GAME DAY: Jets vs Maple Leafs

WINNIPEG -Two teams that play in separate conferences are about to get very familiar with each other.
Tonight marks the first of two meetings between the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs this season. While this match-up takes place at Bell MTS Place where the Jets will wrap up a six-game home stand, the second tilt between the two goes down in three days in Toronto.
Both teams can score goals, both have power plays clicking at over 30 per cent, and head coach Paul Maurice said the buzz can be felt in the Jets dressing room.
"I get that all 82 games should be the same. But it's really boring when they are," said Maurice. "It's way better when there are a bunch of games on your calendar where you can say 'that's going to be a big game.' It's exciting."

Winnipeg's 5-0-1 record on the home stand hasn't come easy - the fifth victory coming after a come from behind overtime win over the St. Louis Blues on Monday.
Jets centre Mark Scheifele believes his team needs to play a similar brand of hockey tonight against the Maple Leafs. The challenge is doing it for a full 60 minutes.
"Every single game you're going to go through patches of the game you don't like and you'll go through patches of the game you'll like," said Scheifele. "To put a full 60 (minutes) together is tough but that's what you try and build with your team.
"Tonight is another stepping stone for us and an opportunity to get better."
In that win, head coach Paul Maurice shuffled his lines, putting Patrik Laine on Scheifele's wing with Blake Wheeler.
That resulted in Kyle Connor skating with Bryan Little and Nikolaj Ehlers. While Maurice didn't confirm at Tuesday's practice that he'd stay with those lines, Wheeler says it's a prime example of the depth the Jets have at forward.
"What a luxury it is to have that caliber of guys on our team. We have a number of guys that are incredibly talented offensively," said Wheeler. "The two of us (Wheeler and Scheifele) have built a really good foundation over the years. We're lucky to have guys that can step in and give different looks and refresh things a bit.
"At different points in the year you're going to need those things to keep guys fresh and show different things."

Should the lines remain the same, the Jets line-up is expected to look like this, with Dmitry Kulikov slotting in for Joe Morrow (who stayed out with Nic Petan for conditioning at the end of the morning skate).
Laine-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Little-Ehlers
Copp-Lowry-Tanev
Lemieux-Roslovic-Perreault
Morrissey-Trouba
Chiarot-Byfuglien
Kulikov-Myers
It will be Kulikov's first game in just over a week. In two games this season, the defenceman has one assist.
"When I took him out I wasn't angry with him. I wasn't disappointed with his play. But we liked how Joe started," said Maurice.
"Joe had played well, had a tough night, so it was just kind of an open door more than anything else."

Toronto (6-3-0) started the season with six wins in seven games, but have dropped their last two to Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
Auston Matthews is tied with two others for the NHL lead in points with 16. Teammate John Tavares isn't far behind at 11. The duo gives the Maple Leafs strong depth up the middle, but Scheifele says the Jets can't focus solely on those two.
"They're obviously different players but at the end of the day it's focusing on what we do as a team and a line," said Scheifele. "You don't try to think about who you're playing against. You're going to be aware of when those guys are on the ice because they do have that skill and ability to make you pay, but at the end of the day it's about what we do as a team."
WATCH LAINE, LITTLE, AND HELLEBUYCK
A number of times this season, Wheeler often talks about the importance of forwards backing up the Jets defencemen so they can be aggressive at the opposition's blue line.
Maurice says when that's happening, it allows the Jets to be at their best without the puck. It will be important tonight, especially with the threat that Toronto's transition game brings.
"They rely on each other completely in the game that we play," Maurice said of his forwards and defencemen. "It's very aggressive. It's a very hard gap game. You can't be setting your gap on a puck carrier if somebody hasn't done their job.
"It's all about what the forwards allow our defence to do."
Puck drop is set for 6 pm CT.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Tonight's Game
The Winnipeg Jets conclude a season-high six-game homestand tonight against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs…The Jets came back to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4 in overtime on Monday night…The Jets begin a four-game road trip on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings before visiting Toronto on Saturday and then flying to Finland for games in Helsinki against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 1 and 2.
Streaky
The Jets have points in five consecutive games (4-0-1), which is the longest point streak of the season…The Jets had seven point streaks of four games or longer last season…Winnipeg has come back to win after trailing in each of their last two games…The Jets came back from 3-1 and 4-3 third period deficits on Monday, marking the sixth time in franchise history and third time since relocation in 2011 that the Jets have overcome multiple third period deficits.
Working Overtime
The Jets are 1-1 in overtime games this season after Monday's win…The Jets were 5-8 in games decided in overtime last season, but have won four of their last five games decided in overtime going back to last season.
Dominating the East
Tomorrow is the first of five consecutive games for the Jets against an Eastern Conference team…The Jets beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Oct. 14 in their only game against a team from the East this season…Winnipeg went 19-7-6 against the Eastern Conference last season, including a 10-3-3 record versus the Atlantic Division and 9-4-3 record against the Metropolitan Division…Blake Wheeler led the Jets with 37 points (10G, 27A) in 31 games against the Eastern Conference, which was tied for fourth among Western Conference players last season…Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck went 15-3-5 versus the East.
Lights out Power Play
The Jets have scored a power play goal in all five games of this homestand so far, going 6-for-15 (40%)…Winnipeg is 38.9% (7-for-18) on the power play at home this season, which is fourth in the NHL…Overall this season, Winnipeg's power play is fourth in the NHL at 32.0% (8-for-25).
Home Success
The Jets are 5-0-1 at Bell MTS Place to start the season, which is the best home record in the NHL…Winnipeg has earned a point in 15 consecutive games dating back to last season (14-0-1)…Since Feb. 13/18, the Jets are 17-2-1 at Bell MTS Place and have an NHL best .850 winning percentage on home ice…Winnipeg has outscored their opposition 71-47 in those 18 games…The Jets have allowed only one goal in six of their last eight home games dating back to last season.
Long Homestands
This is the 12th homestand in franchise history of six games or more…The Jets had two homestands of six games or more last season, going 6-3-1 during a 10-game homestand from Jan. 30-Feb. 20 and a perfect 6-0-0 in a six-game homestand from Mar. 15-27…Of the 12 homestands, 10 have come since relocation in 2011…The Jets franchise is 42-26-9 all-time in games during homestands of six games or more.
VIEW THE FULL GAME NOTES
Four-Point Night
Mark Scheifele matched a career high with four points (2G, 2A) on Monday against St. Louis…It's the third time in his career he's had four points in a game…He played 25:55 in the game, which is the second most he's played in a game in his career…With five points in his last two games, Scheifele now leads the Jets in scoring this season with nine points (4G, 5A) in nine games this season.
Benny and the Jets
Defenceman Ben Chiarot had a goal and an assist on Monday for his second goal of the season…Chiarot has already matched the two goals he's had in each of the last two seasons, which is also a career high…Monday also matched a career high for Chiarot for most points in a game, which he's now done three times.