GAMEDAY: Jets vs Canucks

WINNIPEG -One walk around the Winnipeg Jets (21-13-1) dressing room gives an indication of how important tonight's game against the Vancouver Canucks (16-15-3) is to the players.
The name plates above the stalls, which usually feature the Jets logo with the individual player's last name and number, have undergone a makeover with Sam Gagner playing in his 1,000th NHL game tonight.
The last names of individual players are still there, but they're customized with all the logos of the seven total teams Gagner has played for, as well as today's date, which is when he joins four other players from his 2007 NHL Draft class with 1,000 NHL games.
"This is a big one for all of us," said forward Michael Eyssimont. "It's a really cool experience to be part of so early in my career to see someone who's done it the way he has. This being his 1,000th game, it's special and it means a lot to everyone in this room to get the win tonight."

Tonight will mark the third time since the Jets relocated to Winnipeg in 2011 that a player will reach the 1,000-game milestone in a Jets jersey.
Paul Stastny was the first (ironically, also against the Canucks) on May 11, 2021, a night when the Jets earned a 5-0 win.
Next up was Blake Wheeler on December 5, 2021. The Jets picked up a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs that night to make it a memorable evening.
Now they'll try to do it again against a Canucks team that has won three in a row overall, and seven straight on the road.
"They are a highly skilled team, they can score goals," said head coach Rick Bowness, reflecting on the 5-1 win the Jets earned in Vancouver on December 17.
"It's on us to make sure we don't give them that much time and space, that we stay above them, that we slow them down, that we spend as much time as we can in their zone making them defend," he said. "So it's going to be on us to play our game."

Just as important as finishing off Gagner's memorable night the right way is Winnipeg getting back in the win column.
After the loss to Minnesota on Tuesday, the Jets have lost three in a row for the first time this season. The belief is that yesterday's 50-minute practice - just the second practice session this month, and first in over three weeks - was what the team needed to get the details of their game back in order.
"It was actually a really refreshing day yesterday, getting back to some of the details of our neutral zone and how we want to work against these teams," said Eyssimont. "It's something I need to focus on a lot, so having a full day yesterday to really revisit it is huge for the team as a whole, I think, too."
It was an optional skate on Thursday, but based on Wednesday's full practice, the Jets line-up is expected to look like this, with Connor Hellebuyck getting the start in goal:
Connor-Dubois-Gagner
Lowry-Scheifele-Kuhlman
Barron-Stenlund-AJF
Eyssimont-Gustafsson-Harkins
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Dillon-Heinola
With no help coming in the form of returning injured players - although Nate Schmidt, Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, and Saku Maenalanen skated prior to the morning skate - it's on the players in the line-up to seize the opportunity in front of them.

That's the way Jansen Harkins sees it.
"That's something Rick has been saying ever since camp - try to have that next man up mentality," Harkins said. "We have a bunch of good players that can play here, guys that have been doing a really good job filling in. On the other side, there are lots of guys on this team trying to prove they can step up and fill those spots."
So much goes into the preparation for one NHL game. Even just being on the roster is a big achievement, though it doesn't necessarily mean a spot in the line-up every night.
That's what Eyssimont is going through for the first time at the highest level. After sitting out four games earlier this month, this will be his third straight back in the line-up.
Like Harkins, he's trying to take full advantage of the opportunity.
"It's important for me to just be diligent in everything I do on the ice, off the ice," he said. "Obviously having a group of guys here to lean on makes it easier to come to the rink when you're not playing, when you're in the press box, makes it easy to be with your teammates and learn those other things, too."
One of those guys is Gagner, and as Eyssimont suits up for his 20th career game, the magnitude of Gagner's accomplishment feels even more real.
"That's obviously something I'd love to do," Eyssimont said. "And I realize that's a lot of work, and you can see it. Definitely something you'd like to bend Gagner's ear about."
Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
Sam Gagner is set to play in his 1,000th NHL game on Thursday against Vancouver. Gagner has played for seven teams in the NHL, including the most wit the Edmonton Oilers with 542 games. He'll become the fifth player from the 2007 NHL Draft class to reach 1,000 games, joining Patrick Kane, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, and David Perron.
Defenceman Josh Morrissey leads the Jets in scoring with 40 points (6G, 34A) in 35 games, which is a career high for points. He has also established a new career high with 34 assists. He's the first defenceman in team history to have 40 points in the first 35 games of a season.
The Jets have lost three consecutive games for the first time this season. Winnipeg hadn't lost three games in a row since a four-game losing streak from April 15-21, 2022. Winnipeg can avoid losing consecutive games at home for the second time this season with a win on Thursday.
Winnipeg is 5-4-1 against the Pacific Division this season, including 2-1-0 in Winnipeg. Four of Winnipeg's next five games are against Pacific Division squads.
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