4 of their last 5 overall to sneak into the postseason, but that late push may not be enough to overcome a deep and experienced Vegas team. Back the Golden Knights to come out strong and grab a convincing Game 1 win at home. BET UNDER 5.5 (-115). With Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs set for Sunday, expect a tight, low-scoring battle between 2 teams feeling the pressure early. Both squads have strong goaltending, which should keep things in check offensively. The Under has hit in 4 of the Wild's last 6 games and in 8 of the Golden Knights' last 10. This one has all the makings of a grind-it-out playoff opener. For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wild Clinch 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs After Win Over Anaheim
Apr 15, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) congratulates Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) after defeating the Anaheim Ducks in overtime at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images. ST. PAUL - In dramatic fashion, the Minnesota Wild clinched a playoff spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after beating the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. The Wild entered Tuesday just in need of a point in their last game of the season to clinch a playoff spot. It started off well when Marcus Johansson gave the Wild a 1-0 lead. Advertisement Anaheim ended up scoring the next two goals and put the Wild on their heals. Minnesota pulled its goalie late in the third to try and tie it up. After great passing by Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek was able to tie the game with 20.9 seconds left on a play in his office, the crease. Since all they needed was a point, the Wild put Marc-Andre Fleury in for overtime in what could be his final game in his Hall of Fame career. Boldy ended up scoring in overtime to win it, minutes after Fleury stood on his head in overtime. The Wild all came off the bench and went straight to Fleury. They have now made the playoffs 11 times in their last 13 seasons and will be facing the Vegas Golden Knights in a seven game series.
New York Times
17-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Scouting the Jets' opponent: Breaking down the Blues with Jeremy Rutherford
Winnipeg Jets fans have long memories. When it comes to the St. Louis Blues in the playoffs, those memories are painful. You'd better believe the Jets fans I interact with on a day-to-day basis were annoyed when Joel Eriksson Ek scored for Minnesota, giving Winnipeg the Blues to worry about starting Saturday at 5 p.m. Central at Canada Life Centre instead of the Wild. Whereas Winnipeg dismantled Minnesota in five games back in 2018, the Blues stunned Winnipeg in six games to the tune of 'Gloria' in 2019. Advertisement Jets fans spent the season (rightfully) thinking of Winnipeg as a Stanley Cup contender. Instead, Kevin Hayes stopped his own breakaway attempt in Game 3 while Jacob Trouba tried to eat the puck in the buildup to Jaden Schwartz's last-minute Game 5 winner. The Blues dominated Game 6, sending Winnipeg home early, on the way to their Stanley Cup win. Now the Blues appear to be following the same script: a midseason coaching change, renewed commitment to defensive structure and a stretch run so dominant that St. Louis put up the best record in the NHL from the 4 Nations break onward. This might sound dangerously familiar for Jets fans. How is it happening? Which players and what parts of the game do the Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets need to worry about? To answer those questions and more, let's turn to Jeremy Rutherford, one of my favourite teammates and mentors. Nobody covers St. Louis as well as JR does; follow him on X, Bluesky and right here at The Athletic to find out more (if you're not following him already). What do Jets fans need to know about St. Louis? Ates: I thought the Blues were retooling? For most of the season, it looked like a 'one step back now for two steps forward later' type of season. How did they make the playoffs? Was it Jim Montgomery taking over? Rutherford: Let me put it this way, I didn't take any vacation time during the 4 Nations Face-Off because I thought I'd be going on vacation this week. I don't think anyone can say they saw this coming, and that includes Montgomery and GM Doug Armstrong. The Blues were 8 points back of the second wild-card when they returned from the break with only 26 games to go. Montgomery used the first few practices to work on the forecheck and the penalty kill. The thought was, 'Let's try to make some improvement, and if it doesn't come together this season, at least we're building for the future.' Advertisement All the Blues did in those 26 games was go 19-4-3, including a franchise-record 12-game winning streak. It was good for 41 