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Published Dec 03, 2025 • 3 minute read
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Head coach Scott Arniel during a Winnipeg Jets practice. Photo by Winnipeg Sun filesArticle content
Head coach Scott Arniel had as many as three lineup changes he could make for tonight’s game in Montreal, and he’s making every one of them.
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The memory of Monday’s embarrassing, 5-1 loss in Buffalo still fresh, the Winnipeg Jets bench boss is activating two players who were healthy scratches two days ago and one who’s back to full health.
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Defenceman Neal Pionk has recovered from an injury that kept him out of the last four games.
He’ll skate next to Dylan Samberg on Winnipeg’s second defence pair.
Young Elias Salomonsson returns to the blue line after being scratched for two games. He’ll play with Logan Stanley.
The two defencemen who’ll sit this one out: veterans Luke Schenn and Colin Miller.
Up front, Cole Koepke takes a spot on the fourth line, bumping Gustav Nyquist up to the press box.
The changes should give the Jets more speed.
“Our whole group needs to play quick,” Arniel told reporters in Montreal. “When you defend fast and close quick and take away time and space, it helps you get the puck quicker and then you’re on transition. We chased that game the other night because we never closed things off fast enough. There’s veteran teams in this league that do things by stifling the opposition and not giving them room to work.
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“Hopefully that so-called speed shows.”
The Jets have looked slow in losing four of their last five games, nine of their last 13.
The young, last-place Sabres exploited it, as the Jets, 13-12 on the season, reached a new low.
“It probably ruined my day yesterday,” Arniel said. “But you’ve got to move on. This league is too much going on, too fast, too many games in a short period of time. We looked at some things this morning, talked about some things. You’re not going to win hockey games doing what we did.
“So there needs to be big improvement.”
The Jets were so perturbed with Monday’s game they held a player-only meeting after it.
“Expect some high energy,” Pionk said of the hoped-for result. “Just talked about expectations… and what we need to do better as a team and as individuals. Start to piece things together here. Starting tonight.”
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Like Buffalo, Montreal (13-9-3) is a team loaded with youth and speed.
The 27-year-old Koepke hopes to bring some of his own high-paced energy to a team that needs it.
“Try and make a positive impact on the game whenever I’m out there,” he said. “Try and bring some speed and physicality to it. Hopefully we can right the ship here and get a win.”
This will be Koepke’s 17th game with the Jets. He has yet to chip in a goal.
He’ll be replacing the 36-year-old Nyquist, who’s gone 20 games without one. Both were signed as free agents last summer.
“I actually had some good games against them,” Koepke said of facing Montreal.
While with Boston last season, Koepke scored two goals and three assists in three games against the rival Habs.
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Despite their struggles, the Jets are just three points from being alone in a wildcard playoff spot in the NHL West.
The Canadiens are three points from one in the East.
As franchises, though, these two are in very different place.
“We’ve been building from our core,” Arniel said. “Our core being Scheifele, Connor, Lowry, Hellebuyck, Morrissey – those guys are our young draft picks that have blossomed to become our core. Montreal is working on that, and that’s obviously why they’re young, and they have some really good pieces. So we’re in two different spots right now as organizations.
“We’re not off to the best start, but we still feel like we’re a strong playoff team. We’ve just got to make sure that we get going and get ourselves in.”
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Hellebuyck on track
Arniel says goalie Connor Hellebuyck is getting close to stepping onto the ice again, but that doesn’t mean he’s ahead of schedule in his rehab from knee surgery.
“I’m going to make sure he has like four yellow jerseys on him,” Arniel said, referring to the colour that screams don’t touch me in practice.
“We’re making sure on this one,” the coach continued. “He’ll run into you and tell you, ‘Feeling really good, I want to play next week.’ But this one we’ve got to be obviously ultra careful with.”
Hellebuyck underwent knee surgery Nov. 22, with a timeline of four to six weeks for his return.
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca
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