GAME DAY: Jets finish weekend getaway in Chicago

The Jets win came without leading point producer Mark Scheifele in the line-up. The 23-year-old missed the game with a lower-body injury. His status for tonight's game in Chicago will be more clear closer to game time.
Without Scheifele, Blake Wheeler moved to centre and won nine of his 16 face-offs.
"It's all about timing really. I try to use my legs in that open ice. You don't want to get above the puck especially in this building against that team," said Wheeler. "I was just trying to read off my wingers (Drew Stafford and Mathieu Perreault). They did an unbelievable job helping me in the face off dot a little bit. They won me a few draws."

Paul Maurice says he doesn't expect Scheifele's injury to be long-term.
"He's still day-to-day… He wasn't as mobile as he needs to be to play," said Maurice, who applauded Wheeler's work at centre. "For him to come in the middle and look like he's played there his whole career. That's great for us going forward."
Like Winnipeg, Chicago will also be playing on back-to-back nights. The Blackhawks dropped a 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday afternoon.
Key injuries are also affecting Chicago's line-up. Captain Jonathan Toews is on injured reserve (retroactive to Nov. 24), and goaltender Corey Crawford underwent an appendectomy in Philadelphia yesterday. He's expected to be out two to three weeks.
The Jets won the only other meeting of the season between the two teams by a score of 4-0 at MTS Centre. Even though that win was satisfying, Maurice may have liked last night's victory at Scottrade Center a little more.
"This one had a little more bite in our game. We were on pucks heavier," Maurice said, adding he liked how his team bounced back from a disappointing 6-3 loss to Edmonton on Thursday night.
"It was so important that we didn't look anything like we did against Edmonton. Now you can say you've won three of four, you've liked your effort, and you can build some confidence."

With four points in the four games he's played since returning from injury, Little is feeling that confidence. The opportunity for back-to-back wins over the top two teams in the Central Division is one that the Jets don't want to waste.
"That was our goal, to come in on this road trip and get four points," said Little. "We gave ourselves an opportunity to do that now."
Puck drop is 6 pm CT.
- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
JETS GAME NOTES
Tonight's Game
The Winnipeg Jets visit the Chicago Blackhawks tonight for the first time this season…Bryan Little scored 17 seconds into overtime last night to lift the Jets past the St. Louis Blues 3-2…Little and Patrik Laine each had a goal and an assist to lead Winnipeg…The Jets shutout the Blackhawks 4-0 on Nov. 15/16 at MTS Centre in the first meeting of the season between these two teams…Chicago comes into tonight's game after a 3-1 loss on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers last night…After a day off tomorrow, the Jets welcome the Detroit Red Wings to MTS Centre on Tuesday and the New York Rangers on Thursday for a two-game homestand.
Central Battles
Tonight is Winnipeg's 12th game against a Central Division foe this season…The Jets are 6-4-1 against Central Division teams this season, including 2-4-1 on the road…Winnipeg has collected 13 points against fellow Central Division opponents, which is one behind the St. Louis Blues for most points earned in games involving only Central Division teams this season…The Jets are finishing five of seven games against Central Division opponents tonight, while seven of their next eight games against teams outside of the Central Division.
Weekend Getaway
This weekend is the first of two consecutive weekends in which the Jets play back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday on the road…Winnipeg visits the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers next weekend…With last night's win, the Jets are 3-1-1 in the first game of back-to-backs this season, while they head into tonight's game 2-1-1 in the second game of back-to-back games…The next two weekends are the only two back-to-back sets Winnipeg has in December.
The Finnisher
Patrik Laine's second period goal last night moved him back into a tie with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby for the NHL goal scoring lead with 16 goals in 27 games…Laine also has a share of the NHL power play goal lead with Montreal's Shea Weber with seven goals…Laine leads all NHL rookies with 23 points (16g, 7a) and is the only rookie in the NHL this season to reach the 20-point mark…Laine has four goals in his last three games, marking the second time this season he has scored in three consecutive games…His four multi-goal games are tied with Crosby for the league lead…Last night was his team-leading seventh multi-point game of the season and the first time this season he had at least two points in back-to-back games.
Little Contributor
Despite missing the final 25 games of last season and 23 of the first 24 games this season due to injury, Bryan Little has eight points (4g, 4a) in his last nine games dating back to last season, including four points (2g, 2a) in four games this season…He has a point in three of the four games he's played this season…Since the Jets franchise relocated to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season, Little is fourth on the team with 240 points (97g, 143a) in 335 games and is one of four players to register more than 200 points.
Streakers
With five points (1g, 4a) in four games, Blake Wheeler leads a list of four Jets on point streaks… Laine has four goals and an assist in his last three games, while Dustin Byfuglien and Nikolaj Ehlers have assists in three consecutive games.
Quick Hits
- The Jets lead the NHL with 154 shots on the power play this season.
- The Jets have given up a league-high 155 shots on the penalty kill on a league-high 100 times shorthanded…The Jets have been shorthanded 39 times in the third period this season, which is the most in the NHL.
- The Jets have outscored their opposition 35-25 in the third period and overtime this season…The 35 goals for leads the NHL this season.
- The Jets have been outscored 37-18 in second periods this season.
- Last night's win ended a six-game road losing streak for the Jets and was their first win on the road since Nov. 10 at ARI 3-2 W.