April 20--REPORTING FROM WINNIPEG, Canada -- Pregame
Greetings from Winnipeg, Canada, which will host its first NHL playoff game since 1996 Monday night, when the Jets play host to the Kings at the MTS Centre.
It's fair to say that folks here are more than a bit excited about it. Tickets for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, sold out in less than five minutes when they went on sale last week. And there's been a buzz building here since the Jets clinched a playoff spot, enhancing the already close relationship between fans and the team.
"There's a connection here that's different than any place I've coached," Jets Coach Paul Maurice said after Monday's morning skate.
The Ducks, who won the first two games of the series at Anaheim, were prepared to face a loud and hostile crowd Monday night. But they also looked forward to experiencing the whiteout that will be created by fans dressed in white swirling white towels in the air. It's a revival of a playoff tradition started by the first Jets team, which moved to Arizona in 1996 and became the Coyotes.
"Part of me as a hockey fan and a hockey player appreciates this," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "It's great to see a city rally like that and we're looking forward to it."
The Ducks will be forced to make a lineup change because center Chris Wagner sustained an upper-body injury during the Ducks' 2-1 victory in Game 2 and didn't make the trip here. Based on the morning skate it appears winger Tomas Fleischmann will be reinstated to the lineup and will play center, although Coach Bruce Boudreau said he had a few options there. Fleischmann played center as a youngster and for a few months in Washington while Boudreau was coaching the Capitals.
A face familiar to both Ducks and Jets fans was on the scene: Teemu Selanne, who began his stellar career in Winnipeg and was later traded to the Ducks, took a twirl on the ice Monday. One of his sons, Eemil, posted a video of Teemu's skate on Twitter.
