GAMEDAY: Jets vs Canadiens

WINNIPEG -Tonight's tilt against the Montreal Canadiens has the Winnipeg Jets in a spot they've never been this season.
When they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Canadiens (13-8-7) on Monday, it was the first time the Jets had suffered consecutive losses to the same opponent this season. The previous loss to Montreal came back on Mar. 6, the fourth meeting of the season - with Winnipeg winning the first three.
"They're doing a really good job of staying on top of our forwards, not giving us a lot of easy plays, and making us work for every offensive chance we get," said Jets forward Andrew Copp. "We have to do the same to them, try to get more traffic in front of (Carey) Price, and continue to put pucks behind their D and make them go 200 feet every time."

History would show that the Jets learn from their mistakes - and quickly.
While they've lost consecutive games to Montreal, the Jets don't have consecutive losses on their schedule this season.

They are 7-0-1 coming off regulation losses and want to improve on that mark tonight.
"We have a lot of belief in our room," said Copp, looking back on the first half of the 56-game season. "We've put ourselves in a good position. We need to continue on that and continue to improve because other teams will as well. We want to be hitting our stride at the right time of year."
The Jets (17-9-2) will ice the same line-up as the one that outshot Montreal 36-31 on Monday at Bell MTS Place, with Connor Hellebuyck getting the start in goal:
Stastny-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Dubois-Ehlers
Copp-Lowry-Appleton
Perreault-Thompson-Lewis
Morrissey-DeMelo
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-Poolman
Winnipeg Jets : Ground Control
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Fly By - Mar. 17, 2021 - WPG vs MTL
Outshooting the Canadiens isn't easy. Montreal's 32.9 shots per game are the third most in the NHL.
However, as Copp referenced, the Jets want to get more bodies in front of the Montreal net - and on top of that, take care of the puck when they have it.
Three turnovers on Monday led directly to the three goals Montreal scored prior to the empty netter.
"We have to be more diligent with where we put the puck," said head coach Paul Maurice, adding they'd like to build on the theme of getting pucks to the net as well. "There are some things in our offensive zone play. That isn't just a Montreal thing, we're trying to move in a direction of increasing our shot volume when we have the opportunity to."

Tonight marks the sixth time the Jets have played the Canadiens in a span of 11 games. It was evident on Monday that the teams are getting sick of each other, as they combined for 55 hits that night.
In the previous four meetings, they only combined for more than 40 once.
"You start to develop a little bit of a rivalry and you can tell on the ice," Copp said, adding it's likely a byproduct of the three two-game sets the teams have played against each other.
"If you lose a game, you get a chance to get them back in the next game. If you win, you're trying to put them behind you even more with a series sweep. It's an interesting dynamic for sure."
That intensity will continue for the rest of the regular season.
In fact, Copp says with the trade deadline less than a month away and only 28 games remaining, it feels like it's the final third of a normal 82-game schedule.

In each of the last three seasons, the Jets have made the postseason but also found themselves in different races at that point of the regular season.
In 2017-18, they were locked in a battle with the Nashville Predators for top spot in the Central Division, a storyline that repeated itself in 2018-19.
When the 2019-20 campaign was paused, Winnipeg held down a wildcard spot and were fending off challenges from teams below the playoff line while also trying to move up in their own division.

That experience will pay off in the stretch run. Currently, the Jets are four points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the North Division.
"I think we're comfortable where we're at and not getting caught up in the day-to-day standings or anything like that," said Copp. "We just kind of continue to work on where our game is at, continue to improve, and like I said, hit our stride and hit our best hockey at the right time of year."
Puck drop is set for 8 pm CT.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
The Winnipeg Jets wrap up a two-game mini-series with the Montreal Canadiens tonight at Bell MTS Place.
This season, the Jets are 7-0-1 coming off a regulation loss.
Winnipeg is 9-5-1 at home this season and have won three of their past five games at Bell MTS Place.
Monday's loss against Montreal was the first time this season the Jets have lost consecutive games to the same opponent.
Kyle Connor scored twice on Monday to tie Nikolaj Ehlers for the team lead in goals this season with 14.
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