GAMEDAY: Jets vs Lightning

WINNIPEG -The energy in the Winnipeg Jets room has been noticeable for the last couple of days.
Injured players Nate Schmidt, Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, and Blake Wheeler have been inching closer to a return for a while now.
Tonight, against the Tampa Bay Lightning (24-12-1), they return.
"I walked into the weight room when they were all stretching and there was a loud buzz," said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. "I think the guys that are coming back are very excited to get back and also the guys that are here are very excited to have them back. A lot of buzz, and a lot of excitement for the players."
All combined, that quartet has missed 59 games this season. The majority of those are due to Ehlers missing all but two games so far this season, but getting that many players back all at once is something Josh Morrissey has never seen before in his 461 National Hockey League games.
"To get four guys back is ridiculous, really. You never see that," said Morrissey, who was named an NHL All-Star for the first time on Thursday night. "There's a huge excitement level for us. We've done a good job of weathering injuries and adversity throughout the season so far. The guys that have come in have done a fantastic job.
"Playing Tampa tonight and the quality team they are, it's an exciting day."

Even with all the good news of those players returning, the Jets (24-13-1) have been consistent in saying the effort needs to remain the same as the last three games - which all resulted in wins.
Bowness mentioned after Thursday's practice that there will be an adjustment for players that haven't been in the line-up for a while, so their deployment might be a little different than what they're used to.
"We'll watch their minutes, we'll watch the length of their shifts," said Bowness. "They may have to miss a shift or two. We'll have to see how the game is going. I'm planning on utilizing some of those guys on the fourth line up into those spots to give those guys a breather when they need it. We have to avoid the long shifts as much as we can."
Schmidt feels ready for that challenge, though, and the Lightning are certainly a challenge.
They've won four of their past five games, with the only blemish coming in their most recent outing - a 5-1 loss on Wednesday against a rested Wild squad in Minnesota.

The reason Schmidt, who has missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury, feels so confident is all the work done behind the scenes leading up to this night.
"The coaching staff did a good job of grabbing guys and making sure, for the last week or so, that we're up to pace and seeing reviews, seeing what we're doing," Schmidt said. "That makes a big difference in keeping your mind sharp as well when you first step in."
With Friday's morning skate being optional, Thursday's line rushes give the best indication of what the Jets line-up will look like tonight, with Connor Hellebuyck expected to get the start:
Perfetti-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Dubois-Ehlers
Barron-Lowry-Kuhlman
Jonsson-Fjallby-Stenlund-Gagner
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Samberg-Schmidt
There are also a couple milestones being celebrated in the game, as Pierre-Luc Dubois will skate in his 400th NHL game.
Bowness has him beat though, as the former Lightning associate coach will be behind the bench in his 2,600th NHL game tonight - a number calculated from nearly 40 years in the league as either a head coach, assistant coach, or associate coach.

It's also the most all-time, though Bowness isn't focused on it too much.
"It means we're playing the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight and we need the two points," said Bowness. "Someone mentioned it to me and I wasn't even aware of it."
That said, he finds the job just as much fun as it was when he earned his first NHL coaching gig back in 1984-85 with the original version of the Jets.
Especially one particular part.
"When you win," he laughed. "The losses get tougher as you get older, you take them a little more personal. It's a matter of coming to the rink every day and love being here. I'm lucky I haven't had to do anything else. I never had a Plan B, I wasn't smart enough to come up with a Plan B. It was hockey or nothing. I've been very fortunate, very blessed, to coach this long, stay in the league this long. I never take a day for granted. Every day is a blessing here."
Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT.
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
The Jets have won three in a row for the fifth time this season. Winnipeg joins the Boston Bruins as the only two teams in the NHL this season with five winning streaks of three games or more.
This is Winnipeg's 12th game against an Eastern Conference opponent this season, having gone 5-6-0 so far. The Jets play eight of their next 10 games against Eastern Conference teams.
Kyle Connor (5G, 11A) and Josh Morrissey (2G, 9A) are both riding nine-game home point streaks. They are two of the six active home point streaks of nine games or longer in the NHL right now.
Jets defencemen have combined for 94 points this season, which is third in the NHL. Five of the seven defencemen had a point on Tuesday against Calgary. It matched the five defencemen that had a point on Dec. 17 at Vancouver for the season high.
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