SAN JOSE - The Winnipeg Jets continue a four-game road trip with a stop in San Jose to take on the Sharks.
It's the first of three meetings between the two clubs this season, and it comes with the Jets looking to extend their win streak to five games. Winnipeg (16-8-2) has prevailed in each of the first two stops on the road trip (Colorado and Anaheim) and will close out the road trip on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
As for the Sharks (8-17-3), tonight's game is just a brief stop at home for a team that has just returned from a six-game road trip that saw San Jose go 3-2-1.
Kyle Connor, who was injured in the first period of the 4-2 win over Anaheim on Sunday, won’t play in either of the final two games on the road trip.
“Kyle is heading back to Winnipeg and he’ll be re-evaluated by our doctors tonight when he gets in,” said head coach Rick Bowness.
“He’s an elite player and an elite goal scorer. We’re not asking anyone ‘now you’re Kyle Connor,’ that’s not realistic. What we’re asking our players is to make sure that every game, every period, and every shift that they’re the best version of themselves to make up for it.”
As a result, the Jets forward group looks a little bit different without Connor patrolling the left wing spot with Mark Scheifele.
Gabriel Vilardi - who returned from a knee injury of his own on November 30 - will move to Scheifele’s right wing with Nikolaj Ehlers on the left.
“I just have to go in and try to play my game. I’m not going to replace KC, he’s the best goal scorer in the world in my opinion,” said Vilardi.
“It’s an opportunity for other guys, including myself but not just myself, to step up. We need more goal scoring now obviously with our top goal scorer out of the line-up. It’s not just going to come from me, it’s going to come from everybody.”
There is a bit of a domino effect into the second line as well. Morgan Barron, one of the four goal scorers against Anaheim, will move into the right wing slot with Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti.
Barron has goals in two of the last four games putting him at five this season, just three back of his career-high of eight last season.
He also averages 2:12 of shorthanded time on ice per game, tying him with Adam Lowry for the most among forwards on the Jets roster.
“More opportunity is always appreciated for any player and you try and take advantage of it, but similar to the way nobody is going to replace KC - it’s not going to be my job to go out there and change my game,” said Barron.
“I still think we’re going to be a really deep group out there, we’re going to be able to roll through and play our lines and that’s when we’re successful.”
The focus of the team’s prep ahead of tonight’s tilt with the Sharks wasn’t the fact San Jose has given up the most goals in the NHL - nor was it that they’ve scored the fewest (62, tied with Washington).
It wasn’t even on the fact that San Jose is 8-7-2 in their last 17 games.
The sample size was much smaller. It was on the last week, where San Jose eliminated multi-goal deficits in three straight games and earned points in all of them.
“I’m taking the approach that these guys just keep coming. They don’t quit. They’re scoring goals. They’re fast and quick.,” said Bowness.
“We’re going to have to make sure we’re on our team structure defensively. We’re confident in our ability to score goals, clearly, so if we can create a lot of offence from good team defence, then we like our chances.”
Should the Jets come out on top tonight, they’ll match their longest win streak of the season of five games. It will also push Winnipeg to a perfect 3-0-0 record on the road trip so far, with just one stop in Los Angeles remaining.
But you won’t catch this Jets team looking past the Sharks.
“We looked over some of their recent results this morning and it’s been pretty impressive what they’ve done,” said Barron. “Obviously they have a really potent offence and a team that has no quit in them. It’s going to need to be a full 60.”
LINE RUSHES
There is a chance that the Jets go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen against the Sharks.
Nate Schmidt, who has been scratched the last four games, was working with the second power play unit during the morning skate at SAP Center.
“I know it’s eating him up inside. Everybody wants to play,” said Bowness. “The worst part of a job as a head coach is when you have to go to guys and say ‘you’re not playing tonight.’ He’s handled it as well as we could expect. He’s worked very hard in practice, his attitude has been outstanding every day. He’s a really good teammate.”
The decision on whether the Jets will go with seven defencemen tonight will be made closer to game time.
The line rushes looked like this:
Ehlers-Scheifele-Vilardi
Perfetti-Namestnikov-Barron
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Iafallo-Gustafsson-Jonsson-Fjallby
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Samberg-Stanley
Schmidt
Laurent Brossoit is expected to get the start in goal. It’ll be his first start since December 4, when he stopped 42 of 43 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Overall, Brossoit is 3-2-1 this season with a 0.903 save percentage.
Puck drop is set for 9:30 pm CT.
