SAN JOSE - The Winnipeg Jets open a short two-game road trip tonight against the San Jose Sharks in the second meeting of the season between the two clubs.
The Jets (22-9-1) earned an 8-3 win over San Jose back on October 18, a night where they scored four power play goals and had three players - Cole Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Neal Pionk - register four points.
However, the Jets don't anticipate the second of three games against the Sharks to have that same final score.
"When we played them it was early in the season, they were missing a couple guys that have come into their line-up and stepped right into the NHL and done a really good job," said captain Adam Lowry. "You look at their record since we played them, it’s certainly improved. They’re a team a lot like Montreal. They’re good off the rush, they can create there, they have a lot of smaller skilled forwards that like to make plays."
Pionk will play his 500th career game, a feat made even more special by the fact he'll have his mom at SAP Center to celebrate the milestone. She's here as part of the Mom's Trip, which began on Sunday with a four-hour flight from Winnipeg to San Jose followed by a team dinner. To read more about the trip so far, click here.
The Jets will hold a morning skate at SAP Center, so check back later today for all the line-up information as it comes available.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com