The Jets used Wednesday as a travel day, meaning there was no practice and no opportunity to experiment with new line combinations following their disappointing 5-1 loss to the Panthers. That defeat concluded their two-game homestand and sent Winnipeg out on the road riding a six-game losing streak.
While the lines remain the same as last game for now, the big question is whether tonight will be the night head coach Scott Arniel finally hits the panic button and splits up Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. The hope would be that separating his two biggest offensive weapons could provide a spark for each of the top two lines and help generate some much-needed offence for a Jets team that has been starved for goals of late.
The Lightning, on the other hand, have enjoyed a few days off between games and will be eager to get back into action when the puck drops tonight in Tampa Bay. They’ve been particularly formidable on home ice this season, sporting a perfect 5-0-0 record at Benchmark International Arena, something the Jets will be looking to change this evening.
Skate news:
Starts at 10:30 AM CT
Jets projected lines & D pairs:
Connor-Scheifele-Perfetti
Rosen-Lowry-Vilardi
Iafallo – Bjorck – Mercer
Koepke – Barron – Lambert
Samberg- Pionk
Salomonsson – DeMelo
Ferraro- Bauer
Skinner
Lightning projected lines & D pairs:
Goncalves – Point – Kucherov
Hagel – Cirelli – Guentzel
Mikheyev – James – Holmberg
Viel – Geekie
Moser – Carlson
McDonagh – Cernak
D’Astous – Lilleberg
Hedman
Vasilevskiy
Updated to reflect that the Bolts are going 11/7 as per team beat writer Benjamin Pierce who also confirmed that it is Vasilevskiy in net.
Players media availability:
To follow.
Coach media availability:
To follow.
Odds:
The Jets head into tonight’s matchup against the Lightning with Tampa Bay holding a significant edge on home ice. Winnipeg will be looking to snap its six-game losing streak as it begins a four-game road trip against a tough Lightning squad. Generating more quality scoring chances, finding a spark on the power play and tightening things up defensively will be key if the Jets hope to get back into the win column. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.
Up Next:
Puck drop is at 6 PM CT. Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action. You can join us on our YouTube channel for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show around 8:40 PM CT as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.
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