GAMEDAY: Jets vs Sharks

WINNIPEG -Every night in the National Hockey League brings difference challenges, but in terms of what the Winnipeg Jets can control, they'd love a duplicate of their effort from Saturday as they close out a five-game home stand tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
"At the end of the day, we still have to concentrate on ourselves and what we can do and what we can control," said Pierre-Luc Dubois. "We have a big game tonight. We have two other big games after that. It's just really one at a time."
In Saturday's crucial win over Nashville, Winnipeg's forecheck was relentless, leading to a 20-5 advantage in shots on goal in the middle frame. The eventual game-winner from Mark Scheifele also came in that period, with Neal Pionk adding an insurance marker early in the third.
If there is one thing Dubois wants to see his team carry from that win over the Predators, it's the simplicity and tenacity everyone on the roster had that night.
"If we play like we did against Nashville - that was a good game, a really good game, Bucky was strong, the Ds played well, the forwards played well - we're giving ourselves a good chance to win," he said. "It wasn't let's sit and wait and see what they're going to do or even any nerves. It was if they're going to play their best game of the year, we're going to play ours, too. If we do that, we still have a good chance of winning."

The Jets (44-32-3) sit one point up on the Calgary Flames, and three points up on Nashville, with those two teams facing off tonight in Calgary.
But all the Jets care about is the result in their game tonight against a San Jose squad coming off a 6-1 home loss to Edmonton on Saturday.
"You want to make it as difficult as possible on him," said Adam Lowry. "That's going to be important. We battle to get to the front of the net and at the same time we don't just shoot just to get the volume because he's played well against us in the past. Shot quality is just as important as shot quantity."
Following Sunday's day off, the Jets held a well-attended optional skate at Canada Life Centre on Monday. The only two that didn't skate were speedy wingers Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor. Head coach Rick Bowness said there is a question mark on one of them, but wouldn't specify which player was the game-time decision.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Karson Kuhlman filled in for Ehlers and Connor in the morning line rushes, which looked like this:
Kuhlman-Dubois-Scheifele
Jonsson-Fjallby-Namestnikov-Wheeler
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Stenlund-Maenalanen
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Samberg-Schmidt
Connor Hellebuyck - coming off his fourth shutout of the season - will get his 63rd start in goal of the campaign.
Despite the fact San Jose sits seventh in the Pacific with a 22-41-16 record, two of their three wins in the month of March came over Winnipeg.
James Reimer was the story on both occasions, stopping 36 of 38 in the first meeting then all 41 shots he faced on March 28.
"We're happy with the team game against them, especially that game here," said Bowness. "We'll take that game again, but we've got to do a better job putting the puck in the net when we get those opportunities."

Of the three games the Jets have left on the regular season schedule, tonight's tilt with the Sharks is the final home game.
Of course, Winnipeg wants there to be many more in the postseason, but there isn't a clinching scenario tonight for the Jets.
All they can do at this point is control what they control, which is the opportunity to put another two points in the standings before heading out on the road for games in Minnesota (on Tuesday) and Colorado (on Thursday).
The crowd has been electric inside Canada Life Centre on the home stand, which has seen the Jets win three of four.
The building will be every bit as loud if the Jets can make it four wins in five.
"I was telling the players, these are the games that at the end of your career - or five years after you retire - you look back (and remember) 'that was a big game and I was there for the team,'" sad Bowness. "Those are big moments for players, as they move on in their careers. When they look back and say 'I was there for my teammates at the most important time.' Those are good things to have and that's the approach we want to take tonight. Embrace it."
Puck drop is set for 6 pm CT.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
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