Morning Skate Report: Jets vs Predators

WINNIPEG - A short two-game home stand comes to an end for the Winnipeg Jets (1-2-1) tonight as they rekindle their rivalry with the Nashville Predators (1-3-0) at Canada Life Centre.
The two teams haven't met since February of 2020, but Central Division games always have a way of getting physical early.
Paul Maurice wouldn't have it any other way.
"They want to finish all their checks, they'll drive the intensity of the game up, we've shown the ability to match that and excel in it," said Maurice. "You'd like to be in the Central now because I think if you can play that game regularly, you can win a lot of hockey (games)."
Of course, the Jets are coming off a win - a 4-1 victory over Anaheim on Thursday.
They accomplished that without Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler in the line-up, and they'll have to do the same tonight, as both players remain unavailable due to the National Hockey League's COVID-19 protocol.
"I think almost the best way to think about it is it's almost like concussion protocol. A bunch of steps have to get passed before you get back on the ice," said Maurice after the team's morning skate on Saturday. "They'll be in the line-up the day the doctors tell me they can be in the line-up and I'll assume they're ready to go."

It's expected the Jets will ice the same line-up as on Thursday, going with 11 forwards and seven defencemen for the third consecutive contest.
Stastny-Copp-Ehlers
Connor-Dubois-Svechnikov
Harkins-Lowry-Vesalainen
Toninato-Nash
Morrissey-Schmidt
Dillon-Pionk
Stanley-DeMelo
Beaulieu
The pairing of Dylan DeMelo and Logan Stanley has been together since last season, and they continue to grow as a duo.
"When I've been out there with Dylan I thought we've been solid, trying to improve every game. We're watching video and communicating a lot," said Stanley. "He makes it pretty easy to play out there, always talking and helping out, so I've liked our start but lots of room to improve."
Connor Hellebuyck will get his fifth straight start following a 38-save performance on Thursday. Maurice said he has a couple dates in mind for Eric Comrie's first start of the 2021-22 campaign. One of them is a potential date, the other is as close to a guaranteed start as there can be in the NHL.
"I've got lots of faith in this guy now. He looks like an NHL goaltender," Maurice said of Comrie. "He's clearly going to have to prove it because they all had to when they came in and got their chance but he's in as good a position now as he's ever been to win hockey games."

At the other end of the ice is the Predators, who begin a short two-game road trip tonight in Winnipeg.
Nashville is coming off a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday, a night where goaltender Juuse Saros made 27 saves.
In Maurice's mind, Saros is similar to Anaheim's John Gibson.
"I think with both of those guys, and they do, the get really hot in games, they just can't see a lot of pucks that are coming to them early in the game," Maurice said. "You've got to get in their sight lines because they do, they feed off that. If they see the pucks early that you're sending to them, you're kind of building confidence in a goalie, you can struggle with them when they get on that roll."
While some familiar faces from the Predators may be gone - like Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis - there are still players the Jets will have to keep an eye on. Look no further than Nashville captain, Roman Josi.
"I always appreciated what he could do and then you spend some time at the 2016 World Cup with him and he is an absolute game-breaker from the back end," said Maurice. "You're not just being patient with him and then he's going to cheat the game. He doesn't. He's able to get in and be aggressive and dynamic offensively and use his skating to cover off all of that."

Speaking of the back end, the Jets blue line is starting to feel a lot of confidence offensively.
In 2020-21, 17.5 percent of Winnipeg's total points came from the blue line. So far - and granted, it's only four games in - that number has grown to 30.6 percent.
Josh Morrissey has goals in two straight games, Neal Pionk has three points, and the new comers - Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt - each have their first points in Jets jerseys.
Stanley has an assist as well, and Maurice has noticed the confidence the towering defenceman has this season.
"His game now is not only where he finished, it's ahead of it for me," said Maurice. "His feet have made huge progress. Now he's a big man that can move and make plays. He and Dylan have a real good chemistry there together. I'm very pleased with Logan's start. He's been consistent and strong."
The Jets want that consistency to continue tonight in a key divisional match-up, with puck drop set for 6 pm CT.