With two Stanley Cups on resume, Andrew Ladd knows what it takes to win. (Lance Thomson/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel offered an interesting take on leadership the other night.

“It’s a funny thing,” he said. “Everyone has some portion of leadership in them. The question is, is anybody following you? They follow Andrew.”

Andrew, of course, being Andrew Ladd, the wrecking ball on skates who has carried Noel’s Jets much of this season, but never more obviously than over this final, desperate charge for the playoffs.

He’s set the tone down the stretch with his grim determination and timely scoring, willing Winnipeg to four straight wins that have moved the Jets into a virtual tie with the Rangers for the final playoff spot in the East.

Ladd, a 6′-3″, 205-pound winger who plays much bigger than that, was at his beastly best in a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, scoring the opening goal, assisting on the second, and tallying the third before clinching the desperately needed extra point with a beauty in the shootout.

“He really took charge and led the way,” said teammate Evander Kane. “He couldn’t have put it on display any better. [He's] showing the guys he’s here to win.”

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The Jets and Penguins last met on Feb. 15 in Winnipeg, with the Pens winning, 3-1. (Travis Golby/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

The Pittsburgh Penguins return to the ice tonight in search of their 14th consecutive win, but it’ll be another couple of weeks before the World’s Greatest Team assembles in all its glory.

The Pens will be without Kris Letang for at least another week after the defender broke a bone in his foot against the Canadiens. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury also is nursing an injury suffered against the Habs. Reigning MVP Evgeni Malkin is a game-time decision after missing nine games with an upper body injury. And Jarome Iginla, acquired in the season’s biggest trade early Thursday morning, is out pending resolution of work visa issues. He could play Saturday, but the holiday weekend could push his debut into next week.

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But even without that quartet of All-Stars, the Pens are well situated to stretch the NHL’s longest winning streak since 1990. The defense, which has allowed just nine goals over Pittsburgh’s last nine games, could get a boost from the debut of Douglas Murray. The hard-hitting defender, acquired earlier in the week from San Jose, will skate on the second pair with Matt Niskanen and should see some time on the penalty kill.

Brenden Morrow did line rushes with James Neal and Malkin during the morning skate, and worked the second power play unit with Tyler Kennedy and Pascal Dupuis ahead of his second game with the Pens.

Tomas Vokoun will get the start in net.

The Jets are firming up their position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, building a six-point lead over their Southeast Division pursuers after a 4-1 win in Carolina on Tuesday. Evander Kane fired six shots to add to his league-leading total and broke a lengthy slump with a goal and three assists in the contest, and linemates Olli Jokinen and Nik Antropov also tallied. The Jets need this trio to contribute with some consistency to take pressure off Andrew Ladd’s line, so they’re hoping that game sparks their confidence down the stretch.

Winnipeg got top blueliner Tobias Enstrom back in the lineup two games ago, and he tallied in both contests. Partner Dustin Byfuglien has racked up 10 points in his last nine games. They could draw a heavy workload tonight with Ron Hainsey and Mark Stuart expected to miss the contest.

The Jets are playing their best hockey on the road this season, running up a 10-6-2 mark.

Al Montoya, making just his seventh appearance of the season, gets the start for the Jets.

Evander Kane of the Jets has been a lightning rod for controversy this season. (Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

A guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• So apparently Evander Kane was talking about social media, not Winnipeg when he threw down the racism card. I’m thinking he’s probably not through with having to explain himself.

• Don Cherry on Kane: “When you act like he acts… if his name was O’Shaugnessy, he’d still get criticized. To say it’s racial is ridiculous.”

• Better news out of Winnipeg: Zach Bogosian could make his season debut tonight for the Jets.

• Here’s the story on Philly prospect Nick Cousins that started it all. And here’s part of the backlash. I don’t think every story about Cousins needs to mention in the lede that he’s been accused of rape, but Frank Seravalli clearly missed a more interesting column on the pervasiveness of attitudes like Ian Laperriere’s.

• David Clarkson continues to prove the doubters wrong in New Jersey. One week after my Team Canada roster prediction post, I’m ready to make a change. At this pace, Clarkson is definitely in the mix. He might be the NHL’s best ugly-goal scorer.

• Jonathan Quick could use a strong game against Columbus to rebound from last weekend’s devastating loss to Detroit. Watching him play, you have to wonder if he’s 100 percent after off-season back surgery.

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Erik Karlsson’s Achilles tendon injury was a huge blow to the gifted player and his team. (Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

A guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• Erik Karlsson’s gruesome injury means the season’s already over for Ottawa.

• Evander Kane plays the race card. Yeah, this is going to end well.

• Families are tearing themselves apart…over Winnipeg Jets tickets.

• Here’s the great Dave Stubbs on the the maturation of Carey Price and his partnership with goaltending coach Pierre Groulx. Meanwhile, Jack Todd wonders if the Habs are tough enough to assert themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

• The four entities involved in getting NHL players to Sochi for the 2014 Olympics meet today in New York.

• Good guy Andrew Brunette finally made his retirement official and took a new job with the Minnesota Wild as hockey ops adviser.

• Rookie center J.T. Miller plays his fifth game for the Rangers tonight. Will it be his last of the season?

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