Edmonton @ Winnipeg preview
Canada Life Centre
Last Meeting ( Jan 24, 2021 ) Edmonton 4, Winnipeg 3
Pierre-Luc Dubois already feels at home in Winnipeg.
The 22-year-old center was acquired by the Jets, along with a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL draft, in a blockbuster trade Saturday in which forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic were sent to Columbus.
"I got here (Saturday) night at 10:30 but waking up (Sunday) morning and being back in Canada and being here ... it already feels good here," said Dubois, who had requested the Blue Jackets trade him. "I'm getting texts from the players. I was on the phone with the organization (Saturday). I have a really good feeling."
It's uncertain when Dubois will be able to make his Jets debut, but it apparently won't be Tuesday night when they play host to the Edmonton Oilers in the second half of a back-to-back series.
Canada requires a 14-day quarantine for anyone crossing into the country from the United States. That would prevent Dubois from joining the Jets' lineup until Feb. 9 against Calgary.
"The last thing I heard ... was two weeks," he said. "And once that two weeks ends, I'll be ready. If it's before, I'll be ready too, but I'm not nervous about the quarantine part."
Dubois, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft -- one spot behind Laine -- is already familiar with the Jets' organization as his father, Eric, has been an assistant coach with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, since 2016-17. When the NHL shut down last spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, Dubois stayed with his parents in Winnipeg.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know the city more," he said. "I'm looking forward to meeting my teammates, but I'm really excited for this new chapter.
"I'm going to be watching all the games, trying to do some video on the forecheck, learn everything, learn tendencies for players so when the games start and when I get to practice, I haven't missed a beat. The quarantine, obviously, maybe the physical part is a bit challenging, but there (are) always ways to get ready, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be ready for that first practice and for that first game."
The Jets are coming off a tough loss, as Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl, the reigning league MVP, scored with less than a second remaining to give the visiting Oilers a 4-3 victory Sunday night.
The Oilers got a power play after Jesse Puljujarvi drew a penalty with 2:03 remaining. The man advantage had just expired when Connor McDavid passed to Draisaitl from behind the net and he blasted a one-timer past Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit.
"I thought we had a couple of chances at the end there," Draisaitl said. "But, obviously, we got a nice fortunate one."
McDavid recorded three assists, including setting up the tying goal by Kailer Yamamoto with 3:05 remaining. McDavid, the Oilers captain, has four goals and six assists this season, tying him with Toronto's Mitch Marner and Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar for the NHL scoring lead with 10 points.
--Field Level Media