The 9-3-0 Winnipeg Jets have hit the ice in Los Angeles for their morning skate in advance of their late-night contest against the 5-4-4 Kings.
Hopefully, sleep isn’t something you plan to get much of over the next two weeks, as the Jets have begun their lengthiest road trip of the season, and it is all within the NHL’s westernmost cities – meaning much later start (and end) times than are typical of Winnipeg’s 7:00 PM central home puck drops.
The Jets will kick things off against Los Angeles at 9:30 PM on Tuesday, before facing the Sharks at 9:00 PM on Friday. They will wrap up their California swing against the Ducks at 9:00 PM on Sunday, before heading further north to Vancouver for a 9:00 PM start on Tuesday. They conclude the six-game heater with 9:00 PM starts against Seattle and Calgary next week on Thursday and Saturday.
Winnipeg will finally return home on November 18 to host the Columbus Blue Jackets before Nikolaj Ehlers returns to Manitoba on Friday the 21st.
The Jets will look a little different on this road trip – maybe even from game to game.
The biggest news on the injury front is that captain Adam Lowry has recovered from offseason hip surgery and is set to make his season debut. Fellowed injured running mates Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg are both getting close to their returns, but head coach Scott Arniel says they will still need a bit more time.
Morgan Barron and Gustav Nyquist who are now both injured from incidents during gameplay are each expected to sit out at least the first game or two of the trip.
Winnipeg Jets expected line combinations for Tuesday, November 4 vs. the Los Angeles Kings:
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Namestnikov-Toews-Iafallo
Niederreiter-Lowry-Pearson
Koepke-Ford-Lambert
Morrissey-DeMelo
Stanley-Pionk
Miller-Schenn
Healthy Scratches: Chibrikov, Fleury
Injured: Perfetti, Samberg, Barron, Nyquist
Hellebuyck
