Jets look forward to series of big games in Central Division cities

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This article was published 09/11/2015 (3617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets head out on the road today with a healthy lineup for their four-game swing down the heart of the NHL’s Central Division.

Jets coach Paul Maurice said after this morning’s practice at the MTS Centre that rookie centre Andrew Copp and rookie forward Nic Petan look ready to go with the Jets begin the trip with a Tuesday night game in Minnesota.

From there, it’s on to Dallas for Thursday, Nashville on Saturday and St. Louis next Monday.

“I think very probably everybody will be ready to go tomorrow,” Maurice said.

Copp has missed four games with an upper-body injury suffered a week ago Saturday in Columbus. Copp scored his first NHL goal that night.

Petan missed Saturday’s game against Philadelphia due to illness.

“Andrew has had a couple of real good days, and feels strong, feels good,” Maurice said. “Looked completely ready to go. We’ll have to see how he comes back but our expectation is that he’ll be able to play.”

The trip for the 8-5-2 Jets will be markedly different than the eight games they’ve already played on the road.

For starters, this is the season’s first away venture into other Central Division cities, and it’s every other night instead of the four sets of games that have been played on back-to-back days.

“We’ve got some pretty good opponents (coming up) but that’s the schedule you’d like to do,” Maurice said. “You get into a travel routine and you get into a practice and sleep routine that gives you the best chance to have good legs.”

The assignment for the week ahead doesn’t need much of a preview inside the Jets’ locker room.

“It’s definitely a big road trip for us, some big games,” centre Bryan Little said today. “It’s always big points up for grabs when you’re playing teams within your division.

“First up is Minnesota which is a tough team and a team we like to play against. They’re always tough games and tight games. We’re looking to start the trip off right tomorrow.”

At practice today, the Jets continued to use Paul Postma alongside Mark Stuart. Postma went into the lineup Saturday after sitting out the first 14 games of the season.

The Jacob Trouba-Tyler Myers pairing appears to be sticking for the time being.

“We’re just going to audition for that spot with Stewy,” Maurice said today. “Good game probably keeps you in. Great game definitely keeps you in. Short of that, how you practise is important.”

When the coming trip is complete, the Jets will have played 12 of their first 19 games away from home, a deficit that continues right to the NHL’s all-star game.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca