Jets make power play adjustments ahead of Friday's matinee in Minnesota

ST. PAUL -Whether Paul Stastny returns to the line-up or not on Friday afternoon, the Winnipeg Jets power play will look different than it has over the course of a tough 1-for-22 stretch.
For half an hour on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center, the Jets worked on moving the puck quicker and creating different looks with some personnel tweaks they haven't used before.
The one that stands out the most features Nikolaj Ehlers in the left circle - where he usually plays on the man advantage - but he's with Blake Wheeler on the half wall across the ice, Mark Scheifele in the slot, Kyle Connor net front, and Neal Pionk on the blue line.
"Obviously he can't one-time it over there, but he's lethal when he has time and space on that side of the ice," said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. "Get him volume shots, try to wear the guys down and from there, Mark in the middle is as deadly as they come, as well. Kyle is pretty nifty on the goal line, too. It's guys in spots where they've had a lot of success."

Goals from Ehlers in that spot - especially from last season - would fill a highlight reel. There is also plenty of evidence of Connor's work net front, and Wheeler's play from the half wall.
On Thursday, the Jets connected on a play to Scheifele in the slot - a near exact replica of the play the Jets have used for years.
"That play, the pass is as important as the skill of the shooter," said Maurice. "Hopefully we can get two things - a new idea on one power play unit that I think needs a new idea, it has to get over to that side of the ice. Then we can go back to liking the other unit."
The second unit on Thursday included Nate Schmidt, Josh Morrissey, Andrew Copp, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Paul Stastny.
At least, that was the case the first time through.
The next time that unit hit the ice, Riley Nash took over in Stastny's spot. That rotation would continue throughout practice.
"He's playing in one of these two games," Maurice said of Stastny, who has been out since November 6 with a foot injury. "We'll see if he feels strong. If he does, then he'll go. If not, we'll wait one more. He had a good hard day yesterday and came to the rink feeling pretty good today."
Stastny's potential return could provide a boost for the Jets as they prepare for their third back-to-back set of the season.
It begins Friday with a matinee tilt against the Minnesota Wild, then the Western Conference leading Calgary Flames are next on the schedule on Saturday night.

With the Jets winless in four, a heated match-up with a Central Division rival might be just what the group needs.
"Last time we played these guys it was a war. And I don't foresee it being anything but that tomorrow afternoon," said Minnesota product Nate Schmidt, referencing the 6-5 overtime final in October.
"It's the kind of game that gets you engaged physically, mentally and I believe that our group is going to come tomorrow knowing it's a big Central Division game," Schmidt said. "This is a team that you're going to be jockeying with all year."
The Wild earned a 3-2 shootout in on Wednesday night in New Jersey, which closed out a three-game road trip that saw them go 1-1-1.
Minnesota is seventh in the NHL in goals scored this season (65), while the Jets have fallen to 17th in that category with 54.
Of course, a big part of that is the fact Winnipeg has scored four times in the last four games, despite firing 153 shots at opposing goaltenders.
"There is some part of it is goaltenders are playing well. But part of it is on us as well," said Schmidt. "You can't get frustrated. That's been the moral of the story. I've been around for nine years now, these things happen to every team. It's how you handle it."
How Maurice wants his team to handle it is by not changing their defensive game in search of offence. He felt that started to trickle into the team's play against Pittsburgh and in the 3-0 loss to Columbus on Wednesday.
"The fact that we're not scoring doesn't disintegrate the rest of your game," said Maurice. "We saw cracks in our game last night. We want that fixed. So our breakouts get back to being right, our rush defence gets back to being right."

Besides the power play units being different, one other part of the Jets will also be different than what it was in the first meeting with the Wild
Wheeler will be in the line-up.
The Jets captain didn't play in October's match-up after he tested positive for COVID-19.
"I had some interesting memories going back to that hotel," he said with a grin.
He's looking forward to helping his teammates in a building he's had a lot of personal success in.
In total, Wheeler has 16 points in 18 games in Minnesota.
His teammates may be struggling to find the back of the net now, but he's confident if the chances keep coming, the tide will turn.
"A lot of guys in the room are offensively gifted players," said Wheeler. "Those guys are guys who want to find the net. So when you're not finding the net, there's a little bit of frustration. But I haven't felt that it's affected the quality of play. That's kind of our message right now."