points and a .788 points percentage, which were both No. 1 in the NHL in that span. That shows you how dire the situation was — they needed a run like that to make the postseason on the final day of their regular season. Give Montgomery a lot of credit. Captain Brayden Schenn said it best Tuesday: Montgomery's presence and his care for his players made a huge difference. But give the players their props, too. They began playing for each other, not just with each other, and when the wins started piling up, the confidence continued growing and growing. Ates: I'm looking at the roster and Jordan Kyrou had 36 goals, Robert Thomas had 81 points, and the Blues have one of the highest-scoring groups of defensemen in the NHL, including Colton Parayko with 16 goals. Who should Jets fans be most concerned about? Rutherford: Just like in 2019 when these two teams played, the Blues are a sum of their parts. I don't think they're as talented as they were six years ago, but the roster construction is the same in the sense that their success comes from across the board. If I had to pick an MVP, I'd give it to Thomas, who finished the regular season on a 12-game point streak in which he had 25 points (4 goals, 21 assists). With 81 points, he became the first Blue with back-to-back 80-plus point seasons since Brett Hull, and with 60 assists, he's just the fourth Blue to post multiple 60-assist seasons since Bernie Federko and Adam Oates. Thomas did leave Tuesday's game against Utah with a lower-body injury, but with the Blues leading 5-1, Montgomery said he was taken out for precautionary reasons. The team didn't practice Wednesday, so perhaps we'll get an update Thursday. Advertisement The MVP conversation, however, has to include Dylan Holloway, Parayko and Jordan Binnington, and Kyrou would get some votes, too. Thomas has perhaps been the most electric, while Holloway and Parayko have been the most consistent. Parayko has been his usual self defensively, but offensively, he's having a career year with 16 goals and 36 points. The Blues' defense ranks third in the league with 46 goals. Ates: Armstrong pulled off quite the heist, getting Philip Broberg and Holloway on offer sheets from Edmonton. It looks like both have been good, but Holloway especially with 26 goals. I loved Holloway's playoffs for the Oilers last season, too, but he's been out with a lower-body injury. What's his status? Rutherford: It's easy to say now because Broberg and Holloway have been even better than expected, but in St. Louis, Blues fans still can't believe the Oilers let them go. The Blues desperately needed a left-shot defenseman who could play in the second pair and Broberg has been perfect for the role. Holloway has been dynamite, finishing second on the team in goals. But as you mentioned, he's missed the last five games, and while the Blues are listing him as week to week, Montgomery said recently that he's not close to returning. That's a shame for the Blues because not only are they missing what he brings to the lineup — tenacity being at the top of the list — the club has been forced to mix and match forwards to find the chemistry they had with Holloway in the lineup. Ates: I saw the Blues didn't do anything at the trade deadline. Come to think of it, I remember Jets fans asking me about Schenn, that's how sure they were that St. Louis would sell. Looking back, the Blues did make a trade for Anaheim's Cam Fowler in December. That acquisition seems to have flown under the radar, but Fowler has put up good numbers. How's he been up close — and he is somebody to keep an eye on? Rutherford: Armstrong has a knack of making trades at odd times in the season, and it's done by design. He usually doesn't have to pay the inordinately high prices that come at the deadline, and that was the case with Fowler. They sent Anaheim a second-round pick in 2027 and prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka for Fowler and a fourth-round pick in '27. They also had the Ducks retain some salary on Fowler, giving him a cap hit of $4 million this season and next. I'm not trying to oversell anybody on the 33-year-old veteran defenseman, but he's been really good. In 51 games and over 900 minutes of five-on-five ice time, he's been on the ice for 56 goals for and 33 against. He's chipped in a lot offensively, too, with nine goals and 36 points. Advertisement Ates: OK, time for a Binnington question. People here in Canada were wondering how he'd perform at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he won a lot of us over by winning a gold medal. Every time I thought he was out of a play, he found a way to make the save. How's he been since that tournament — and do you think he's playing well enough to steal the series? Rutherford: The goalie matchup is a focus going into almost every playoff series, but that will certainly