Game 50: Winnipeg Jets vs Pittsburgh Penguins pre-game report

The Jets did have a practice scheduled for Friday but the coaching staff chose to give the players a day away from the rink. Additionally they didn’t put anyone on waivers and didn’t recall Ville Heinola who was playing last night in Grand Rapids for the Moose. I thought, with Brenden Dillon unavailable to them for two more games, they might consider a defenceman recall from Manitoba but with 23 on the roster they’d have to put someone on waivers.

This is a Jets team that is mired in a five-game slide (0-4-1) and while most of the rest of the Central teams are also losing this team needs to get out of this slump immediately. They face a Penguins team that played (and lost 3-2) last night in St Paul and who remain in hot pursuit of a playoff spot in the East although they are on the outside looking in which makes this an important game for them.

One of the biggest question marks is will we see a return to the lines for how they began the game against the Flyers on Thursday or will they give some new looks?

Morning Skate:

An interesting change to the top six as per Mitchell Clinton of the Jets who also confirms that Connor Hellebuyck starts tonight.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

Connor-Scheifele-Ehlers
Perfetti-Monahan-Vilardi
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Namestnikov-Iafallo

Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Stanley-Schmidt

Hellebuyck
Brossoit

Coach media:

Tips:

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Topics:

1) Having patience
2) Getting outside their structure/slow starts to games (1:20)
3) Hoping to see increased pace with Ehlers up to top line (2:34)
4) What does he anticipate seeing from the second line? (3:26)
5) Making a change to the second power play unit (4:10)
6) What stood out about Pens on Tues? (5:00)
7) Message to the D? (5:58)

Up Next:

Puck drop is at 6:00 pm CST.  Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action. You can also join us afterwards for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show. (Please be sure to smash that like/subscribe button).