SAN JOSE – The Winnipeg Jets look to get the road trip back on track tonight when they take on the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center.
The Jets (9-4-0) opened their season long six-game trek through the majority of the Pacific Division with a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, but will face a much different challenge tonight.
Head coach Scott Arniel watched every minute of San Jose’s 6-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.
“When it comes to their D-zone it’s a lot like LA, but they’re a heck of a lot faster – and that’s no disrespect to LA,” said Arniel. “There are some young kids (in San Jose) that move really well. They transition really well, just like Utah that we saw, little bit of Seattle, there is a lot of transition to their game.”
The game will also be a milestone for forward Vladislav Namestnikov, who will skate in his 800th career game. Tonight’s tilt will be his 190th in a Jets jersey, and when he looks back at how his play has evolved since his first four National Hockey League games in the 2013-14 season, he sees a lot of growth.
“I came in as a centerman, didn’t really know the defensive side of the game well over the years,” said Namestnikov. “Kind of got put in those positions to defend first, and I think that helped me along the way. And now I can play any role in any position.”
The 32-year-old’s ability to defend and play anywhere in the line-up is what gives Arniel the confidence to play Namestnikov in any situation. Just a glimpse at the stat sheet from the game in Los Angeles shows Namestnikov’s three shots on goal, and a chunk of his 15:14 of ice time going to special teams – 3:25 on the power play and 1:48 shorthanded.
“Longevity happens because you adjust to the league, adjust to what’s needed,” said Arniel. “Things change themselves. You may play in the top six, you may play in the bottom six. Depends how your team is and the make-up of your group. The guys that play a long time are the ones that are able to adapt.”
The setback against the Kings was the first blemish on Winnipeg’s perfect road record. They came into the trip with wins against the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild, and Calgary Flames, but now sit at 4-1-0 away from Canada Life Centre.
As a group, the Jets are 3-0-0 in games following a loss this season, and the process to improve on that began with Thursday’s 40-minute skate in Los Angeles.
“We’re able to get some practice time that we wouldn’t necessarily get,” said Lowry of the road trip. “Being able to watch back the previous game and take things we need to work on and try to implement them in practice – we’re not a finished product yet.”
