Stafford expected to be back in lineup tonight

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1 Winnipeg Free Press Stafford expected to be back in lineup tonight By: Mike Sawatzky ST. PAUL, Minn. Drew Stafford s long road back to active duty is about to end. The Winnipeg Jets expect to have the veteran right-winger in the lineup tonight against the Minnesota Wild when they hope to snap a three-game losing streak on their current road trip. Stafford worked on a line with rookie winger Brandon Tanev and centre Nic Petan during Tuesday s practice. Stafford suffered an upper-body injury on Oct. 25, but in keeping with club policy, declined to be more specific about the problem. "Not much (to say), sorry," Stafford said. "It started in the pre-season and there were a couple of instances (that) kinda accumulated a little bit. It s been a while. Pretty tough." STAAL DOES HIS PART Former Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal has been a huge bonus for the Wild, who signed the unrestricted free agent centre to a three-year, US$10.5-million deal in the off-season. Although some believed his career was on a downward trajectory, Staal has turned back the clock. He has five goals and 13 points in 18 games thus far after scoring 13 goals and 39 points in a season split between Carolina and the New York Rangers in "I feel pretty good," Staal said. "You never know when you come to a new team, new organization on how you re going to fit and how you re going to be used. It s been a good transition. It s a good group and a good (coaching) staff. I m hoping to continue to build on the personal start that I ve had. I think I ve got more... on the offensive side." SCANDELLA RETURNING Minnesota is expected to have towering blue-liner Marco Scandella, who has been sidelined with a high ankle sprain since Oct. 28, back tonight. And it won t come a moment too soon for No. 1 goaltender Devan Dubnyk. "It s huge for all of us," Dubnyk said. "He s such an all-round player. He s a big part of our penalty kill. He s mean, he s a big, strong guy. His shot brings a lot at the other end." html

2 Dubnyk goes from bust to breakout star Oilers' first-round draft pick in 2004 enjoying a resurgence in Minnesota By: Mike Sawatzky ST. PAUL, Minn. The story of Devan Dubnyk s transformation from first-round flameout to an elite NHL goaltender may seem like a miracle now. Just don t tell Dubnyk. The Minnesota Wild puckstopper says he never doubted his ability. Fate and hard work combined to set the stage for what he has become. "It s tough to say because I never stopped believing in myself," said Dubnyk Tuesday afternoon, recalling the time he went from has-been to an all-star. "I thought I played some pretty good years in Edmonton and one (season) kinda fell apart. I enjoyed my time there and I got a lot of experience," he said. "The important part was first going to Arizona. That organization put full confidence in me. Not just signing me. The way they talked to me, the support they gave me coming in... that allowed me to hit the reset button." The Oilers traded Dubnyk to Nashville midway through the season. The Predators turned around and dealt him two months later to the Montreal Canadiens, who shipped him to the minors. What seemed like a dead end became a restart during the summer of 2014, when he signed a one-year free-agent deal with the Coyotes. A crucial change came during that summer when Dubnyk was introduced to a puck-tracking system by ex-nhler Stephen Valiquette. Valiquette is a proponent of a style preached by goaltending guru Lyle Mast in which goalies are instructed to track the puck with their eyes and not move their bodies until absolutely necessary. James Reimer of the Florida Panthers, Carolina s Eddie Lack and Eric Comrie of the AHL s Manitoba Moose are also adherents of the method. Valiquette "kinda introduced me to the principles of head tracking... it was very, very scratch the surface," the 6-5 Dubnyk explained. "I got a little more forward, got a little lower and it allowed me access to my arms and better chest angle... "It works for everybody. It s really about using your head first for everything. Looking at the puck before you do anything else... You feel like you have to be fast, you feel like you have to move. When you get it and you realize you don t, then you become more patient and a lot more comfortable." Coyotes goaltending coach Sean Burke also helped pave the way for a career rebirth. "Burkie tightened up all my skating," Dubnyk said. "He got me set on every shot. We just worked on very simple things but everything was to keep me in control and keep me set when the shot came. All of a sudden, I was tighter, there were less holes and things started to roll from there." Dubnyk thrived in the desert but a trade-deadline deal to the Wild sent his career into orbit. He was a Vezina Trophy runner-up to Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, posting a

