GAMEDAY: Jets at Stars

The home opening win over the New York Rangers provided a big boost for the Winnipeg Jets, but the schedule doesn't get any easier going forward.
Tonight marks the beginning of a stretch that sees the Jets play six of their next eight games away from home, with the first stop coming in Dallas against the Stars.
It's part of a three-game road trip over the next four nights with games against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and the currently undefeated Vegas Golden Knights.
But Blake Wheeler is staying present.
"We're in Dallas today, and that's what we're focused on," Wheeler said. "They've got off to a good start and they have a new coach. There is some life in their group as well. It will be a difficult task, it always is to play against these guys in this building. That's our focus today."

Wheeler had an assist in the 4-1 win over the Rangers last Friday, but knows that the Stars are always a challenge in their home building - American Airlines Center.
Last season, the Stars were 27-10-4 at home, the seventh best in the National Hockey League. The Jets lost both games to Dallas last season, but both of those contests went past 60 minutes.

Now, though, these are two different teams. Both teams have new coaches, even though Winnipeg's current head coach, Rick Bowness, won't be in Dallas tonight due to COVID-19.
"We zoomed him in on one of our meetings this morning," associate coach Scott Arniel said after this morning's skate. "He was here virtually, sitting in watching the meeting with the players."
That meeting likely zeroed in on what Dallas has done well in their two wins this season, which were by a combined score of 9-2 over the Nashville Predators.
In addition to that video, some of the lessons from Winnipeg's win over the Rangers were also revisited.
"We had some good moments, especially in the first and third periods," said Wheeler. "In the second, we were trying to play a little different game than what we're built to play. It was a good learning experience for sure and hopefully we can carry that forward."
Wheeler's line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cole Perfetti will remain in-tact tonight against Dallas. They didn't get on the scoresheet as a group, but combined for five shots on goal.

"For me and Dubie, we play best when we're playing north-south, getting on the forecheck, winning battles, and trying to create some space for Cole," said Wheeler. "He's a dynamic player and he has great hockey sense. He makes plays all over the ice. That's the identity of our line. When we're playing well, we're going to be playing north-south with a lot of speed."
The Jets line-up is expected to look like this:
Connor-Scheifele-Ehlers
Perfetti-Dubois-Wheeler
Barron-Lowry-Appleton
Maenalanen-Gustafsson-Gagner
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Stanley-Schmidt
As for the Stars, they'll start Jake Oettinger between the pipes.
The 23-year-old is entering his third NHL season after posting a sparkling 0.954 save percentage in the seven-game series against the Calgary Flames in last spring's postseason.
"You can tell the good ones when they have to play in short periods of time, they have to play games where they get multiple shots, they're in situations where the opposition his coming in waves," said Arnie. "He's up there as one of those top young goaltenders in the league."
Winnipeg will respond with a high-end goaltender of their own in Connor Hellebuyck, who was sensational in the win over the Rangers. He made 21 of his 40 saves in the second period against New York, moving him to 17-3-3 in games that he makes 40 or more saves in his career.
Hellebuyck, and the Jets as a whole, will have their hands full with the Stars offence, which is led offensively by Mason Marchment's three goals. Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson each have four points to lead Dallas in that category, and not far behind them is the veteran Joe Pavelski - who Wheeler is quite familiar with.
"Just a very smart hockey player, even going back to playing against him in college," Wheeler said. "He has an amazing mind offensively around the net. He always seems to get his stick on pucks, always getting in on rebounds, he's a really tough guy to handle down there."
Games between the Jets and Stars typically come down to the final minutes as both teams line-ups are filled with speed and skill. Ultimately, it comes down to who executes the best on any given night.
Wheeler is hoping for the same result as Friday, so the Jets can put another two valuable points in the bank. No night in the NHL is easy though, especially when the team is still adjusting to the new systems that were put in place in training camp.
"I think that's going to continue on here for a little while. We're going to continue to make mistakes," Wheeler said. "Just learn from them and try to learn on the job. So far I've liked how the guys have picked it up. Hopefully we can continue to learn and get these things solidified sooner than later."
Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm CT.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
After opening the season at home, the Jets play six of their next eight games on the road to open the season. The six games are a pair of three-game, four-night road trips.
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