GAMEDAY: Jets vs Flyers

WINNIPEG -Saturday brings a little bit of a change to the game day routine for the Winnipeg Jets.
The team won't hold a morning skate ahead of tonight's 6 pm CT puck drop against the Philadelphia Flyers, the second game of a three-game home stand for Winnipeg.
It's not totally unheard of, as the team often won't hold a morning skate on the back half of a back-to-back. Tonight's tilt with the Flyers isn't on a back-to-back (unlike the first meeting between the two clubs six days ago), but after an up-tempo practice on Friday, the Jets took a pass on Saturday's morning skate.
The focus tonight is all about pace.
"Can we push the pace harder in games? Absolutely we can," said head coach Rick Bowness after Friday's skate. "We want to skate, we want to pressure, we want to get the puck, we want to go."

That was the focus in Friday's 40-minute session, which followed Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres that opened the home stand.

The Jets (31-18-1) had 21 shots on goal in that game, the majority of those coming during a furious comeback attempt in the final five minutes. Blake Wheeler, who had two assists in the game, says even a concept like shots on goal stems from playing with pace.
"When you're kind of standing still looking to make plays, the shooting lanes aren't there," he said. "When we're in motion, when we're aggressive, when we're on our toes, the plays, the open chances, the shots are just going to come. It's going to take care of itself."
Whether it's Wheeler, Bowness, or defenceman Josh Morrissey, there is a confidence in the Jets room that things will turn around.
After all, the team is second in the Central Division and has played 29 games since the start of December - the most of any National Hockey League team during that stretch.

They're also tied for the third most wins during that stretch.
"We have a great hockey team here and we believe in ourselves," said Morrissey. "It's time to just learn from each game, learn from (Thursday), and be good in these next two. I don't know if there's any two situations or two seasons that are the same but we're certainly not pushing the panic button in our locker room, that's for sure."
Eight of Winnipeg's 13 games so far in January have been on the road, including a 5-3 win over the Flyers on January 22. That game saw the Jets get off to a blazing start, scoring three times in the first 8:31 of the contest.
Karson Kuhlman scored the eventual game-winner 8:44 into the third, as nine of 12 Jets forwards recorded a point in the game.
Since that game, the Flyers have played twice, losing both in overtime, and are 9-4-2 in their last 15 games. Despite that run, Philadelphia remains eight points back of Pittsburgh for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

Their desperation level will be high, and that's something the Jets will need to match.
"I don't care what they standings say about them - they're good players. They're in the National Hockey League, the best league in the world," said Bowness. "Maybe things haven't gone their way this far, but when you step on the ice, they're National Hockey League players, which means they're playing in the best league in the world and they're capable of winning every night."
Any changes to the line-up won't be known until closer to game-time, as Bowness will speak to the media at 3:30 pm CT.
Four players didn't take part in Friday's practice: Dylan DeMelo, Connor Hellebuyck, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Nikolaj Ehlers.
Bowness said all four were for maintenance reasons, and an effort to make sure the team is in the best possible position for tonight's tilt with the Flyers.
There are only two games left before the All-Star break, an 11-day gap in the schedule that will allow for rest.
The Jets will do everything they can to go into that break with some momentum.
"We want to play our game the right way here in these next two games, get some rest, and be ready for the last push," said Morrissey. "We'd like to get back to our identity of aggressiveness, of confidence and of pace and that swagger that we want to be our key attributes."
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
The Jets are 8-5-0 in January for a 0.615 points percentage, which is tied for 10th in the NHL. The eight victories are tied with the 2018-19 season for the most wins the Jets have had in January.
The Jets have scored four goals or more in 24 games this season (22-2-0), which is tied for fifth in the NHL. However, the Jets have been held to two goals or less in five of their past seven games.
The Jets finish playing 10 of 13 games against Eastern Conference opponents on Saturday when they host Philadelphia. Winnipeg is 10-10-0 against the Eastern Conference this season.
Cole Perfetti had his three-game point streak end on Thursday, but he's still second among NHL rookies in scoring with 29 points (7G, 22A) in 45 games. His 22 assists lead all rookies.
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