WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets return home today from a perfect two-game road trip that began with a commanding 6-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday and was followed up by another 6-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. Winnipeg returns to Canada Life Centre now for a four-game homestand beginning with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday afternoon.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel likes how his team is playing especially after the 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs on home ice.
"What a difference a week makes. The biggest thing for me was our response, how we went out on the road and played a great team game for both of those games. It was throughout our lineup, everybody stepped up,” said Arniel.
“It was a heck of a lot better than what we were at home in the last one. Our leadership group took off and made sure they were the best players first, and everyone else kind of jumped on board."
Winnipeg continues to sit on top of the National Hockey League standings at 10-1-0 as the schedule starts to get heavy with Central Division opponents and Tampa Bay to start.
"I don't even want to get past Sunday, but just looking at next week, we got all of our division big hitters coming in here, too. Like I've said for a couple of weeks, it does not get any easier and Tampa, they're a tough, tough hockey team. They've got some top-end skilled players, guys who have Cup experience,” said Arniel.
“It's going to be another one of these games where we gotta be good to go right off the drop of the puck, making sure we're like we were on the road where we had good first periods that I really liked. Need to do that again here on Sunday."
The Jets continue to have different lines and D pairings stepping up in games. On Wednesday in Detroit, it was the Scheifele line. Friday in Columbus, it was Vladislav Namestnikov’s line with Nikolaj Ehlers getting his fifth career hat trick, which is the most ever by a Danish-born player in NHL history.
