GAMEDAY: Jets vs Oilers (Game 1)

EDMONTON -Paul Maurice provided some clarity on the Winnipeg Jets line-up with Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers just hours away.
Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Pierre-Luc Dubois will not be available for the series opening puck drop at 8 pm CT at Rogers Place tonight.
In terms of line-up additions or changes because of that?
"That's all the clarity you're getting," said the Jets head coach, with a smile.
The gamesmanship - just like the Stanley Cup Playoffs - is now underway.

The two notable absences up front means opportunity for others.

Kristian Vesalainen spent Tuesday's practice in Winnipeg alongside Andrew Copp and Paul Stastny, so the 21-year-old could see his first action in the National Hockey League postseason tonight.
That also goes for Logan Stanley on the blue line.
"I think everyone on our team wants to be in tonight's game, game one of the playoffs," said Stanley. "Obviously, I haven't really played in anything like this, being the Stanley Cup playoffs, but playing in some high-pressure games when I was in junior and stuff like that. So, I can draw on that, but tonight's gonna be completely different. So, just go out there and have fun and try and play my best."
The excitement from Stanley, as well as the entire Jets roster, will no doubt be evident from the very start of the game.
It doesn't matter how much experience a player has either.
Whether it's someone's first playoff game, second playoff game (like it is for Mason Appleton), or his 53rd - like it is in Blake Wheeler's case.
The playoffs are something special.
"I think you try to look at it in more of a micro level than a macro level," said Wheeler. "It's a hockey game. Played a lot of them in my life and just really excited about playing Game 1 tonight."

With Vesalainen and Stanley in, as well as the fact that Jansen Harkins was on the ice late in the morning skate, the Jets line-up could look like this for the series opener:
Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler
Copp-Stastny-Vesalainen
Perreault-Lowry-Appleton
Toninato-Thompson-Lewis
Morrissey-DeMelo
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-Benn
Winnipeg Jets : Ground Control
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The assignment the Jets have in front of them is well documented.
They're up against a squad in the Oilers that beat them seven times in the regular season, including the final six meetings of the regular season.
On top of that, Oilers captain Connor McDavid registered 22 of his NHL best 105 points against the Jets.
Maurice and his coaching staff have spent the regular season not only strategizing ways to win hockey games, but collecting video on each opponent.

When the match-up against the Oilers was finalized, it was time to dive into that archive.
"We've looked at anybody in the North Division that either had success defensively against Edmonton or offensively, and then we look at our game," said Maurice. "That's where we're pulling themes from, of teams that were able to keep them off the board a little better than other teams. We looked at them and looked at tendencies in those games."
Winnipeg's game has also evolved since the final two meetings against the Oilers in late April.
At that time, the Jets were in the middle of a seven-game losing skid. Rush chances against and puck management were becoming more staples of their game as they prepared for postseason hockey.
So as much as the Oilers finished the season strong with seven wins in their final 10 games, the Jets are also a much different opponent than what Edmonton has seen.
"I don't think the regular season has a whole lot of bearing to what goes on in the playoffs and I'm not a big believer in momentum, either," said Maurice. "Every time the puck drops, you get to change the momentum of a game. They finished better than we did this year because they had a better regular season than we did. So they get to say right now they're a better hockey team than we are, based on that, and then the puck's going to drop and we're going to try to change it."
It's something captain Wheeler hopes his team uses as fuel as they try to rewrite the story of a rivalry between the Jets and Oilers that dates back to the 1970s.
"Things happen fast the first game, the first few shifts," said Wheeler. "I think just each guy individually brings something to the table and the team tries to play to a certain identity and stick to that. It's an emotional rollercoaster this time of year but judging by past experience, the teams I've been on that have been more even-keeled and just kind of stuck to their identity are the ones that have had the most success."
- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
The Winnipeg Jets begin their first round series with the Edmonton Oilers tonight at Rogers Place.
The Jets went 17-10-1 on the road, which was tied for seventh in the NHL. The Jets went 9-4-0 in their past 13 road games and lost consecutive games on the road just twice. Winnipeg's 0.625 points percentage on the road this season is the best in franchise history and the first time it's better than 0.600.
The Jets finished sixth in the NHL with a 0.911 save percentage. It's the fourth consecutive season the Jets have been in the top 10 in the NHL in team save percentage.
Winnipeg's forwards had the biggest impact on their team's offensive production of any team in the NHL. The forwards contributed 94.1% of the team's goals, 75.9% of the assists, and 82.5% of points. All three categories lead the NHL.
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