Niederreiter eager to bring Stanley Cup Playoffs experience to Jets’ postseason run

LAS VEGAS – Nino Niederreiter has a style of game that is easily transferable to the postseason.

No additional assembly will be required.

He’s built for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Since joining the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that sent a 2024 second-rounder to the Nashville Predators, Niederreiter has fit in seamlessly and made a valuable impression no matter what line he was put on.

When the opening round series for the Jets opens at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, Niederreiter is expected to skate alongside Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton as part of a trio that will be tasked with trying to slow down Jack Eichel.

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And if the Jets are going to be able to somehow pull off an upset, Niederreiter is going to need to chip in offensively while playing a physical game and getting under the skin of the opponents.

“All three of us are very simple players. Our work ethic is probably one of our best assets and that’s something that helps the consistency,” said Niederreiter. “Each and every night, you know you’ve got to go out there and work hard and that’s the No. 1 thing that you’ve got to do. Try not to take any shifts off. Play the game the right way, try not to cheat and that’s a pretty good identity to have.”

Niederreiter has been in the playoffs 10 times in 12 seasons and that helps make him the Jets leader in playoff games played with 82, which is seven more than defenceman Brenden Dillon.

During an interview in Denver earlier this week, Niederreiter took some time to reflect on having this latest opportunity.

“The most important thing for myself is that I’ve been fortunate to be in this position almost every year. But now, you’ve got to take advantage, eventually,” said Niederreiter, who has 15 goals and 30 points in postseason play. “Hopefully this year, we can do some damage.”

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Niederreiter suited up in 22 games with the Jets after the trade, but has a good grasp on the situation at hand.

“You can’t take it for granted. Always, if you look around the locker room, there’s a lot of elite players and usually, next year, everything could look a lot different,” said Niederreiter. “So you’ve got to make sure that as a team — and as a group of guys — that every single year is very rare. It’s rare that a core group of guys can stay for a long time.”

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Niederreiter was speaking in general terms, but his words certainly apply to his current situation, with the contract status of several core players on the Jets enhancing the urgency level for the group going into these playoffs.

Along with fellow deadline pickup Vladislav Namestnikov, Niederreiter has helped bring some additional complementary scoring and some edge that will come in handy as the stakes get higher.

The area around the blue paint is where a lot of goals get scored during the playoffs and Niederreiter is naturally drawn to making his way there.

“I always kind of had that game. I’m a big guy and I always had that physical game inside of me. My best asset is (being) in front of the net,” said Niederreiter. “To go there, you have to get your nose dirty. You’ve got to accept that you’re going to get shots in your back and slashes. At some point, you’ve got to start giving it back as well. That just came naturally. You know if you go in there, it’s going to hurt, but you’ve got to make sure that you protect yourself and (fight) back, I guess.”

What is undeniable is that Niederrieter relishes the chance to be under the spotlight and he has the potential to have a similar impact to what Paul Stastny was able to accomplish during the Jets’ 2018 run to the Western Conference final.

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“I love the fact that each and every shift matters. You’ve got to go out there and the excitement, it’s just more and more important,” he said. “That’s something I really enjoy being involved in and knowing that once the big stage starts, that’s when you want to play your best hockey and you want to enjoy the moment at the same time.”

Niederreiter’s vast experiences include a trip to the Eastern Conference final with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019 that ended in a four-game sweep.

He’s played on underdogs, favourites and everything in between.

“I’ve been fortunate to be in both positions,” said Niederreiter. “Sometimes, you’re the top dog and you get swept. 

“The adversity we hit the last 20 games was good for us (to deal with). We knew we had to get desperate, we had to find a way to play our game and be more aggressive. That’s exactly what happened. Now we’re in and anything is possible now.”

EHLERS DECLARES HIMSELF READY

Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers told reporters back in Winnipeg on Saturday that there’s no doubt in his mind that he will be ready to suit up in Game 1 after sitting out the final game of the regular season with an upper-body injury. Ehlers sustained the injury after he was on the receiving end of an unsuspecting check from Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman that resulted in a one-game suspension for interference.

“I’m good to go. Personally, for me, there really hasn’t been much concern. I feel ready to go. It’s the playoffs, I want to play,” Ehlers said.

Jets head coach Rick Bowness considers Ehlers’ status to be day-to-day. “We’ll see how he feels on Tuesday. You never know,” said Bowness. “When we get there on Tuesday, we’ll know for sure.”

Bowness also said fourth line centre Kevin Stenlund remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered in the final regular season game against the Colorado Avalanche.

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