Maurice trying to get Halischuk, Pardy, Peluso back in lineup

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This article was published 13/11/2014 (4344 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Some lineup changes might be in the offing for the Winnipeg Jets and it’s not because they lost a game Tuesday night, 3-0 in Montreal.

The setback snapped the Jets’ eight-game streak with at least a point (6-0-2).

“We’re going to have a long conversation about what our lineup’s going to look like in the next three games because at some point, I’ve got to get these guys back in the lineup,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said Wednesday at PNC Arena, where his club will meet the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. “We’re a 23-man roster and the three guys that have been out have been working hard, done what we’ve asked.”

Defenceman Adam Pardy and forwards Matt Halischuk and Anthony Peluso have not seen a game in the past seven.

“They need to get back into a game and we need them to get back into a game,” Maurice said. “So that’ll be a discussion, especially when you look at this stretch of hockey we’re in.

“We’ve spent quite a bit of time here working on the team-ness of what we’ve got going on here.”

Tonight’s game kicks off a three-games-in-four-nights weekend for the Jets, who will be finishing up a stretch of nine road games out of 11.

Based on the look of Wednesday’s practice, there were hints that Michael Hutchinson could play against the ‘Canes. Maurice would not confirm that but did suggest Hutchinson played too well in his last start (Nov. 2 at Chicago) to be sitting out this long.

Defenceman Zach Bogosian and forward Dustin Byfuglien missed practice, but the coach said both players were just taking maintenance days.

*  *  *

IF the Jets are looking at tonight’s game as a chance to jump-start their offence prior to resuming divisional games Saturday and Sunday against Nashville and Minnesota, they’d better be careful.

Carolina has points in six straight games (5-0-1).

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“I know they had some injury troubles at the beginning of the season and they have some players on their team that are definitely threats,” said Jets winger Evander Kane. “We just have to continue to play our game and be a hard team to play against.”

Jets captain Andrew Ladd, who won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006, always likes playing in PNC Arena but is wary about tonight’s opponent.

“These guys are playing really well right now and they have a goalie (Cam Ward) who’s standing on his head and we know from last year he can steal games all on his own,” he said. “So we’ll just focus on running those routes properly and winning those battles and creating those opportunities and we’ve got guys in here who know how to score goals, lots of guys who have scored over 20 and one guy’s scored 30. We’ll be alright.”

— Tim Campbell