GAME DAY: Preseason Game 7 - Jets vs Devils

WINNIPEG -It has been a unique preseason and training camp for the Winnipeg Jets.
The number of games hasn't been any different - seven has been the number for the past few seasons.
But after opening with a 2-1 exhibition win over the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 17, the final six games of the Jets preseason schedule was crammed into eight days with three sets of back-to-back games.
It all comes to an end tonight with the New Jersey Devils in town.
"This has been a completely different experience for me," said head coach Paul Maurice. "We would have had nobody left here under normal years. We're getting guys that are playing deeper and deeper into camp, which means you're getting to play against better rosters from other teams normally."

Case in point, Wednesday night's 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild dressed a veteran line-up, while the Jets had a number of players fighting for a spot.
For the most part, he's kept players from playing on back-to-back nights, however five players from Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild will suit up again tonight: Kristian Vesalainen, Sami Niku, Marko Dano, Jack Roslovic, and Joe Morrow.
Vesalainen was the only one of the five to take part in this morning's skate at Bell MTS Iceplex, and said he's not putting any extra pressure on himself going into the preseason finale.
"I just want to put it all out there and play as good as I can," said Vesalainen. "Hopefully do some good things."
Tonight's game will be Vesalainen's fifth since the start of camp, and while he scored his first goal in the loss to the Wild, he says he has "mixed emotions" about how he's played.
"I think I have to shoot more and be better with the puck in the offensive zone. I have to work on that," said the 2017 first-round pick.
"I feel confident. But I know I can do better too.
It's not easy to come to a new team, but I've been through that a lot in my previous years. It's a little bit easier for me. I'm pretty confident here. It's a much more faster game, so it's harder, but it's been good."

Just as Vesalainen is battling for a roster spot up front, Tucker Poolman is doing the same thing on the blue line.
Like Vesalainen, Poolman will be playing his fifth preseason game tonight.
"I've been in plenty of similar situations since I was a younger age all the way through until now," said Poolman. "It's just another day, and you just have to show up and enjoy playing hockey, which I do.
"Compared to last year, I'm definitely more comfortable. You definitely know what to expect instead of coming into your rookie year and everything is new to you."
Maurice plans to make roster decisions on Friday - a scheduled off day for the players - and then use the practice days leading up to the regular season opener on October 4 in St. Louis to make his final decisions.
But even then, he sees the opening of the regular season as just the beginning.
"Game one does not guarantee a game two. Kyle Connor didn't make our team last year and turned out to be a pretty good player for us," said Maurice.
"I don't know tonight if I've got you on a 'go list' that you're coming off that list. Everybody has had a fairly good opportunity now."

In due time, Maurice will look back on this camp's schedule, and how the Jets navigated it to see if there were positives to take from it that he can apply to future preseasons.
"We're going to have to mine this for a while to find what kind of value we get from it. How does it change our view of players? Some American League players got an opportunity to play in some NHL exhibition games that they may not have," said Maurice.
"We'll watch how Pascal Vincent feels that translated into their start into their season. We'll take a look at how our veteran players not just start the season but more physically how strong they feel two or three months into it."
Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT at Bell MTS Place.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
The Winnipeg Jets play their last of seven pre-season games tonight when they entertain the New Jersey Devils at Bell MTS Place, as Winnipeg finishes a stretch of six games in eight days...The Jets fell 4-3 to the Minnesota Wild last night at Xcel Energy Center to fall to 4-2-0 in the pre-season...Following tonight's game, the Jets will prepare for their season opener on Oct. 4 in St. Louis against the Blues.
Top Line Clicking
Set to play in tonight's game, the Jets top line of Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor has had a stellar pre-season thus far, as Wheeler has five points (2G, 3A) and Scheifele has four points (2G, 2A) in two games...Connor had an assist in his lone pre-season game...Last season, the trio combined for 77 goals and 208 points...Wheeler averaged more than a point per game with 91 points (23G, 68A) in 81 games, while Scheifele had exactly a point per game with 60 points (23G, 37A) in 60 games...Connor led all NHL rookies with 31 goals.
Midseason Form
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has picked up where he left off last season by posting a 2-0 record and .921 save percentage in his two pre-season starts...Last season he had a career best .924 save percentage in 67 games...He's turned away 70 of 76 shots in the pre-season and the Jets have been outshot 76-43 in his two starts.
Best Pre-Season Ever?
The Jets can match the most pre-season wins in a season in franchise history with a victory tonight...The franchise won five pre-season games in 2003 and 2005 when it was located in Atlanta...The Jets need to earn one more point to have their best pre-season record since relocation in 2011...The current best record is 4-3-0 from 2016.
No Sympathy for the Devils
The Jets are 10-1-2 in their last 13 regular season games against New Jersey and have won the last four meetings...Since relocating to Winnipeg in 2011, the Jets are 6-2-0 against the Devils in Winnipeg...Blake Wheeler is Winnipeg's active scoring leader against New Jersey, having tallied 13 points (6G, 7A) in 18 games as a member of the Jets franchise against the Devils.
Against the East
Tonight is the Jets only pre-season game against an Eastern Conference team...Winnipeg went 19-7-6 against the Eastern Conference last season, which was the second-best record by a Western Conference team against the East...Blake Wheeler led Winnipeg in scoring against the Eastern Conference last season with 37 points (10G, 27A) in 31 games.
Road Start
For the first time since 2015, the Jets start the regular season on the road, as they begin the 2018-19 campaign at Enterprise Center in St. Louis against the Blues on Oct. 4 and follow up with their second game in Dallas against the Stars on Oct. 6...However, Winnipeg plays the bulk of their October schedule at Bell MTS Place, as the team has seven of their first 10 games at home...The Jets have a season-high six-game homestand from Oct. 14-24.
Finland on the Horizon
While the Jets don't play a neutral site game during the pre-season, Winnipeg does have a pair of neutral site games on its regular season schedule, as the Jets are scheduled to play the Florida Panthers in Helsinki, Finland on Nov. 1 and 2.
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