Practice Notebook - Nov. 4, 2022

WINNIPEG -As the Winnipeg Jets prepare to take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon, they're not taking anything for granted.
All the talk around the Blackhawks in the off-season had them struggling all season, but their 5-4-2 start has them third in the Central Division.
"Those guys are working incredibly hard. The coaches and the players," said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. "Listen, you've got a leader like Jonathan Toews, he'll never tank in anything. He's one of the best captains we've seen in decades. And you've got an elite player like Patrick Kane. You think those guys want to go away? Not a chance."
Bowness has seen the best of Chicago. He was the associate coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015, the team that fell to the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final.
Sure, they're not the same team now, but it'll take the best the Jets have to offer to earn a win on Saturday.
"We talked to our team about it this morning," said Bowness. "So don't believe the narrative that you read all summer. You better start believing what you're seeing in the standings. That this is a good hockey team."

The Jets, now 6-3-1 after the win over Montreal on Thursday, were putting in their prep work during Friday's 45-minute practice. One thing they want to carry forward against their divisional rival on Saturday is the puck management in their own zone.

It was key to their success against Montreal, as Winnipeg only allowed five shots from the start of the third period until Kyle Connor's overtime winner.
"Any team in the league, it doesn't matter what they do sometimes, it matters what game you're going to put out there," said defenceman Josh Morrissey, who assisted on Connor's overtime winner. "That puck management and playing the game the right way is what we're trying to build, and the team we're trying to become consistently."
The Jets won two of three games against Chicago last season, including a split at Canada Life Centre.
Patrick Kane led the Blackhawks with four points in those three games, and just 11 games into Chicago's season, the nine-time NHL all-star leads his team with 10 points in 11 games.
Add into that the fact that Winnipeg product Jonathan Toews has seven goals already, and it seems those two players will be every bit of a handful as they have been in previous years.
"I'm sure all the talk about their team was probably a motivating factor for them," said Morrissey. "They're a hard-working group with some skill and some really talented players. We have to be ready to go."
Morrissey leads the Jets in points this season with nine, although he says he doesn't talk about it much because he doesn't want to "jinx it." He credits the depth on the Jets roster for his success, and was as happy as anyone to see Connor score - snapping an unlucky run of eight games without a goal.
"He's been working so hard in practice, he always does, and getting lots of good opportunities to score," said Morrissey. "He didn't get frustrated. I think that's a sign of the type of guy he is. Obviously I'm sure he was frustrated not scoring but he never let it show."
The 2 pm CT puck drop means the Jets won't have a morning skate on Saturday, so warm-up will be the best indicator of any line-up changes.

And when asked if there would be line-up changes, Bowness was coy, answering with just one word:
"Yup."
So we wait and see. Despite playing against Montreal, both Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mason Appleton were absent on Friday.
Appleton hasn't been feeling well, but played 16:50 against Montreal with four shots on goal, splitting the game between Adam Lowry's line with Saku Maenalanen and Mark Scheifele's line with Kyle Connor.
As for Dubois, Bowness said he was "outstanding" against Montreal, scoring once and adding an assist, giving him 19 points in 21 career games against Montreal.
Until warm-up, the status of the Jets line-up will be in question. One thing that is certain, though, is Morrissey's love of afternoon starts.
"It's almost like waking up from your pre-game nap and going right to the rink," said Morrissey. "You just have to adapt."