be the case with Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck. It's not lost on anyone that these were the two netminders who played for the gold medal at the 4 Nations tournament, with Binnington coming out on top with Team Canada. The confidence Binnington gained from his performance seemed to transfer to his regular job with the Blues. Before the tournament, he was 15-19-4 with a 2.89 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. After it, he was 13-3-1 with a 2.10 GAA and .910 save percentage. While his numbers are much improved, it bears repeating that the Blues have been playing much better since the break in front of Binnington. He is definitely capable of stealing a series, however. He lives for these moments. Ates: Is there an X-factor, a player we're not talking about, who we might be talking about at some point during the series? Rutherford: Yes, and the player to watch is Zack Bolduc, a 22-year-old winger who was the Blues' first-round pick (No. 17) in 2021. He made the team out of camp, but the team took it slow with him, including five healthy scratches under former coach Drew Bannister. In 16 games under Bannister, Bolduc had no goals, five assists and was a plus-2. When Montgomery came in, he didn't have Bolduc in the lineup every night, but you could see Montgomery gain trust in Bolduc and see his skill take off. In 56 games under Montgomery, he had 19 goals and 12 assists and was a plus-18. He's got the best shot on the team, and positioned in the bumper spot on the power play, he leads the unit with seven goals. Advertisement Ates: Finally, plain and simple, how do the Blues beat the Jets? What has to happen? What has to go right? Rutherford: The Jets are a Stanley Cup contender and backed it up with a Presidents' Trophy. They are the team to beat, and as a result, they are going to have the pressure on them in this series. So, for starters, the Blues have to do something to make them feel that pressure. Whether it's taking Game 1 or splitting the first two games at Canada Life Centre, they have to create some doubt in the Jets' minds. But to do that, the Blues will have to rise to the occasion in a couple of areas: • They'll have to find a way to beat Hellebuyck, who is well aware that he needs to follow up another Vezina-worthy season with some playoff success or else it will be deemed another postseason failure. • The young forwards will have to learn how to handle playoff hockey. Bolduc and Jake Neighbours have no postseason experience, and that's not even to mention that Jimmy Snuggerud has played just seven regular-season games. The way I see it, the Blues' best — and perhaps only — path to winning the series is playing the way they did the last couple of months of the season. They don't have to be perfect, but they need to stick together, get contributions from as many players as possible and, again, create some doubt in the Jets' minds. (Top photo of Eric Comrie and Jordan Binnington: James Carey Lauder / Imagn Images)
New York Times
17-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Scouting the Blues' enemy: Breaking down the Jets with Murat Ates
The St. Louis Blues were 22 seconds away from playing the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs. But a goal by the Minnesota Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek earned the Wild a point against the Anaheim Ducks, and with that, the Blues' opponent switched to the Winnipeg Jets. The series starts Saturday at 5 p.m. CT at Canada Life Centre. Advertisement That Winnipeg won the Presidents' Trophy this season, and that the Blues went 1-2-1 against the Jets in the teams' four meetings, proves it will be a hard series. But the pressure will weigh heavily on Winnipeg beginning with Game 1. The Jets will be reminded they were the favorite against the Blues in 2019 and became the first team to fall on St. Louis' way to the Stanley Cup. Winnipeg, not Vegas, may just be the opponent the Blues want. Do they look nervous? We'll find out. For a closer look, I'm bringing in colleague Murat Ates, our man on the ground in Winnipeg. Ates provides fantastic coverage of the Jets, and I really recommend following him on X and Bluesky and reading him here at The Athletic throughout this series. Rutherford: I don't think many people predicted Winnipeg to win the Central Division, much less the Presidents' Trophy. What's made the Jets so good this season? Ates: The Jets were better than I expected them to be for two main reasons. First, the Jets' power play was dynamic for most of the season, with multiple ways to create Grade-A scoring chances no matter who had the puck on their stick. Second, Connor Hellebuyck put together a spectacular season, somehow improving upon last year's Vezina Trophy-winning performance by leading all starters in wins, shutouts, save percentage, goals-against average and goals saved above expected. He could win the Hart Trophy this season, has already won his second straight William Jennings Trophy, and is a near lock to win his second straight Vezina. But you asked why the Jets were good. The real answer is that somewhere along the line, the Jets' star forwards bought in to team defense, and the role players developed such a complete game that they created offense, too. