Morning Skate Report: Jets vs Hurricanes

WINNIPEG - It's a bit of a family reunion tonight as the Winnipeg Jets (12-8-4) take on the Carolina Hurricanes (16-6-1) to close out a four-game home stand.
Evgeny Svechnikov, who has been hosting his parents for the past week during a visit from Russia, will face-off with his younger brother Andrei Svechnikov as the Jets look to win their third consecutive game.
It's not the first time the two have played against each other in the National Hockey League, but it's still a chance to reflect on how far they've come. The two brothers played against each other a handful of times last year, but tonight will be special.
"It will be the first game for them to watch us play in the NHL. I'm happy for my mom and dad," Svechnikov said. "What they've done for us since day one, there is a lot to it. Sacrifice, tears and cries. We switched cities, sleeping on the floors, and everything else. I'm very proud of my parents and my brother as well. I'm very excited for them to watch tonight."

Jets head coach Paul Maurice had a chance to quickly meet Svechnikov's dad, Igor, during the team's off day on Monday.
Despite the fact Maurice spent the 2012-13 season coaching Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, he admits his Russian and Igor's English made it tough to have a long conversation.
However, Maurice's experience in Russia left a lasting impression.
"There is a hope in people," Maurice said, adding that despite the beauty of Russia as a country, there are challenges there as well including the climate.
"The standard of living in some places is a little tougher than maybe what we have here in North America," Maurice said. "They have a brilliant hope about them, a positivity about them in what I'd consider pretty tough circumstances at times."
That positivity is exactly what Svechnikov - who scored in front of his parents in Winnipeg's 6-3 win over Toronto on Sunday - brings to the room every day.
"This guy is so positive about everything," said Maurice. "He's an energy giver. He's in the room. You all saw the Mic'd Up video he did. That's just him. That's just him putting on a show. Stan goes by the bench the other night after a hit and he goes 'way to go Stanzilla!' He's just funny and hopeful and bright."
What Maurice likes most about Svechnikov's game these days is the 25-year-old is shooting the puck more often. He has 10 shots on goal in the last five games.
The Jets coach felt Svechnikov deferred a bit too often with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kyle Connor.
"It's almost like Kristian Vesalainen playing with Lowry and Stastny. Now you're seeing Ves shoot the puck a lot more because both of those guys told him 'shoot the damn puck,'" Maurice said. "You get a green light with the guys you're playing with, and you start to shoot the puck more, your confidence starts to come, and you start to think like that."

The forward lines are expected to stay the same tonight, however there will be a change in Winnipeg's defensive pairs tonight.
Neal Pionk is not only serving the first of his two-game suspension, he's also in concussion protocol after the hit he received from Toronto's Jason Spezza and won't travel with the Jets on the two-game road trip later this week.
With Pionk out, the Jets projected line-up is expected to look like this:
Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler
Copp-Dubois-Ehlers
Stastny-Lowry-Vesalainen
Harkins-Toninato-Svechnikov
Morrissey-Schmidt
Dillon-Stanley
Beaulieu-DeMelo
Tonight's tilt with the Hurricanes will be a chance for the Jets coaching staff to get a look at Logan Stanley on his off side, while Nathan Beaulieu comes into the line-up for the first time since November 26 in Minnesota.
"He hasn't played in a while you want to put him on his natural side and get him most comfortable," Maurice said. "If you get into a game that you're chasing it a little bit, you want to go five instead of four, could Logan play his off side? We had been talking about that last week. We had him run on his off side in practice there when Neal was out from his shot block the other day."
Stanley played 19:33 against the Maple Leafs - a season-high for the 23-year-old - and had four shots on goal. Maurice could see his ice time increasing even further tonight, an opportunity Stanley welcomes.

Especially after Sunday's game ended with him skating off the ice, hands raised above his head, and the Canada Life Centre crowd going wild.
"I had some family and friends in town this weekend. They were in the upper bowl right above the bench. I think they got a chuckle out of it," Stanley grinned. "It's an emotional game right from the start of the day, everybody knows it's Wheels' day. Then we're playing the Leafs and it's a big game for our hockey team too. Emotions throughout the whole game and how it ended. I was pumped up for the win and I think it was a good way to cap off a really special day."
While Sunday's game was full of emotion and all about getting a win for captain Blake Wheeler in his 1,000th NHL game, tonight will be about earning some family bragging rights for Svechnikov.
Although he admits he's proud of what his brother has accomplished so far.
"The things he accomplished at such a young age. The pressure he gets and how well he handles all that. He's very mature at his young age and it's impressive to watch," Svechnikov said. "The work ethic he puts in the summer, how hard he works, I don't know anybody else who works harder than him - except me."
Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT.