The Winnipeg Jets take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday morning.
The 37-16-5 Winnipeg Jets travel to Carolina for a test with the 36-18-6 Hurricanes on Saturday morning. The 11:30 AM central start time is a rarity for Winnipeg, which has just one other morning start this season (March 24 in Washington).
For Winnipeg, it will be the second test of a three-game road trip, to which the Jets dropped their first game in five to the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Laurent Brossoit handily took care of the Hurricanes in the team's lone other meeting - a 2-1 Jets victory, to which Brossoit turned aside 42 pucks.
That, paired with head coach Rick Bowness' recent comments pertaining to Brossoit seeing more use down the stretch run, had many thinking he may get the start in the first game of the weekend back-to-back. But as pre-game warmup indicated, it was Connor Hellebuyck who led his team onto the ice.
Following Saturday morning's contest, Winnipeg travels to Buffalo for a test with the Sabres on Sunday evening. So, the expectation is Brossoit will get the nod in New York.
Four Jets forwards missed practice on Saturday, including Gabe Vilardi, who sat out the entire third period with what Bowness is calling an upper-body injury. The team's head coach is hoping all of Vilardi, Sean Monahan, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton will be good to go come Saturday morning.
But as it turned out, Vilardi was unable to take warmup, as was Brenden Dillon (illness). Cole Perfetti will also sit out Saturday’s game as a healthy scratch.
Winnipeg Jets expected line combinations for Saturday, March 2 vs. Carolina:
Connor-Scheifele-Namestnikov
Ehlers-Monahan-Iafallo
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Gustafsson-Kupari
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Stanley-Schmidt
Hellebuyck
Injured: Vilardi, Dillon
Healthy scratches: Perfetti
Both Saturday and Sunday's games can be viewed live on TSN.