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor used to put up point-per-game seasons but give up even more goals than they created. They've worked hard under Scott Arniel (and Rick Bowness before him) and turned from a matchup that other teams could exploit into a star tandem that takes care of winning the puck before rushing off on the attack. They have the puck more often, score more often and get beat less often than they did in years past. Advertisement The Jets' depth forwards are also wildly underrated. There's a hard-forechecking, annoying-but-effective player type Winnipeg used to lack but has since added multiple times over in the form of Alex Iafallo, Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov and Brandon Tanev. Adam Lowry's shutdown line, usually with Niederreiter and Mason Appleton, has played some of the toughest minutes in the NHL this season and won by fighting for the toughest parts of the ice at both ends of the rink. I'd argue Winnipeg's overall advantage over most teams is more about its depth than its top-end forward talent. Josh Morrissey leads a defense corps that has learned how to contribute to offense with or without his skating ability. The Jets forecheck — and backcheck — way better than they ever have, so the defense can gap up on their blue line early and aggressively. Winnipeg does a good job of forcing turnovers (or dump-ins) at the line, turning and making great passes to send its forwards up the ice. I thought that was the biggest part of what went well for the Jets against St. Louis earlier this month — yes, the Blues defended their zone brilliantly, but Winnipeg spent a ton of time on offense. Why? Because the Jets worked their tails off to stuff St. Louis' entry attempts at Winnipeg's line. That's not a star power thing, it's a team buy-in thing. And Winnipeg is better bought-in this season than at any point in my memory of covering them. Rutherford: Last season, the Jets picked up 110 points but got picked apart by Colorado in the playoffs. Plus, there was that whole 'Spittin' Chiclets' storyline about Winnipeg being frauds. Is this version of the Jets an actual playoff threat? Ates: Short answer: Yes, yes, they are. Longer answer: This season's Jets were always going to be judged by their playoffs. That's the cost of Winnipeg's disappointing playoff history. Winnipeg had already made substantial year-over-year improvements to go from missing the 2022 playoffs to getting beaten by Vegas in 2023. They got even better with Lowry as captain last season (and malcontent Pierre-Luc Dubois shipped to Los Angeles for Gabriel Vilardi, Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari). But the improvement Winnipeg managed, as real as it was, brought it only far enough to realize how far it still needed to go. Advertisement Jets leadership took last year's loss much harder than the losses before it. 'I hope it stings,' Morrissey said, and then player after player talked about getting 5 percent to 10 percent better in the offseason. From the outside, these will seem like platitudes, but the players' willingness to speak the truth — that they weren't good enough — kickstarted a long offseason that's led to real growth. I've written that I believe in these Jets' resilience more than previous models — that what we got wrong about this season's Jets was not the truth in their call to action but the size of their response to it — and I stand by that now. The Jets just get after it this season. They don't let bad shifts or bounces derail them. And they're finally playing with the doggedness from top to bottom that characterizes true contending teams. There are points of concern, of course. Vilardi will likely miss Game 1 and Nikolaj Ehlers will likely miss the entire series. If you're unfamiliar with his game, I think of Vilardi as the Jets' power-play quarterback despite Winnipeg running a top unit of Connor, Scheifele, Morrissey, Vilardi and Ehlers (when healthy). The Jets' power play is ranked No. 1, but is less dynamic with Vilardi and Ehlers absent. The Jets also have a hardworking, physical third pair of Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley that gives up quite a bit in terms of footspeed. Schenn appears to have the veteran wiles not to get burned by it; Stanley has mixed solid games with moments of chaos leading directly to goals against. Rutherford: The last time Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington