Cole Koepke

That was a physical first period, 16-10 in hits in Montreal's favor.

And as I mentioned as we were going to commercial break at the end of the period, I wonder if Cole Koepke is going to have to answer for that hit on Lane Hudson, who was on his knees and he laid a body check on him nonetheless.

Now we saw Hudson gingerly head off, but he is back out to start this second period.

And away we go from center ice.

They do carry it away.

Morgan Barron up to center.

Now here goes Cole Koepke.

Trying to streak into the net.

But your third line, that is where Dawson Mercer is scheduled to.

Start today beside Adam Lowry, Isaac Rosean, Cole Koepke, drawing in to end up with Morgan Barron, Nino Niederreiter.

Something that we should mention, that when you look at those defensive pairings, Ty Bauer expected to be a healthy scratch.

Jack St. Ivany was placed on waivers when the trades were made, and he was picked up off of waivers.

Maybe it becomes Morgan Barron, Adam Lowry, and Alex Ayafallo, and then all of a sudden you're going with a younger fourth line.

Maybe you go with Jaeger, Rosean, and Cole Koepke.

Whatever it's going to be, obviously, will... be figured out over the next few days and it'll be interesting to see if Dawson Mercer is in the Jets lineup on Sunday when they're next in action against the Montreal Canadiens welcome to Winnipeg here's a spectacle for you 35,000 people in an outdoor game as I wonder if there's ever really been a trade you know consummated I'd have to look back between a team that's playing in an outdoor game that's that close to the actual event happening, within hours of it actually happening.

I can't think of one.

When you asked me if I was surprised on Tuesday, if he's getting into St. Louis, I'm like, no, he got called up and they can do some.

But Cole Koepke took a penalty and stuff.

I don't think guys get benched for taking bad penalties.

Like Nemesikov took one earlier in the season.

So what did the Jets do to counter that today at practice? They moved Niederreiter, but they moved him to the fourth line.

where they take Cole Koepke out of the rotation for the forward lines.

Make it make sense to me, Dave, because I'm absolutely at a loss for why the Winnipeg Jets are replicating the MO that they demonstrated with Gus Nyquist last year, when it was obvious he didn't have anything left in the tank, yet they kept putting him out there to try and make something happen.

Well, I mean, how am I supposed to make an argument for something I don't agree with? I'm not really sure how I'm going to make a coherent argument and argue eloquently for Nino Niederreiter's remaining in the lineup.

And so if you're losing your minutes with the Lowry line, and again, it's great that the second line had good analytics, Drew, but bottom line is results.

And are you going to go another eight games and say, well, you know, we're getting some good results with that line, or analytics, but we're not getting good results? Now, I know that conventional wisdom would suggest that eventually you will get those results if you keep it up because of the positivity of what they're generating, Ezi.

But, yeah, I'm not going to make an argument because I don't know why you take Cole Koepke out.

I think that the fourth line loses its identity as a fast line.