Morrissey reveals why he’s an All-Star but once more as Jets beat Lightning

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WINNIPEG — When he was requested to affix Rick Bowness in his workplace for a chat on Thursday afternoon, Josh Morrissey wasn’t totally certain what was going to be on the docket.

A gathering with the pinnacle coach can typically be equated with a visit to the principal’s workplace, however that was not the case this time.

It seems the Winnipeg Jets bench boss had some excellent news to ship and the phrases had been music to the ears of Morrissey, whose standout season had earned him a visit to South Florida for the NHL All-Star Recreation subsequent month.

“Bones simply pulled me into his workplace. You by no means know the place that’s going to go,” Morrissey mentioned with a chuckle on Friday after the morning skate. “As quickly as he began speaking I type of had a sense. It was emotional. It was thrilling for me.

“To be acknowledged and get to go to the All-Star recreation, that’s a reasonably large deal to me. All of the folks that have helped you alongside the best way in bettering your recreation and dealing in your recreation, the ups and downs of your profession, it’s only a fairly cool acknowledgement.”

To not point out a well-deserved one for the 2013 first-rounder.

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Relating to the emotion of the second, you’ll be able to simply perceive why this hits dwelling for Morrissey – who endured a few of these ups-and-downs as he stored the failing well being of his father Tom out of the headlines till he handed away from a bout with most cancers in August of 2021.

“Clearly there’s ups and downs in your profession. Whether or not that’s all through your whole profession or over the past variety of years for me. I’m not too far faraway from a pair robust seasons with household stuff happening,” mentioned Morrissey. “Typically robust nights and undecided, at that cut-off date, turning into an All-Star appeared fairly far-off. So it’s simply rewarding to place within the work and have the folks round you supporting and serving to you and be rewarded with that recognition.

“Simply coping with these instances, and definitely occupied with my Dad. He’s not right here to see this. He all the time thought that was one thing I might grow to be on this league and obtain. So it simply meant lots to me to know he’s watching. I’m certain he’s very proud and looking out down. That’s the place loads of the emotion got here from.”

Morrissey’s season has been nothing in need of spectacular, a uncommon mixture of high-end manufacturing, coupled with dealing with the hardest defensive minutes and going head-to-head with the opposition’s most gifted gamers on a nightly foundation.

That pattern continued on Friday evening towards the Tampa Bay Lightning, the place Morrissey chipped in one other three assists in a 4-2 victory.

These eye-popping offensive totals have now reached seven objectives, 39 assists and 46 factors in 39 video games.

He’s already hit career-bests in assists and factors and there’s greater than half a season left to play.

Morrissey hasn’t gone consecutive video games with out accumulating a minimum of some extent and his defensive-zone play hasn’t suffered.

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“It’s extremely robust. It’s most likely the toughest factor. You have a look at the Norris Trophy the final couple years, it goes out to the man with plenty of factors,” mentioned Jets defenceman Nate Schmidt, who was one among 4 gamers who returned to the lineup on Friday, becoming a member of Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler and Cole Perfetti. “The fellows which can be in a position to do each, for my part, are such an unbelievable a part of the sport. It’s one thing that, whether or not you’re good at having it, taking it off guys, going the opposite means, otherwise you’re stable defensively and guys aren’t attending to the web entrance, you have a look at your (Victor) Hedmans, you have a look at your (Cale) Makars, they’re a bit of bit completely different however each defend in their very own means.

“It’s the top of defencemen. If you are able to do each, that’s the most effective of each worlds.”

Ought to he proceed to provide anyplace near his present tempo, Morrissey will set up a franchise file for D-men – at present held by Dustin Byfuglien, who had 56 factors in 78 video games throughout the 2013-14 season.

“He’s achieved loads of nice issues, and the wonderful thing about Josh is that he’ll need extra. He gained’t be glad with this,” mentioned Bowness. “He’s very excited and really pleased with what he’s achieved, however on the finish of it, he is aware of we’re going to maintain pushing it right here, and that’s what you need to hear out of your elite gamers, that we’re going to maintain pushing and we’re going to maintain getting higher.”

Bowness challenged Morrissey to be within the High-10 of the Norris Trophy dialog this season and thus far, there’s no query that’s the case.

“Most likely a bit of higher than we hoped. That’s a tribute to him,” mentioned Bowness. “He’s way more assured now in his talents and what he can do on the market and the way good he will be. He’s a difference-maker on the market on either side of the puck, and I feel he’s taken nice delight in that.

To the shock of nobody who is aware of him, Morrissey was fast to present credit score to his teammates and made a plea to followers to present him some firm on the All-Star festivities by voting within the likes of Connor Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois or Mark Scheifele.

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“Yeah, there’s a bunch of men that actually may very well be there and needs to be there and have had superb seasons,” mentioned Morrissey. “We’re off to an awesome begin as a group. And that doesn’t occur with one or two and even only a few guys. It’s a full group factor. Undoubtedly there’s loads of guys having nice years. I’d like to see a number of Jets down there. I feel there’s some guys that actually should be there, for certain.

“We’ll see what occurs. Hopefully the Jets followers get behind it. It’s my first recreation so I want a pair guys which were there earlier than who can present me the ropes.”

As for Friday’s matchup, it was an intense battle and regarded nothing like a January contest between two groups that meet solely twice a season.

There have been some heavy hits and a pair of unlikely preventing combatants in Jets centre Mark Scheifele and Lightning pivot Anthony Cirelli, who was in a feisty temper all recreation lengthy.

Scheifele caught Lightning defenceman Haydn Fleury with a tough verify and Cirelli responded by cross-checking Scheifele.

“I assumed it was a clear hit,” mentioned Connor, who offered the game-winner at 5:38 of the third interval throughout a two-man benefit for the Jets. “He simply type of knocked the wind out of him and Cirelli, it regarded like he noticed his teammate down and began cross-checking Scheif, and he’s not going to take that. You understand, somebody is cross-checking him and he mentioned, ‘okay, sufficient’s sufficient.’”

The Jets scored twice throughout a two-man benefit, as soon as throughout a four-on-four state of affairs after which acquired the insurance coverage marker from Morgan Barron into the empty-net whereas shorthanded.

In his thirtieth begin in 39 video games, Connor Hellebuyck had one other rock-solid night, making 26 saves in a head-to-head battle with Andrei Vasilevskiy.

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With the win, the Jets improved to 25-13-1 on the season and moved again inside some extent of the Dallas Stars within the chase for high spot within the Central Division whereas holding a recreation in hand.

After dropping three consecutive video games for the primary time this season, the Jets have gained 4 in a row and are again pushing to stay within the dialogue among the many high groups within the Western Convention.

“We knew going into it they’ve the expertise and expertise. We knew it may very well be a one-goal recreation, a 1-0 recreation,” mentioned Dubois, who scored twice and is as much as 19 objectives for the season. “We needed to defend properly and go from there. Clearly, when you have got (Hellebuyck) again there making these large saves at key moments, it provides us loads of confidence.

“It’s a very good measuring stick for us. We acquired loads of these guys again. It’s not straightforward for these guys, lacking whether or not it’s three months, two months or a few weeks. However it was an enormous group win for us. The penalty kill did a implausible job in killing all these penalties. This recreation we might have a look at it, and it may very well be a recreation we keep in mind on the finish of the season for us.”