faced off in a high-stakes environment, Hellebuyck gave up the deciding goal to Connor McDavid in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Binnington won the Cup in 2019, too, while Hellebuyck came under fire last year. Can the two-time Vezina winner beat Binnington when it matters most? Ates: There's a narrative out there that Hellebuyck gave up 24 goals in five games to Colorado and must have been the reason Winnipeg lost. If you didn't get the chance to watch that series, you'll have missed the Avalanche's utter dominance in the moments leading up to their goals. The Jets didn't have an answer for Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar's speed or Valeri Nichushkin and Arturri Lehkonen's net-front presence, so what you often saw was zone entry, cutback, pass to a trailer with tons of open ice, seam pass, shot, recovery, seam pass, shot, rebound, goal. It was that dominant. While the 4 Nations gold medal game wasn't nearly that one-sided, Team Canada did create a ton of slot shots, and Hellebuyck was equal to them until McDavid was left all alone in front. I'm not worried about Hellebuyck's big-game ability. Binnington can absolutely dazzle, though. There were many moments in that tournament when I thought he'd been beaten, and, no matter what position he was in, he found a way to make an incredible save. It felt like 2019 all over again, but somehow all the more spectacular on the international stage. I'm not worried about Binnington's big-game ability, either. Advertisement Rutherford: The Jets made smaller trades at the deadline, picking up Brandon Tanev and Schenn. (Not sure if you've heard, but Luke has a brother who plays in St. Louis.) How will Tanev and Schenn impact this series? Ates: Winnipeg tried to trade for Brock Nelson, but that trade didn't come to fruition; it seems Colorado was Nelson's preferred place to play. The players the Jets did add addressed specific needs. Tanev is tenacious, fast, and a pain to play against. I wouldn't expect much offence, but you'll know him well for his speed and his involvement in after-the-whistle scrums. Schenn is Winnipeg's only player who has won a Stanley Cup and provides an on-ice element that the Jets have lacked; Schenn wins net-front battles and ends plays on the boards with authority and strength. He's not fast — and that could become a problem — but the Jets got sick of getting beat for loose pucks and rebounds, whether at five-on-five or on the penalty kill, and Schenn helps on both of those fronts. Rutherford: Is there somebody less famous than Hellebuyck, Connor, Scheifele or even Morrissey who could be dangerous for Winnipeg against St. Louis? Ates: I'm sure Blues fans will feel the same way when Connor and Scheifele get cycling as Jets fans will feel on shifts when Thomas and Kyrou are controlling play. I've also praised Winnipeg's depth players; I'm fully expecting Lowry, Iafallo or Niederreiter to score a big goal from within an inch of the crease. In this case, though, I'll pick 23-year-old Cole Perfetti. The cerebral, playmaking forward scored 50 points while staying healthy for his first 82-game season. Perfetti is equally adept as a shooter or a passer, but his biggest strength is his hockey sense: He has the intelligence and hands to make a first-option play and the hockey IQ to hold on to the puck for a quarter second until a seam opens up that other players may not have seen. Perfetti has only played in one playoff game before this season, though, and his next playoff point will be his first. Rutherford: Ehlers is hurt. Vilardi is hurt. That's an enormous part of Winnipeg's top unit for the league's No. 1-ranked power play. What's the latest on those players, and do the Jets have any other lineup concerns? Ates: Vilardi has been skating on his own before recent Jets practices. Arniel is calling him 'day to day' but Vilardi has yet to take contact or participate in a full practice since his upper body injury on March 23. I'd be surprised if he played in Game 1. Ehlers is out 'week to week' and I don't think he'll play at all in this series. Advertisement This is where the Jets may be vulnerable. Iafallo has given the Jets a hard forechecking, hard backchecking option to play with Connor and Scheifele while Vilardi has been hurt. The Jets have promoted Niederreiter to play with Namestnikov and Perfetti with Ehlers out of the lineup. In both cases, the Jets' depth provides a quality 200 foot player who gets the details right, but neither Iafallo nor Niederreiter can match the production of Vilardi or Ehlers. I don't worry about the Jets' commitment to team defence but they're going to need to work harder for goals against St. Louis than they've needed to for most of the season. (Top photo of Adam Lowry shooting against the Blues: Connor Hamilton / Imagn Images)
