GAMEDAY: Jets at Kraken

SEATTLE -For the second time this season, the Winnipeg Jets will take on the Seattle Kraken on the back half of a back-to-back.
But, to steal a phrase from head coach Rick Bowness, the Jets aren't looking for excuses. They're looking for solutions.
They found a solution the first time in Seattle. Blake Wheeler tied the game with 5.2 seconds left in regulation before Mark Scheifele sealed a 3-2 win in overtime back on November 13.
Of course, Wheeler won't be an option on this occasion. He's out four weeks due to a procedure he had on Friday, a direct result of an injury he sustained in another overtime victory - the 2-1 triumph over the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
Wheeler is one of many Jets unavailable due to injury - Nate Schmidt, Nikolaj Ehlers, Saku Maenalanen, Mason Appleton, and Logan Stanley are all on that list as well.
That doesn't mean the expectations change, though.

Missing all six of those players, the Jets put together a dominant 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Now, against a Kraken team that has lost five of six, the Jets would love to achieve a similar result as that night, as well as their previous stop at Climate Change Arena.
"That's Winnipeg Jet hockey," said Kyle Connor after the win over Vancouver. "That's what we've been talking about all year. Next man up. Everybody do their job."
That's exactly what happened in Vancouver.
Five different goal scorers helped the Jets to the win. Sure, there were the usual characters. Josh Morrissey extended his point streak to eight games - the longest by a defenceman in franchise history - and hit 200 career points, Pierre-Luc Dubois had three assists, and names like Scheifele and Connor were all over the scoresheet as well.
But there were other contributors as well. Neal Pionk, Kyle Capobianco, and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby also scored in Vancouver. Defencemen had a total of two goals and two assists, with Dylan Samberg and Brenden Dillon adding helpers.
"Usually a good defence leads to offence," said associate coach Scott Arniel. "Our four man rush has been awesome. The other side is, when we do get in the zone we don't just throw pucks away. That we play a possession game. We look for some quality. That's been a real good thing for us."
The Jets (20-9-1) will complete their fifth set of 13 back-to-backs on their schedule tonight, and so far this season they're 3-1-0 in the second of those two-game scenarios.
Arniel says sometimes those back-to-backs are more of a mental grind than a physical one, and the key mindset is keeping things simple and earning a strong start by doing what the Jets do well.
"That's what we've been preaching right from training camp - taking away time and space and using our skating ability," said Arniel.
The team won't hold a morning skate on Sunday, but Arniel said that David Rittich will get the start in goal.
Rittich earned the win over Seattle back in November, making 19 saves, and also won his last outing by stopping 22 of 23 against Chicago on December 9.
In terms of skaters, it's expected that the Jets will have the same line-up in Seattle as they did in Vancouver. There are some bumps and bruises, Arniel said, but as of two hours prior to puck drop the expectation was that the skaters wouldn't change from the 5-1 victory.
The goal for the Jets would be to defend the front of their net in a similar fashion to how they did against Vancouver.
Hellebuyck, who made 22 stops in the win over the Canucks, spoke after the game about the display his team put on in front of him at Rogers Arena.
"Our details were right, they were battling so hard and we were controlling the game," Hellebuyck said. "It's always hard going through injuries but this is what you want out of your team. You want everyone to be playing the same exact way. The details are right and then when you hit a little adversity you just rely on your systems and your grit and I think that's what we did (Saturday)."
Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
For the first time in franchise history, the Jets have won 20 games in the first 30 games of a season. The previous high was 19 during the 2018-19 season.
With five consecutive wins away from Canada Life Centre, the jEts have tied a franchise record for longest road winning streak. It's the fourth time in franchise history Winnipeg has won five consecutive road games, which have all occurred since the 2017-18 season.
Winnipeg is 5-3-1 against the Pacific Division this season. Six of Winnipeg's 16 games in December are against Pacific Division teams.
The Jets are playing their fifth of 13 back-to-back sets on their schedule this season, having gone 7-2-0 so far. The Jets were 6-4-2 in the first half of a back-to-back last season and 5-5-2 in the second game for an overall record off 11-9-4.
READ THE FULL GAME NOTES
READ SATURDAY'S COVERAGE