GAMEDAY: Jets at Flames (Preseason Game 6)

WINNIPEG -Just one preseason game remains on the Winnipeg Jets calendar, and it goes tonight in Calgary against the Flames.
One more chance for players battling for spots to make a final impression on the new coaching staff before the regular season schedule gets underway on October 14.
"We're gearing up for the most intense game of the preseason too," said forward David Gustafsson. "We played against them a couple days ago and we had a good game, but we know they're going to go hard now after that loss, and we're in their arena."
Gustafsson may be under-selling when he says the Jets had a "good game" on Wednesday. Winnipeg went 3-for-5 on the power play, and a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, against a mostly veteran Calgary team and earned a 5-0 victory.

That's likely why Gustafsson and the Jets are preparing for some pushback from the Flames.
"They'll be coming at us with full force tonight. We get that," said head coach Rick Bowness. "We have to see who can handle that and who can't."
That process has been ongoing for Bowness and his staff throughout training camp. As they've implemented new systems, they've been learning about the players in the organization - starting with the veterans, right down to the newest draft picks.
One of those draft picks - Brad Lambert - was reassigned to the Manitoba Moose on Friday after playing in three consecutive preseason games and making quite an impression on the staff.

Johnathan Kovacevic was placed on waivers Friday afternoon for the purpose of his reassignment to the Moose as well.
Another Jet who won't play tonight is Mason Appleton, who is dealing with an upper-body injury that Bowness said is an ailment Appleton would play through if tonight's tilt was in the postseason.
Since it's not, Appleton will sit out the preseason finale, and Bowness isn't concerned about the forward's availability for next week's home opener.
The Jets line-up is expected to look like this tonight:
Connor-Scheifele-Ehlers
Perfetti-Dubois-Wheeler
Barron-Lowry-Maenalanen
Toninato-Gustafsson-Harkins
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Heinola-Schmidt
In terms of the battle on the blue line, Heinola is the only young defenceman in the line-up tonight. His pairing with Schmidt is one Bowness hasn't used in camp just yet.
"We won't know what it looks like until we give it a chance," Bowness said, adding that Heinola will play on the left side in that pair, after the young Finn skated on the right side in Wednesday's game with Samberg.

For the veterans in the line-up, tonight is about cementing every part of the new systems against a veteran Calgary squad.
"We've had a couple weeks of practice now and the pace has been good. You can't make up for game reps, so it was nice to get two in right at the end of preseason here," said Josh Morrissey, playing in his third preseason game tonight. "The reads and the system are starting to become a lot easier. It's going to allow us to play really fast. It's becoming more automatic. It felt better for sure and hopefully we can feel a little better tonight and peak for next Friday."
A key part of how the Jets want to play revolves around communication between the defencemen and the forwards, especially when it comes to blue liners like Morrissey stepping up to hold a blue line, or stop an opposition's rush in its tracks.
"The number one thing when you want to be aggressive as a defenceman - either standing up at their blue line or through the neutral zone - is having back pressure and support," said Morrissey. "If you're on an island and you stand up on a guy, even if you get a piece of him, guys are good players in this league and they can either get through, make the next play, or hit the second wave. Our forwards, it's something we've been preaching through training camp, is having that pressure all over the ice and creating two-on-ones defensively against. When we have the forward support there, it gives us the confidence and ability to stand up."
Standing out in that area is key for all forwards, but perhaps especially so for those like Gustafsson trying to get his name written in pen on the 23-man roster.
"I take responsibility defensively. I'm really proud of that and I'm trying to be a reliable player," Gustafsson said. "Something I have to work on to show is my offensive side. I think I've showed it with the Moose and I think I can show it up here. It's time to show it right now."
Puck drop is set for 8 pm CT.
ICE CHIPS
After the game, the Jets will head to Banff for a few days of practice and team bonding before returning to Winnipeg on Tuesday.
Morrissey and Adam Lowry, who hail from Calgary, are the tour guides for the trip.
"There is a little extra pressure on us to make sure the guys have a good time," Morrissey grinned. "When you can have opportunities to spend time together as a group, get to know each other better. When you're at home or into the season, everyone has their own lives going on and things like that, older guys with kids, younger guys just figuring out the league, so it's nice to get everyone together and have that bonding experience in a non-pressure environment before the season and build those relationships."
GAME NOTES
The Winnipeg Jets close out the preseason schedule tonight in Calgary against the Flames.
The Jets shut out the Calgary Flames 5-0 on Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg is 3-1-1 through the first five games of their six preseason contests.
Former Flames goaltender David Rittich stopped 37 shots to earn the win on Wednesday for the Jets.
A win on Friday would give the Jets four victories in the preseason for the first time since 2018 and just the third time since relocation in 2011.
Kyle Connor has five points (3G, 2A) in two preseason games to lead the Jets in scoring.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
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