LAS VEGAS — The question itself was rather innocuous, though Rick Bowness saw an opportunity to deliver a message, both to his team and, potentially, the opposition.
During the Winnipeg Jets coach’s daily media availability on Monday, he was asked what he feels his team is capable of in the opening-round matchup of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Vegas Golden Knights.
“We’re capable of winning. There is no question,” said Bowness, who put his team through the paces at T-Mobile Arena ahead of Tuesday’s Game 1. “We’re here to win. We’re not here to give these guys a little workout and move on to the next round. We’re here to win.”
The words were not surprising.
You won’t find many coaches conceding defeat the day before the series begins.
But there was a certain level of conviction in the voice of Bowness that made you take notice if you were part of the conversation.
Bowness loves a challenge and he’s in for one as his team prepares for what should be an intense series between the top seed in the Western Conference and a club that was in top spot momentarily in January before a late-season slide knocked Winnipeg into the final wild-card spot.
Part of the reason Bowness was exuding confidence was the play of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck down the stretch.
“Look at the history of our sport. How many Conn Smythe winners have been goalies?” said Bowness. “Whoever is going to win the Stanley Cup is going to get outstanding goaltending from the first playoff game on. We know Connor is going to give us that.”
Much of the attention for Monday’s workout revolved around the status of Nikolaj Ehlers, who rejoined the main group for the first time since being on the receiving end of an unsuspecting hit from Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman last week.
Ehlers took line rushes with Vladislav Namestnikov and Blake Wheeler and spent the bulk of the time working with the top power-play unit (though he skipped one rotation).
“Yeah. I’m in a bit of a media war with the coach,” Ehlers joked as he began his back-and-forth with reporters.
Are you gonna win it?
“I sure hope so,” said Ehlers. “I feel very good. Let’s put it that way.”
Although Bowness stuck with his assertion that Ehlers remains day-to-day, his usage on Monday suggests there’s a good chance he will be in the lineup for Game 1.
“I sure hope so. That’s what you want to do in the playoffs,” said Ehlers, asked if he felt he was capable of being a difference-maker in the series. “That’s where you want to play your best. If it’s not points, it’s something else. You try and win games for this team. You’d do anything for it. We’re excited for it. I’m going to give my all for this team.”
Ehlers has four goals and 12 points in 31 career post-season games, but he could be poised for a big breakthrough as he’s been on a roll of late.
“The style of hockey is very different. Everyone can see that,” said Ehlers. “They’re really tight games. Like I said a couple of days ago, you get older, you learn some things and you try and take those with you and bring that on to the next time you’re in that spot. I’ve gotten better and better. Try and do that again this year.”
Bowness said the expectation is that forward Kevin Stenlund (lower body) will take part in the morning skate on Tuesday and is officially a game-time decision, while forward Cole Perfetti (upper body) is going to be out for at least 10 to 14 more days.
The Golden Knights are getting an obvious boost with the return of defenceman Zach Whitecloud and captain Mark Stone, who is set to return from a second back surgery.
“He’s our captain, our leader and in many ways, the heartbeat of our team,” said Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel of the Winnipeg native. “On top of all that, he’s a pretty damn good hockey player. We feel real fortunate to see him healthy, first of all. Hockey aside, you don’t want anyone to deal with that sort of pain and discomfort, but it’s great to see him back on the ice and out there with us. I know the road he’s taken and how much work he’s put in. It’s not easy to do that in the middle of the season and come back.
“We’re pumped to see him on the ice and get him back.”
Cassidy is also excited to have Stone available to throw over the boards in critical situations, given his offensive ability and defensive awareness.
“Fortunate to have him. We didn’t know how it would play out,” said Cassidy of Stone, who last played Jan. 12. “There were boxes he had to check off to get back into the lineup, and he’s been able to do that. Give credit to him, credit to our medical team for getting him up to speed. We just have to be careful, we don’t expect too much from his first game in a long time. But no matter what, it’s going to be a positive influence for us.
“There’s no minutes restriction in terms of what I’ve been told. Other than the obvious, he hasn’t played in a long time so we have to think big picture here a little bit and not run him into the ground his first game back. But having said that, once the game’s on, if you’re cleared to play you’re cleared to play. I imagine there will be rust.”
Stone got emotional when he spoke to reporters at City National Arena on Monday afternoon, making it clear he appreciates the chance to be able to shake off that rust in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
“It’s hard to explain. I’m pretty emotional right now. I’ve got some tears in my eyes, obviously. But I’m excited to be back. It’s been a long two years. I don’t want to miss this. I want to play with these guys,” said Stone. “I would have liked to have played all 82 games this year, but it obviously didn’t happen. I think my body is in a great spot. It feels great. It’s tough not playing a game in three months, so it’s going to be a bit of an investment.
“Fortunately, the team’s playing well. I don’t have to come in and try to be a dominant figure. I can just come in and play with my linemates, hopefully help on the power play, just the little things to hopefully make the team a little bit better.”
On Sunday, Cassidy addressed the idea of in-game and in-series adjustments and the impact making the right ones can have on the outcome of a head-to-head battle.
“Now you see the same team over and over, so it’s a little more of a chess match type of thing. A little more of that involved,” said Cassidy. “More coaching adjustments than you would make during the year. Here, in the playoffs, you want to get to your game in a hurry, but there’s a little more back and forth. There’s a little more passion. The players get into it, the coaches (get into it), the media has got their (storylines), you know what I mean.
“It’s more enjoyable when you’re head-to-head for a stretch of time like that and one of you is going home in the end. I enjoy that. There is a certain amount of pressure and some people react how they want to pressure. I think it’s good to have pressure. That means you’re a good team and you’re in a good place and there are challenges in front of you. Hopefully our guys feel the same way.”
Jets centre Pierre-Luc Dubois is looking forward to seeing how the series unfolds, especially since the two clubs haven’t faced one another since Dec. 13, when the Golden Knights completed the three-game series sweep with a 6-5 triumph.
“They’ve got a bit of everything, but the important thing for us is what we need to do and how we need to set (the tone) for the series,” said Dubois. “You know how the playoffs work. One team really starts it and they get it going. And it has to be us.”