Hellebuyck staking his claim to blue paint

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This article was published 01/11/2017 (2872 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It appears to be Connor’s crease to lose.

Connor Hellebuyck will get the start in net tonight for Winnipeg, his eighth of the young season. He is 6-0-1 this season with a sparkling 1.91 GAA and .940 save percentage, which puts him among the league’s best goaltenders so far.

Jets coach Paul Maurice said he wants to get Steve Mason (0-3-1, 4.84 GAA and .872 SV%) into another game soon, following a strong performance last week against the Blue Jackets in Columbus, and has a plan mapped out.

“I got a flow chart, mental flow chart, of how this goes if it goes well (Thursday) or not, with each goalie, where you would end up putting guys in,” Maurice said Wednesday, without tipping his hand. “Thought it was important Steve got back in and got a good game under his belt. I think the schedule now sets itself up, so there’s less concern about that. We got practice time coming up, and Connor is going well right now.”

Keeping strange company

The Jets were two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights, tied with the Vancouver Canucks and two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche prior to Wednesday night’s NHL action.

Now just imagine, if you will, the panic that would have ensued around these parts if you had told fans a month ago they’d be sharing company in the standings with those teams as of Nov. 1. The natural assumption would the Jets had just experienced an absolutely dreadful October that had them near the basement of the league, given where many had predicted Colorado, Vancouver and Vegas to finish.

But the numbers don’t lie. And there are the Jets, currently tied for second in the Central Division and fourth in the Western Conference, while the Avalanche, Canucks and Golden Knights also enjoy surprisingly strong starts to their seasons.

Perreault back on ice

Jets forward Mathieu Perreault skated on his own Wednesday for the first time since being injured Oct. 14 while blocking a shot. He is expected to rejoin the team for practices after the Montreal game, and will come on next week’s road trip through Dallas, Vegas and Arizona, with the possibility of playing by the end.

He remains on injured reserve. Like centre Adam Lowry, activating him would require a roster move be made.

“All these questions (about roster decisions), and they’re good ones, we got two more guys potentially coming back in.

“So many times, you don’t need an answer because something else creeps up and all the decisions you think you’re going to have to make five days from now never materialize, so we’ll play it as it comes,” Maurice said.

Jets all-in to fight cancer

The annual “Hockey Fights Cancer” night has been set for Nov. 27 at Bell MTS Place. Players will wear special jerseys during the pre-game warmup prior to taking on the Minnesota Wild, while players and coaches will sport lavender-coloured ties.

Raffle tickets will be sold for $5 at all Jets Gear locations and in the concourse at upcoming home games for a chance to win the jerseys. Fans can buy autographed mystery pucks and mini sticks on the concourse on Nov. 27. An online auction following the game will also give fans a chance to bid on Hockey Fights Cancer painted goalie masks worn by Hellebuyck and Mason, along with player-worn ties, game-used lavender-taped sticks and more.All proceeds will be directed to CancerCare Manitoba’s pediatric clinical trials.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg