Life much easier for the Jets with Moose here

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This article was published 23/11/2015 (3577 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE advantage of having your American Hockey League affiliate across the hall instead of across the country came into sharp focus Sunday for the Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets moved their AHL affiliate from St. John’s, N.L., to Winnipeg for this season and it made life a lot easier for head coach Paul Maurice when his club had to call up goalie Connor Hellebuyck as a replacement for Ondrej Pavelec, who was hurt Saturday night in a 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

“Just look at the logistics with us for Connor — he’d be on an airplane, but it might not be the last leg of the flight here, last year. He’d be somewhere between the Atlantic and Chicago probably at this point in time,” Maurice said Sunday afternoon after Hellebuyck had practised with his NHL teammates at MTS Iceplex.

Hellebuyck could play

While Michael Hutchinson is expected to carry the load in net as long as Pavelec is out, don’t be surprised to see Hellebucyk also see some action if Pavelec is out for any significant length of time.

“We’ll wait for the report first on Ondrej,” said Maurice, “but if it’s any kind of duration, I want Hellebuyck to play. I want to see him play. The games I’ve seen this young man play, I think he can help us win games. And there’s only one way to find that out. I’m not reluctant to put him in the net.”

Hutch used to heavy load

Hutchinson has carried the goaltending load for the Jets previously — he started eight games in a row at one point last season — and says that experience is something he will be able to draw on.

“The more you play, the more comfortable you get,” said Hutchinson, who has a .915 save percentage and 2.69 goals-against-average this season.

“I’m looking forward to that and getting a really good feel for the game and playing consecutive games. Last year, it was a good taste getting that stretch of games. There’s little things you learn about how to play a little smarter and relax a little more in the net. It’s easier to relax when you’re playing more often than when you’re playing once a week or once every two weeks.”

Building momentum

Jets captain Andrew Ladd said yet another game tonight against a Central Division rival — Colorado is the fifth divisional opponent the Jets have played in their last seven games — comes at a good time for a team trying to build some momentum.

After losing six in a row, the Jets come into tonight’s game riding a two-game winning streak.

“Just stringing some wins together and getting ourselves back into a playoff position has to be our mindset,” said Ladd. “That’s no matter who you’re playing, but especially a divisional opponent. And they’ve been playing well of late.”

Colorado is last in the Central standings, one spot behind the sixth-place Jets.