Three Storylines Heading into Jets Rematch Against Maple Leafs

After dropping the first half of this two-game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Winnipeg Jets reflected on their recent defeat Friday and are now looking to return to their winning ways during this Saturday night showdown.

With Winnipeg losing Thursday’s contest, they’ve now lost consecutive games in regulation twice this season, although this team hasn’t lost more than two games in a row all year long. Considering the Jets have averaged four goals in games after losing two straight, there’s a pretty good chance this showdown will feature plenty of scoring, which should make for great entertainment.

Here are three storylines that could impact the Jets’ ninth game of the season against the Maple Leafs:

After taking a hit to the head during Thursday night’s contest, forward @Adam Lowry went straight to the dressing room and didn’t return for the remainder of the game. Less than 48 hours later, coach Paul Maurice revealed the 28-year-old didn’t suffer a concussion, however, he still isn’t feeling 100 percent and will be kept out of action as a precaution.

With Lowry on the mend, teammate @Andrew Copp will slide over to center, as he did last game, and will skate alongside linemates @Mason Appleton and @Mathieu Perreault on the third line. As for who’ll fill Perreault’s spot on the fourth line, forward @Jansen Harkins will jump back into the lineup, preparing for his 19th game of the season.

While both Winnipeg and Toronto rank outside the top-15 in hits this season, neither of them have shied away from throwing the body around recently, allowing things to become extremely chippy during their latest meeting. Whether it was @Pierre-Luc Dubois driving hard to the net, some dirty headshots from forwards @Alex Galchenyuk and @Joe Thornton or a hit from behind on defenseman @Josh Morrissey, it’s become very clear these two teams aren’t too fond of each other.

Based on veteran @Wayne Simmonds’ recent comments about needing to defend themselves from being bullied in the hits department, it seems this Saturday night contest could feature plenty of physicality through all three periods. Even though fighting has essentially been removed from the game, that certainly doesn’t mean this matchup won’t feature at least one or two dust-ups, especially if the officials decide to swallow the whistles once again.

Following defenseman @Jordie Benn’s disappointing debut Thursday, which saw him earn a -2 rating, the Jets’ coaching staff has chosen to reinsert rookie @Logan Stanley into the lineup ahead of this rematch against the Maple Leafs. As a result, the towering 6′ 7″ blueliner will be reunited with veteran @Dylan DeMelo on the third defensive pairing and he’ll look to help his team improve its performance in the defensive zone.

Since Maurice is still planning to utilize a three-player rotation involving the sixth defenseman spot, chances are Benn and @Ville Heinola will return to the lineup at some point in the near future. Having said that, if Stanley impresses during this primetime showdown, then perhaps he’ll receive the bulk of playing time down the stretch and potentially into the playoffs as well.

The puck will drop at 6 pm CT, yes, it’s another national game, and will be available on CBC/SN along with 680 CJOB.