GAMEDAY: Jets vs Kraken

WINNIPEG -Karson Kuhlman has seen both sides of the Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken clashes this season, and he's hoping to change something Tuesday night.
In the first meeting on November 13, while still with the Kraken, Kuhlman watched as Blake Wheeler tied the game in the final seconds of regulation. Then Mark Scheifele scored the winner in overtime as Winnipeg left Climate Pledge Arena with a 3-2 victory.
The second meeting, just over a month later - but still on the back half of a back-to-back - Kuhlman and the Jets saw a 2-1 third period lead snatched away by two Kraken goals, ultimately leading to a 3-2 Jets loss.
In the finale of the season series, Kuhlman wants to come out on the winning side.
"Two teams fighting hard to be where they're at and fighting down the home stretch to be in a good position for the playoffs," is how Kuhlman described the match-up. "Obviously, we know they've got a deep roster and we're just going to play our game and go from there."

The Jets (33-19-1) have won two in a row as they head into the season series finale with the Kraken (30-18-5).
Both teams sit in second place in their respective divisions, with the Jets three points back of the Dallas Stars (with a game in hand), and the Kraken in the exact same position - just chasing Vegas instead of Dallas.

Seattle had lost three in a row coming out of the player break with setbacks against the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers before snapping the skid on Sunday with a 4-3 win in Philadelphia.
The tilt with the Jets closes out a five-game road trip for Seattle.
"They've got a lot of guys in that locker room that have been around a long time and played a lot of games," said Kuhlman. "They keep it pretty level-headed. They do a good job of that over there."
Jets head coach Rick Bowness has used Kuhlman in a number of situations since he was claimed by Winnipeg on December 13.
At that time, the Jets had a number of injuries in their line-up, so the 27-year-old played everywhere from the top line with Mark Scheifele, to a shutdown role with Adam Lowry, and anything in between.
"He's fearless out there. He goes to the net, he's in the corners, he's on the forecheck, he's a strong skater," said Bowness. "He's everything we were told he would be. He's done a very good job for us, no question."

In preparation for the Kraken, Bowness and the Jets held an up-tempo 45-minute skate at Canada Life Centre on Monday.
"We've played them twice and they're fast. They're a good hockey club," said Bowness. "Dave (Hakstol) and his staff have done a great job, Ronnie Francis has done a great job there. They're legitimate and they are a very fast hockey team and they are very hard to play against."
The best way to defend a team with speed, after all, is by using the speed in your own line-up according to Mason Appleton.
"You can't turn over pucks, but you can't be hesitant either. You have to make the right read when it's there, make the right play when it's there, then it's just having a guy above and having that responsible mindset, that kills a lot of speed," he said. "We're a really fast team too. So their speed should be a non-issue if we choose to defend the right way and play the right way."
It's expected the Jets will get a boost to their line-up for the tilt with the Kraken, as Dylan DeMelo - who has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury - believes he'll be ready to return.
He didn't skate at all during the player break, but found something much more beneficial to spend his time on during those 11 days.
"I went back home for the break, so I saw my guy there that takes care of me in the summer," said DeMelo. "Saw him pretty much every day. Just try to use that time to try and heal as quick as possible."
DeMelo skated with Brenden Dillon at Monday's practice, a pairing that Bowness wants to get a bit more of a look at. It also allows Josh Morrissey to stay with Neal Pionk for a bit longer.
"Early in the year, when we started the season, those were the pairings," said Bowness. "So that's an easy move to make as the game goes on. Neal has played a lot with Mo, Mel has been a huge part of Mo's year. Practice is one thing, we'll see what it looks like tomorrow."
The morning skate was optional, with Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brenden Dillon, and Nikolaj Ehlers not taking part. Bowness expects all three to play, and the line rushes on Monday looked like this:
Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Dubois-Perfetti
Barron-Lowry-Appleton
Maenalanen-Stenlund-Kuhlman
Morrissey-Pionk
Dillon-DeMelo
Samberg-Schmidt
The only question mark comes in goal, as Connor Hellebuyck is under the weather. Bowness said there is a chance that David Rittich gets his first start since the player break, depending on how Hellebuyck feels during the day.
Regardless how the line-up shakes out, Kuhlman knows the difference between coming out on the winning side off any game in the NHL often comes down to small details.
For the Jets, that's playing with pace, getting to the net, and being strong defensively.
All things that Kuhlman does well.
"That's what it comes down to," he said. "If you're doing that, you're doing the right things out on the ice and good things usually happen if you're doing that."
Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT.
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