Winnipeg went into Friday night’s Ducks Vs Jets matchup with a lineup question hanging over it, after Scott Arniel said Josh Morrissey was day-to-day following the defenseman’s injury against Colorado. The Jets hosted Anaheim at 7 PM CT, and the uncertainty around Morrissey stood out because Winnipeg had won three straight and had points in all four games to start the season.
Morrissey appeared to hurt himself late in the first period against Colorado while trying to make a hit, then attempted to come back in the second period before lasting just one shift. On Thursday, Davis Payne offered no update, leaving Arniel to provide the clearest word on the status that mattered most going into puck drop.
That mattered because Friday was Winnipeg’s first game against a Pacific Division opponent, and it came against an Anaheim team that had been on its way to a 3-0-0 start against Edmonton before the Oilers rallied over the final 40 minutes to hand the Ducks their first loss of the season. The matchup also offered a first look at some of Winnipeg’s moving parts, with Elias Salomonsson in a regular jersey, Tyrel Bauer back in the lineup, Haydn Fleury set for his season debut and Clay Stevenson slated for his second start and his first chance to play in Winnipeg.
The larger picture for Winnipeg is simple enough: the start has been strong, but the defense remains tied to Morrissey’s availability. The projected groups had Connor, Scheifele and Perfetti together up front, with Samberg and DeMelo, Ferraro and Pionk, and Fleury and Bauer on the blue line if the night unfolded that way. If Morrissey could not go, the Jets would have to keep winning without the player whose status was still the biggest open question at 7 PM CT.
