Well-rested Jets skate into belly of Pittsburgh beast tonight

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/10/2017 (2878 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PITTSBURGH — The Winnipeg Jets are walking into a minefield tonight.

The Jets pay their only visit of the season to PPG Paints Arena (6 p.m., TSN, TSN 1290), and given their record of futility here, a win would be extra-special.

Veteran centre Bryan Little is in his 11th season with the franchise and he knows how difficult it can be against the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Penguins.

“It’s going to be a tough test for us,” Little said following Thursday morning’s pre-game skate. “Anytime you play these guys… it’ll be a good measuring stick to see where we’re at right now.”

Little and his teammates have never won a road game in Pittsburgh — a stretch of 16 consecutive games, including seven since the franchise relocated from Atlanta prior to the 2011-12 season.

In fact, the last time the Thrashers/Jets franchise beat the Pens in Pittsburgh came on Dec. 27, 2006, when now-retired defenceman Shane Hnidy played 23:44 to help Atlanta post a 4-2 victory at Mellon Arena.

The Jets (4-3-0) have not played since beating the Minnesota Wild 4-3 at home last Friday. The Penguins (6-3-1) are coming off a 2-1 overtime win over the visiting Edmonton Oilers Tuesday night.

“We’re rested and eager to get back at it and we’re looking forward to coming out hard and getting that physical game going,” said Little. “And there’s no excuses for us not to come out hard. Like I said, we got some rest and got some banged-up (players) a couple of extra days (of rest) so there’s no reason we can’t come out hard and have a good start.”

Little’s explanation for the Jets’ inability to win here is simple.

“I think it’s just the fact they’re a good team and they’ve been a good team for a long time,” he said. “I don’t think the building has anything to do with it here now. But yeah, any time you play the Penguins you look forward to it, you look forward to the challenge because they’re a great team.”

All things considered, it would seem that the Jets are due.

“It would be nice to beat them and get the road trip started off in a nice way but we know it’s going to be a tough game,” said Little. “We’re a confident bunch right now and we feel good.”

Head coach Paul Maurice is expected to start Connor Hellebuyck in goal, while defenceman Dmitry Kulikov returns from injury and will be paired with Tyler Myers. Matt Hendricks, meanwhile, returns from injured reserve to centre a fourth line with wingers Brendan Lemieux and Joel Armia.

“Especially based on the opponent, we’ve gotta be prepared to play a real fast game. (They) skate and transition so very well,” said Maurice, who prepared his team with high-tempo practices prior to arriving in Pittsburgh Wednesday.

Lemieux, recalled last week from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, made a good impression in his NHL debut against the Wild.

“He’s one of those guys that you’re glad he’s on your team and your lineup. He kinda brings that energy,” said Little. “He talks a lot on the ice and gets under the skin of guys. You hate playing against guys like that but when he’s on your team it’s fun to watch.”

All the talk can be entertaining and effective,

“He made me laugh a couple of times last game,” Little said. “It’s fun to watch guys like that because you know how annoying and under their skin they can get. I feel like there’s less and less of those guys left and so when you have a guy like that, it’s really nice.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14