Jets using every minute of extra practice time after holiday break

WINNIPEG - In a normal National Hockey League season, practice time can be hard to come by.
This, of course, isn't a normal NHL season - or schedule - so the Winnipeg Jets are taking advantage of every minute of practice they have available, especially since returning from the holiday break a couple days ago.
Since then, the Jets have practiced for 45 minutes, 65 minutes, and another 57 minutes on Tuesday.
"We have a new coach, so he wants to try and instill a couple different habits in us," said Jets forward Paul Stastny, adding that systems-wise there really isn't much different.
It's more just an emphasis on some different points.

"Whether it's driving to the net, stopping at the net, for D-men it's being a little more physical and boxing out a bit more, different stuff like that where the more you do in drills, the more repetitions you get, the more it becomes second nature," Stastny said. "You ask anyone I think that's why you work out, that's why you practice, and why the best people in the game and the best people in their classes - it isn't an accident."
At this point, the Jets were supposed to be taking the ice today after a home game against the Minnesota Wild the night before.

That game was postponed a couple days ago, and Wednesday's game against Chicago was postponed on Monday.
So by the time Friday's tilt in Calgary against the Flames rolls around, interim head coach Dave Lowry expects his group to be sick of practice.
"They're going to be excited and looking forward to playing games," Lowry said. "We've grinded a little harder than we normally would at this time of the year. We want to make sure we take full advantage of the opportunity to use these practices and use them and do things with a purpose."
The Jets line rushes were largely unchanged on Tuesday, with Neal Pionk joining the club after a tough couple travel days and Mikey Eyssimont being added to the taxi squad:
Stastny-Scheifele-Ehlers
Connor-Dubois-Harkins
Toninato-Lowry-Reichel
Beaulieu-Gustafsson-Suess
Eyssimont
Morrissey-Schmidt
Dillon-Pionk
Stanley-DeMelo
Heinola
It's the third consecutive day since the holiday break came to a close that Nathan Beaulieu, a defenceman, has skated in that fourth-line left wing spot.
"We've talked at length, that's not going to be something that is long-term but the player is good with it and helping us out short term and that's something that there is value (in)," said Lowry. "I'd like to be able to have the option to play four lines. Obviously, with (Copp) and (Vesalainen) going into protocol and the Moose not having players in and around, we were making preparations to play Chicago. It was Minny and then it was Chicago and the options that we had available, one was Nate playing forward."

Lowry doesn't anticipate that Evgeny Svechnikov will be an option on Friday against the Flames, either. Svechnikov hasn't played since December 17 against Washington, but the forward did skate prior to Jets practice for the second day in a row.
"I'd like to get him into a practice or two, prior to, we'd like to get him into contact before he is cleared to play," said Lowry. "What we'll do, as we do with all players, is use caution and they'll come back and play when they are 100 per cent."
Assuming the game against the Flames goes ahead as scheduled, it will be Winnipeg's first game since a December 18 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
After 13 days away, the first two Jets games on the schedule are against two of the top three teams from the Pacific Division in Calgary and Vegas.
As always, the emphasis is on their own game, rather than their opponents.
"I think we have that skill in our game that comes out, plays can be made at any time, but we don't rely on that," Stastny said. "I think Dave's trying to get back, almost simplify the game a little bit. The way I was raised it was always keep the game as simple as possible. And then, eventually after that things break down and that's kind of when you make your plays. It's easier said than done."
Perhaps that's why there has been nothing easy about the practices the last few days.
But as Stastny notes, it all pays off.
"It might not be as fun at first, it might be a little harder, but over the course of the game it's going to create more turnovers, it's going to create more chances," Stastny said. "I think that's important to keep that in mind big picture, but not get lost when things might not be working, just stick with it, keep working on it, whether it's in practice or in games."