Game 10: Jets vs. Leafs pre-game report

The Jets are looking to finish there six-game homestand strong tonight at Bell MTS Place against the Toronto Maple Leafs.  All eyes will be on Winnipeg today as this game will be featured on NBC (first time ever they’ve shown two Canadian teams) and features Auston Matthews/Patrik Laine who will be forever linked following their selection 1st and 2nd overall respectively back at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

AM skate notes:

It was an optional for the Jets today according to Ken Wiebe who confirms that Connor Hellebuyck will start tonight. Ryan Brandt of TSN 1290 Winnipeg indicated that Joe Morrow stayed on for extra practice which would seem to indicate that Dmitry Kulikov draws back into the lineup.

Lineup note:

Coach confirmed Kulikov draws in for Morrow.

Jets projected lines, D pairs and starting goalie:

Laine-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Little-Ehlers
Copp-Lowry-Tanev
Lemieux-Roslovic-Perreault

Morrissey-Trouba
Chiarot-Byfuglien
Kulikov-Myers

Hellebuyck
Brossoit

Audio:

Blake Wheeler

Mark Scheifele

Coach Maurice:  What made this the right game to get Dmitry Kulikov into the lineup?  What has been missing defensively for the third pairing?  What is the biggest challenge posed by the Leafs tonight?  On the need for the forwards to be responsible defensively.  On playing the Leafs twice in less than a week.  How, if at all, does the marquee matchup come into his planning and what he may say to the team?  On the philosophical change in the NHL of pulling a goalie to get an extra man on the bench.  On how he decides who will be the extra forward who will be inserted for the pulled goalie?

All audio courtesy of TSN 1290 Winnipeg.

Up next:

Reminder that it is a 6 PM start tonight.  Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action which includes post-game audio from both the Jets and Leafs rooms as well as from both head coaches.