Winnipeg vs Boston pre-game

The Jets held an optional practice on Wednesday so no insight into if they plan on making any lineup changes as they get set to continue their homestand this evening against the Bruins. Despite the home team's last outing being a loss it was a much better effort against one of the best teams in the NHL. While head coach Scott Arniel did indicate that goalie prospect Domenic DiVincentiis could get a start it seems unlikely it will be tonight. And given the fact we saw Connor Hellebuyck on the ice in practice on Wednesday for the first time with his teammates we shall have to wait and see if he gets into one before 37 is ready to return to the lineup, which seems like it could be sooner rather than later. Additionally, will he try to insert Gustav Nyquist or Colin Miller or Haydn Fleury in? Despite all the doom and gloom around these parts the fact is Winnipeg remains within striking distance of the playoffs but they know that they need to start improving 5 on 5, as well on special teams where both the power play and penalty kill have fallen from 6th overall to 12th (PP) and 20th (PK). They take on a Bruins team who have won three straight games and sit just one point back of top spot in the Atlantic. A positive for the home team is that Boston has been much better in Massachusetts than they have been on the road. Skate news: Jets didn’t do line rushes this morning but it appears that Gustav Nyquist will return after being a healthy scratch the last few games as he was on with the second power play unit. For a second straight day goalie Connor Hellebuyck was on the ice with his teammates. Warm-up news: The lines were mixed up a bit. Jets projected lines & D pairs: Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo Niederreiter – Lowry – Koepke Perfetti – Namestnikov – Vilardi Barron – Toews – Nyquist Morrissey – DeMelo Samberg – Pionk Stanley – Schenn Comrie Bruins projected lines & D pairs: Steeves - Lindholm - Geekie Mittlestadt - Zacha - Arvidsson Khusnutdinov - Minten - Pastrnak Jeannot - Kuraly - Kastelic Zadorov - McAvoy Lindholm - Aspirot Lohrei - Peeke Korpisalo Players media availability: Coach media availability: Topics: 0:00 Connor Hellebuyck Update 0:34 Are the Boston Bruins surprising? 1:23 Gustav Nyquist back in the lineup 1:40 Advantage of being a veteran when being taken out of lineup? 2:10 Cole Perfetti extended practice 2:45 Perfetti moved to top powerplay 3:02 Domenic Divincentiis getting mentoring in the NHL 4:07 Do you expect better consistency like against Dallas? 5:14 Is there more positive reinforcement? 6:05 Penalty killing decline Odds: Oddsmakers may lean toward Winnipeg at home, yet the Jets will need a noticeably cleaner, more composed effort to justify that faith against a Boston team thriving in pressure moments. If Winnipeg can stabilize early and leverage the home-ice edge, the matchup could tighten — but the Bruins arrive with the kind of momentum that tends to bend a game’s rhythm in their direction. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway. Up Next: Join us for a Special Edition of Illegal Curve at 12 noon at Cityplace. Puck drop is at 7 PM CST and then join us on the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show after the final buzzer around 9:40 PM CST.

Game 30: Winnipeg Jets vs Boston Bruins pre-game report