Nino Niederreiter and the Winnipeg Jets could hardly be doing better in the NHL right now. The Chur native reaches another milestone and receives numerous congratulations.
07.11.2024, 15:08
08.11.2024, 14:28
SDA
On Wednesday night, Niederreiter played his 900th game in the regular season of the world's best ice hockey league in a 3-0 home win against the Utah Hockey Club and crowned the anniversary with two goals. Andres Ambühl and Mark Streit were among those who congratulated him. "It was a very cool evening," said Niederreiter in a video call with Swiss journalists. As a young boy, it was a dream to ever play in the NHL, and now he has 900 games under his belt. "That's very special."
The Grisons power forward, who won his third World Championship silver medal in May ("this medal is not as important to me as the first two"), has had a dream start to the season. He scored seven goals and five assists in his first 13 matches. This is all the more astonishing given that he plays in the third line, which has the primary task of keeping the opposition's top lines in check. "We do a very good job in that regard. Accordingly, the opponents take more risks and we get our chances as a result," says Niederreiter.
His line also benefits from the system of Scott Arniel, who has been promoted from assistant to head coach this season. "Defensive work is extremely important to him. He attaches great importance to duels on the boards. That plays into our hands."
A tinkerer
Niederreiter is also someone who is always tinkering with what is needed during the off-season, as the league has developed enormously. "There's now a person responsible for everything (sleep, nutrition, etc.)." So his stick is a little longer than last season. In summer training, he completed more frequent power skating sessions, and yoga is also an important part of his preparation. And he was able to train consistently. He can feel that now.
Of course, it also helps that the whole team is doing well. The Jets only lost one of their first 13 games. They are now implementing the system even better, says Niederreiter. "The mix in the team is very good. And we have one of the best goalies in the world in (Connor) Hellebuyck. When you know you have a wall like that behind you, you're more likely to try something, especially the first two lines."
Last season as a warning
However, the Jets have been warned. Last season, they were the second-best team in the Western Conference in qualifying and scored as many points as the eventual champion Florida Panthers. Nevertheless, they were clearly defeated in the first playoff round by the Colorado Avalanche (1:4).
"The playoffs are still so far away," says Niederreiter. The first goal is to reach them early. "The wins now are important so that we don't have to chase points afterwards. We all know that it can't go on like this for the whole season. There are teams like Nashville who are currently playing below their potential and we might be playing above it. We just want to keep riding this wave for as long as possible."
