Jets debut Zhilkin, scratch Namestnikov, and shuffle lines against Oilers' McDavid and Draisaitl amid tough January stretch.
The 15-21-5 Winnipeg Jets are set to host the 21-16-6 Edmonton Oilers from Canada Life Centre on Thursday evening.
The game marks Winnipeg's 20th home contest and 42nd game overall. It is also the second game of five-game homestand and stretch of nine of the Jets' next 11 games that are played in Manitoba.
Photo by Steve Sasaki/Game On Winnipeg will also face off against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night, meaning Thursday's game is the first of a back-to-back, which is also a part of a three-in-four and a stretch of four games in six nights downtown.
Yes, practices will be hard to come by in January.
Unfortunately for the last-place team, practice is something the team needs the most at this point.
The Jets have not won a game in 10 tries and now face the ever-dangerous Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the final of three matches between the two Canadian clubs. Edmonton has won the previous two games, which both took place in December.
This time around there will be a slightly different look to Winnipeg's lineup, as AHL call-up Danny Zhilkin is set to make his NHL debut on Thursday.
He will take the place of the struggling Vlad Namestnikov, who sill sit out as a healthy scratch, while Cole Koepke will draw back in for Gus Nyquist.
After serving his one-game suspension, Logan Stanley will make his return on the blueline, while Haydn Fleury has been placed on the team's injured reserve with head and back injuries following his scary fall on Tuesday night.
Winnipeg Jets expected line combinations for Thursday, January 8 vs. Edmonton:
Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Perfetti-Toews-Vilardi
Barron-Lowry-Niederreiter
Koepke-Zhilkin-Pearson
Morrissey-Pionk
Samberg-DeMelo
Stanley-Schenn
Hellebuyck
Injured: Fleury
Healthy scratches: Miller, Nyquist, Namestnikov