GAMEDAY: Flames at Jets (Preseason Game 3)

WINNIPEG - The Jets will play their third game of the preseason tonight as they host the Calgary Flames at Canada Life Centre.

The Jets improved to 2-0 in the preseason with a 5-0 shut out of the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.

Jets veteran defenceman Brendan Dillon returns to the lineup tonight after being a part of the first preseason win in Edmonton on Sunday. There wasn’t a whole lot of physicality in either on the Jets wins so far and Dillon was asked if he felt things could change against the Flames.

“There’s a fine line too, you don’t want to get injured going through the first couple of ones (preseason games) before it gets real. There’s definitely a read you have to make and for me personally, you know, the penalty kills, being hard to play against in front of the net and the corners, all that stuff, you have to get the rhythm back for that,” said Dillon.

“I think a big part of my game too is that you are being smart with it all, letting the game come to me a bit more. Everyday I’ve just been feeling better and better.”

Here is a look at the projected lineup entering tonight’s game against the Flames:

Namestnikov-Perfetti-Niederreiter

Iafallo-Lowry-Appleton

Harkins-Kupari-Ford

Mallot-Toninato-Viel

Dillon-Heinola

Chisholm-Bauer

Stanley-Kniazev

Hellebuyck

Salminen

Dillon started training camp with Tyrell Bauer and those two played together against the Oilers on Sunday. However, the 32-year-old defenceman has been reunited with Ville Heinola for this evening. The two were paired together for the majority of training camp last year.

Heinola along with Declan Chisholm and Logan Stanley are trying to stay with the Jets with the top six spots on the blueline locked up ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

“I think whether you are on an eight-year deal, or you are a young guy coming up, I think you always have to be on top of it. That’s why you always work so hard in the summertime and coming into camp in the best shape you can and try to really just continue to work on your game,” said Dillon.

“I think that’s the one thing about everyone in this locker room is that everyone is trying to get better, and we are working on things after practice, before practice and you know, for the young guys too, I think all of them, they’re trying to get better every summer as well. Just kind of building the depth of the organization, we’ve already had some injuries in camp that have happened. You never know when you are going to get your opportunity and for those guys that’s kind of the message, I want to relay to them.”

Head coach Rick Bowness was hoping to have Nikolaj Ehlers available for tonight’s game against the Flames and Friday when the team will travel to face the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately, Ehlers will not be in the lineup tonight and it’s not looking good for Friday either.

That means Vladislav Namestnikov will join Cole Perfetti and Nino Niederreiter on the Jets top line this evening. The Russian forward truly lives up to his reputation as a guy who can move up and down the lineup.

“That's what he's going to be used as, just move him around. The Swiss Army Knife. He's smart, skilled. He's like everybody else, you get that first game out of the way, because it's a scramble, no matter what,” said Bowness.

“So, trying to find his game. Get his timing back, get his reads back. He's one of the smartest players out there tonight, playing with Cole and Nino, so let's see how that line looks.”

Kyle Capobianco was supposed to play tonight but injured his groin so now Tyrell Bauer will step in for him. Connor Hellebuyck will get his first start of the preseason, but it is unknown at this time whether or not he will play the full 60 minutes. Oskari Salminen will be Hellebuyck’s backup for the contest which will get underway at 7 pm CT.