9:00 pm CT – TV: TSN 3; Radio: 680 CJOB/Power 97
LAS VEGAS – The last time Jaret Anderson-Dolan suited up in a National Hockey League regular season game was April 13, 2024, when he was a member of the Nashville Predators.
Tonight in Vegas, he’ll put on the Winnipeg Jets jersey and try to help the squad earn a victory against the Golden Knights.
“I found out this morning when I came to the rink and obviously I’m very excited,” said Anderson-Dolan. “I just want to be simple early, be physical, get the feet moving and try not to be too tense. As you get more of these opportunities, you realize how hard they are to come by and it’s not all smooth sailing. So you just try to appreciate it.”
The 25-year-old product of Calgary, AB has 127 games on his NHL resume which includes stops in Los Angeles (the team that drafted him back in 2017) and Nashville. His American Hockey League career adds another 166 games to his professional total, with 51 of them coming with the Manitoba Moose this season.
The broken foot that the forward suffered in the preseason took him out of the running for a roster spot early this season, but Jets head coach Scott Arniel is intrigued by what Anderson-Dolan can bring to the line-up.
“He’s had a good year there and he’s another depth guy I want to see play some games here,” said Arniel. “Talking to (Moose head coach Mark Morrison), he’s been one of their best forwards, especially for the second half of the year, and playing to his identity. That’s what you want those guys to do. We brought him in because he’s an energy guy and can get in on the forecheck.”
Anderson-Dolan won’t be just dipping his toe into any old regular season game, either. He’ll hop right into a showdown between two Western Conference division leaders.
The Central Division’s Jets (51-20-4) are looking to bounce back from Tuesday’s road trip opening setback in Los Angeles, while the Golden Knights – who lead the Pacific Division with a 45-21-8 record – are also focused on getting back in the win column following a loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Vegas has earned wins in both of the two meetings this season. The first was a 4-3 final in Nevada in late November, and the second came in overtime in Winnipeg on December 12. In fact, three of Vegas’ eight straight wins over Winnipeg have been by one goal, with two of them coming past regulation time.
“They’re a team that throughout their line-up they have a lot of depth, they’re fast and physical, and they play their structure,” said Josh Morrissey. “It’s a lot of the things we try to feel about ourselves and feel about ourselves as a group as well. Generally speaking, there isn’t a lot of room out there. You see where they’re at in the standings, and where we’re at, you want to bring your best game against the top teams in the league.”
After missing Tuesday’s game in Los Angeles due to injury, the line rushes on Thursday morning seemed to indicate that Luke Schenn would miss a second straight game. However, Arniel wouldn’t rule out the big defenceman, so warm-up will likely be the best indicator of Winnipeg’s line-up.
The rushes at the morning skate looked like this, with Eric Comrie the first goaltender off the ice:
Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Gustafsson-Barron-Tanev
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Miller
Stanley-Fleury
Heinola-Schenn
Winnipeg’s grasp on the Central Division lead sits at four points over the Dallas Stars (who are also in action on Thursday night against Nashville). It would be tempting to check the standings on a constant basis – especially with the Jets and Stars facing off later this month – but Vladislav Namestnikov, a veteran of 779 National Hockey League games, knows the best way to handle this time of season.
“Everyone is aware of the situation,” said Namestnikov. “That shouldn’t change much in our mentality. It’s more on us in how we come out and play. We just have to be ready to play a full 60 minutes.”
The Jets know they can’t do anything about the previous results, but they can control how they play tonight against a Vegas team that is 28-6-4 on home ice.
“At the end of the day, they’re a veteran team that knows how to play this time of year,” said Arniel. “They’ve been ramping their game up – quietly, I think, there hasn’t been a whole lot of press about it – but we know how good of a hockey team they are.”
One of Winnipeg’s biggest strengths this season has been their ability to leave the previous game in the rear-view mirror, whether it was a big win or a disappointing loss. Anderson-Dolan said that mentality is something he’s noticed since being called up ahead of the road trip.
“That’s what has made this team so good all year,” he said. “The leadership group is great and it seems like a very poised group. You can definitely feel that as soon as you get here. We’ll definitely be ready to go tonight.”
Puck drop is set for 9:00 pm CT.
