Scott Arniel will try to keep the Winnipeg Jets on track Tuesday night when he fills in for head coach Rick Bowness against the visiting St. Louis Blues.
Bowness stepped away from the team after his wife Judy Bowness was hospitalized after having a seizure Sunday. Arniel, the team’s associate coach, will serve as the interim head coach while Bowness is out.
“It’s a very serious, tough time for them right now,” Arniel said. “We’ll just wait, go day-to-day with this, see how she progresses and see how Rick’s doing. Everybody’s certainly feeling it . . . it really hits everybody hard.”
Arniel’s challenge is to get his team focused on the Blues.
“The big thing about our group, is it’s about making sure we don’t let Rick down here, that we go out and play (Tuesday) like we need to play for him and do everything we can to get him two points,” Arniel said.
After allowing 19 goals in their first four games, the Jets yielded 40 shots in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Oilers on Saturday at Edmonton.
Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was spectacular against the Oilers, after struggling in his first three games while posting a .843 save percentage and a 4.38 goals-against average,.
“He kept us in it countless times,” Jets center Mark Scheifele said. “He’s a fantastic goalie and you know, the backbone of this team for a reason. He proved that (Saturday).”
The Jets fell behind the Oilers 2-0 while allowing two breakaways and five high-danger scoring chances. With Hellebuyck’s help, they finally settled into the game.
“I really liked a lot of the things we did from the 10-minute mark of the first on, so huge win for us,” Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said. “It’s nice to get a little validation, see a win in the win column when we feel we’ve been playing well. Now it’s nice to get a result.
“That’s one. Now we have to build on it.”
The Blues, who begin a four-game road trip Tuesday, earned points in three of their first four games while going 2-1-1. They bounced back from an ugly 6-2 loss against the Arizona Coyotes to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Saturday.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington posted a 1.26 GAA and a .959 save percentage in his first three starts.
“He’s making big saves, giving us confidence up front,” Blues forward Brandon Saad said.
Winger Pavel Buchnevich remains sidelined for the Blues. He practiced in a non-contact sweater on Monday with Saad remaining in his slot on the top line with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.
Saad scored twice against the Penguins and put six shots on goal while playing with that unit.
“He’s tricky,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “Sneaky speed, I want to say. That’s the biggest thing. It’s just effortless the way he strides, but he’s fast. It doesn’t seem like he’s going fast, but he’s moving really fast.”
The Jets are also missing top-line winger Gabe Vilardi, who is sidelined for several weeks with a sprained knee. Forward Adam Lowry missed practice Monday, but Arniel said it was just a maintenance day for him.
–Field Level Media
