WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets are back home for a huge Central Division tilt with the Minnesota Wild tonight at 7 CT.
The Jets are coming off a 6-3 loss in Calgary yesterday and will look to get back into the win column facing a Wild team that scored 10 times at home in a 10-7 win over Vancouver on Monday. The good thing for the Jets is that they don't have much time to think about what happened in Calgary because they are back on the ice tonight.
"Well, you know, we play hard against Minnesota. They play hard against us. Gonna be a good game," said Rick Bowness.
"See the thing about this league as we all talk about is you play a bad game, you're pretty close. You're going right back out and turn things around. So we talked about that last night you flush it and we prepare for Minnesota."
This the first meeting between the Jets and Wild since their home-and-home series at the end of 2023 which saw Winnipeg win both contests including a third period comeback in St. Paul. Wild forward Ryan Hartman was fined for high sticking Cole Perfetti during the 3-2 win and there were plenty of emotions spilling out over the two games.
"We dealt with last night and we’ll deal with tonight’s game tonight. The players aren’t here this morning. We’ll deal with it tonight, but the focus is on how we play," said Bowness.
"Not about the other things. That’s just noise, that’s just distractions. There’s a certain way we want to play. The rest will take care of itself.”
The Jets and Wild both held optional morning skates at Canada Life Centre today. Only Logan Stanley, Rasmus Kupari and Laurent Brossoit were out on the ice for Winnipeg and Bowness did say there would be a couple of personnel changes but did not say who was in or who was out. Brossoit will get the start in goal for Winnipeg.
Brossoit faced the Wild in their last meeting on December 31 and has a 4-0 record with a 2.00 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in his career against Minnesota.
Former Jet prospect Declan Chisholm could play against his former team tonight after he was picked up on waivers by the Wild back in late January.
STAT(S) OF THE DAY
The Jets are 12-3-1 against the Central Division this season after going 18-8-0 against their Central Division counterparts last season. Winnipeg has won 25 of its past 35 games against Central Division teams dating back to last season. Winnipeg has a winning record against the Central in each of the past six seasons in which the Jets have been in the Central Division.
