GAME DAY: Jets begin home-and-home set with Blues

"I'm excited. This is a tough place to come away with two points," Mason said after the morning skate. "We have our work cut out for us, but it will definitely be a fun game to be a part of."

Head Coach Paul Maurice was asked why tonight was the right time to put Mason in one of the two games vs. the Blues this weekend.
"I liked his last full road game (a 38-save performance at Los Angeles on Nov. 22)," explained Maurice. "Connor (Hellebuyck) has enough games on him now that a couple days between games can help recharge some batteries. Steve would have played a bunch of games in this block if it wasn't due to injury."
Despite the long layoff for Mason, he feels comfortable getting back into the net, especially since he has either been hurt or has been backing up Hellebuyck for a large portion of the season.
"This year in general has been a good test for that," he said. "My starts have been few and far between. I feel like I've been utilizing the practice time to the best of my abilities and trying to stay sharp. I'm just going to go out there and try and give the team a chance to win."
The morning skate at Scotttrade Center was lightly attended with Dmitry Kulikov, Tyler Myers, Bryan Little, Adam Lowry and Mathieu Perreault not taking part. Maurice said all five should be good to go against the Blues, who, along with the Nashville Predators, lead the Jets by three points in the Central Division.
The Jets didn't run any line rushes, but expect the lines to be the same as they have been in recent games:
Connor - Scheifele - Wheeler
Ehlers - Little - Laine
Copp - Lowry - Tanev
Perreault - Hendricks - Armia
Morrissey - Trouba
Kulikov - Myers
Chiarot - Poolman

On the other side, it will be a strange night for Blues forward Chris Thorburn as he will face his former teammates for the first time in a St. Louis jersey. Thorburn was left unprotected for the expansion draft this past summer and was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights. He did not sign with club, however, and ended up in St. Louis after signing there as a free agent on Jul. 1. Thorburn played over 700 games with the Jets/Thrashers franchise and admitted he is nervous about tonight's tilt.
"Ten years, one organization," Thorburn said. "The first shift will be tough, but once I get that over with it will be another hockey game, hopefully."
Added Maurice: "He had a real positive impact on our team and the culture of our group. We're really glad that he's found a place he can play and make an impact."
- Jamie Thomas, WinnipegJets.com
JETS GAME NOTES
Tonight's Game
The Winnipeg Jets start a home-and-home set with the St. Louis Blues tonight at Scottrade Centre in St. Louis...It's the first time since the franchise relocated to Winnipeg that the Jets have played a home-and-home series on back-to-back nights, as the return match goes tomorrow at Bell MTS Place...The Jets are coming off a 1-1 homestand after beating the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 on Monday, but losing to the Chicago Blackhawks by that same score on Thursday...After this weekend's games with the Blues, the Jets have a three-game road trip against the Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins and New York Islanders to conclude their pre-Christmas schedule.
Jets vs. Blues Notes
- Winnipeg was 5-0 against St. Louis last season and swept a five-game season series for the first time in franchise history...The last time the Jets lost to the Blues was Dec. 15/15 4-3 at home.
- Going back two seasons, the Jets have won six in a row against the Blues to improve their record to 9-8-3 against St. Louis since the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011.
- Winnipeg hasn't given up a power play goal to the Blues in four consecutive games.
- Mark Scheifele has 14 points (7G, 7A) in 17 games against St. Louis, including seven points (3G, 4A) in his last four games.
Road Woes
The Jets are trying to end a five-game winless streak (0-3-2) on the road tonight...Winnipeg has been outscored 22-10 in the five games and have given up at least three goals in each of the five games...The Jets are 2-for-21 (9.5%) on the power play during the winless skid and 14-for-20 (70%) on the penalty kill...Winnipeg went 7-3-2 in their first 12 road games of the season before this five-game streak.
Against the Central
Tonight marks the second of four games against fellow Central Division opponents...After going 19-8-2 against its Central Division counterparts last season, Winnipeg is 5-2-1 against the Central to start this season, picking up three wins against Minnesota and two against the Dallas Stars...The Jets tied for a share of the best record in games played within the Central Division last season, as the Chicago Blackhawks also went 19-8-2 in divisional games...The Jets also had a winning record against every Central Division team, except the Wild (1-4-0)...Dating back to last season, the Jets have the best record in games between Central Division teams at 24-10-3.
Spreading Power Play Cheer
The Jets lone goal against Chicago on Thursday came on the power play, which marked the sixth time in the last seven December games the Jets scored a power play goal...Winnipeg is 10-for-29 (34.5%) on the power play in December, which is second in the NHL.
Middling December
After posting the second-best record in the NHL in November with a 9-3-2 mark, the Jets have a 3-3-1 record in December, which is tied for 15th in the NHL...During the past three seasons, the Jets have hovered around .500 in December with a combined record of 15-16-2 since 2015...Winnipeg's best record in December was 10-3-1 during the 2011-12 season...The Jets must win their last eight games of December to best that record.
Plenty of Firepower
Tonight's game features the two teams in the NHL that have three players each among the top 25 goal scorers in the NHL...For the Jets, Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine are among those tied for ninth in the NHL with 15 goals, while Mark Scheifele is tied for 20th with 14 goals...On the Blues, Brayden Schenn has 16 goals, while Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz have 14 goals...As a team, the Jets are third in the NHL this season with 107 goals, while the Blues are tied for seventh with 103 goals.
Central Snipers
Mark Scheifele leads the NHL with 14 points (6G, 8A) in eight games against Central Division teams, while Blake Wheeler is third with 12 points (2G, 10A) in eight games...Scheifele has a point in seven of eight games against the Central Division this season.
Jets vs. Blues All-Time Records
Overall: 14-15-5
At Bell MTS Place: 4-4-2
At Scottrade Center: 7-7-2