GAMEDAY: Jets vs Canucks

WINNIPEG -The last time the Winnipeg Jets had multiple days off between games, they returned to action with a loss on Jan. 17.
Kyle Connor said the lessons from that game - a 3-1 setback to the Toronto Maple Leafs - are front and centre as they prepare to take on the Vancouver Canucks tonight at Bell MTS Place.
"We're definitely aware of that. I'm aware of it personally as well," said Connor.
"We have to learn to adapt. We have another four-day block coming up. We feel good and we're ready to go tonight."

Of course, the situation the Jets faced earlier this month was much different than this week.
Back then, practice was cancelled out of an abundance of caution, meaning the Jets were off the ice for two days, skated once, then flew to Toronto.
This time, it was just one scheduled off day followed by two quality days of practice.

Now the Jets prepare to face a Canucks team they've had success against in recent years. In fact, the Jets have won 10 straight meetings with Vancouver, dating back to Dec. 22, 2018.
"It's a pretty crazy stat," said Connor.
"That's something that nobody really looks into going into the game. It's a different team each year and they play a different style. This year, we've started off 5-2 in the first seven games. We're just looking to build on that each game."
Connor is expected to be in his familiar left-wing spot alongside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler tonight, as the Jets line-up is expected to be unchanged from the one that beat the Edmonton back on Tuesday:
Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler
Copp-Stastny-Ehlers
Perreault-Lowry-Appleton
Harkins-Gustafsson-Lewis
Morrissey-DeMelo
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-Beaulieu
Despite Edmonton boasting the speed of Connor McDavid, among others, in their line-up, Jets head coach Paul Maurice expects a different type of speed out of the Canucks tonight.
"With all the speed in the Edmonton team and our team, it's almost a slower game in that you're a little more patient defensively," said Maurice. "You're sitting off people a little bit, you have to be a little more careful. Vancouver will come in tonight playing a very fast game and having success in playing that game.
"Our job now is to take this rest, get up to speed as fast as we possibly can in a far more straight-line physical game than we would have seen against Edmonton."
Vancouver is coming off a three-game sweep of the Ottawa Senators, a stretch that saw them score 16 times while giving up just three.
The Canucks lead the NHL in goals scored this season with 35 (they've also played the most games in the league, with 10). A lot of that offence comes from the back end.

Defenceman Quinn Hughes had a goal and five points in that three-game set with the Senators. His 11 points this season leads the Canucks, and he's just one of many defencemen on the Canucks roster that likes to jump up into the play.
"That's where the NHL game has gone. Four guys up the ice in the rush now is almost required to get through the neutral zone. They're very aggressive with that," said Maurice.
"We expect them to be very active. We expect this to be a very fast game. But we'll be physical when given the opportunity."
If the Jets want to extend their streak to 11 consecutive wins over Vancouver, they'll have to be at their best.
Maurice doesn't put much stock into that streak, adding that each game has felt close against the structured Canucks. The name of the game tonight will be speed.
"There isn't going to be very much time to either slow the game down, or let plays develop, or hang on to the puck," said Maurice. "It'll be a far more direct game, if that makes sense. Those games are always quite a bit faster."
Puck drop is set for 9 pm CT.
ICE CHIPS
By coaching in his 1,608th career game tonight, Maurice moves past Al Arbour for fourth on the all-time list of games coached in the NHL.
"I don't know how to describe the feeling of the number of games coached. I felt like I was new to the league my entire life," said Maurice. "You pass some of these names on the list, those are the names that were important to the game when you were growing up as a kid watching hockey on TV. I can't tell you how unusual it is to hear your name and Al Arbour's name in the same sentence."
Another piece of history on the line tonight. Connor Hellebuyck will become the franchise leader in wins with a victory. He's currently tied with Ondrej Pavelec for top spot on that list at 152.
Tucker Poolman is also now out of the Covid Protocol, but Maurice said it will be a bit yet before the defenceman is ready for action.
"This is now a cardio issue. We'll really slowly build him," said Maurice. "It's probably in the five-to-seven day range before we can amp him back up to him being a player. There is still some time before we get him back."
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
The Jets are in the midst of a seven-game homestead, during which they're 2-1-0.
This is the first of nine meetings between the Jets and Canucks this season, five of which are in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg has won 10 consecutive games against Vancouver, six of which have come at Bell MTS Place.
Connor Hellebuyck needs one win to reach 153 career wins and set the franchise record.
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