3 record, 1.78 goals-against average and a.936 save percentage to drive Minnesota to a playoff berth. In , his numbers dipped to , with a.918 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average, but he s been back at his all-star form in Dubnyk, who got a rare night off in Dallas Monday, has been astonishing with four shutouts, a 1.59 goals-against average and a.948 save percentage. Unfortunately for the Wild, his modest record is due mainly to their inability to score goals. In Dubnyk s 14 starts, Minnesota has scored 34 goals. In five of those games, they have scored one or fewer. "From the start of the season, he s been right up there," said veteran Wild centre Eric Staal. "No question. He s been elite and a difference-maker pretty much every night he s been in there." In 2015, Dubnyk, an unrestricted free agent, signed a six-year, US$26-million deal to stay with the Wild. It seems like a bargain now. "I m happy where I am," said Dubnyk, who expresses no regret about the deal. "With our (salary) cap situation I don t think that it was going to be available really to do much more. It s maybe a little disappointing that it happened to be that situation but, hey, that s the way it goes. This is the spot I love. The organization, the team and the city... If I were to wait a year and want more money, I wouldn t be here." PRAISE FOR COMRIE Dubnyk was first introduced to the puck-tracking system he uses by going on the ice with Winnipeg Jets prospect Comrie. "It was fun to watch a guy who s not a real big guy look big in the net," Dubnyk said. "(I thought), if he can cover that much net, think about how much net I can cover? He s going to be a special goalie." Road-weary Jets have first real practice in nearly a month Training day By: Mike Sawatzky ST. PAUL, Minn. The Winnipeg Jets went 29 days without a bona fide NHL practice. On Tuesday and in the midst of a withering schedule in which they have played 16 games over that span, they got reacquainted with a real-live workout. It didn't look pretty but that's sometimes they way things go when the fatigue factor is high and you are crawling along on a three-game losing streak. "It's tough to work out the kinks between games when you don't have the time to do it and start to feel it and start to see the reason behind it," said three-year NHLer Adam Lowry Tuesday afternoon. "Obviously, we're all professionals and changes should be able to be implemented but sometimes it doesn't work like that.

4 "So, it's nice to get out there and feel the puck. Obviously, in game situations, there's not a lot of touches. You start start to feel like you lose some of the hand skills sometimes." Jets head coach Paul Maurice was content with what he saw. "(It was) pretty much what you expected," said Maurice, whose club takes on Central Division rival Minnesota Wednesday night at the Xcel Energy Center. "You go for a heavy run of games, day off, so we had a chance to do some things we've only talked about or shown on video. And get some extra work for some guys, too, that hopefully moves some of these guys closer to returning to the lineup." A lengthy injured list has plagued the Jets. Defenceman Toby Enstrom took a maintainence day Tuesday for an unspecified ailment but is expected to play Wednesday. Right-winger Drew Stafford, who has missed 15 games due to an upper-body problem, is also likely to play Wednesday. "Drew's available for the lineup (Wednesday) night," said Maurice. "He needed to get through a full practice and feel good. As of now he did, but we'll wait till tomorrow morning." Forwards Kyle Connor (upper body) and Bryan Little (lower body) both practised in orange noncontact jerseys and are day-to-day. Connor could play on Friday in Nashville but Little is unlikely to suit up for game action this week. Forwards Mathieu Perreault (upper body) and blue-liner Tyler Myers (lower body) are not progressing as quickly. Winger Joel Armia (knee) is a longer-term injury. Maurice stressed not all of what ails the Jets is physical. "We needed the mental break from those two (losses in Boston and Carolina) and now we get back to teams we play a lot and understand the style of game that's going to happen," said Maurice. "I do think the day off helped. The mood is lighter in practice in that they've got some energy they'll talk on the ice because they've got a little more energy. "The lack of practice time is a challenge for sure but I'm not sure it's hurt our energy level. I think not practising is part of the reason we've been able to survive what we've been going through with the injuries we've had. There's one other team dealing with what we've been dealing with and that's Dallas." Winnipeg's ineffectiveness in the faceoff circle has been a glaring weakness this season. It's something more practice time could cure. The Jets are dead last in the league, operating at a 44.5 per cent clip, a full three per cent behind the 29th-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins. They are 12 per cent below the Anaheim Ducks, who lead the NHL with a 56.7 per cent mark. Lowry, for example, is holding his own with a 46.6 per cent mark. "It's not absolutely correlated to winning but at certain times, we've got four young guys taking faceoffs for the most part that are in that early part of their career," said Maurice. "What we like

5 is we're starting to see nights where Adam Lowry has a big night. We're starting to see the progression." Winnipeg Sun Jets set to show what they're made of? BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN ST. PAUL Now that they've had an opportunity to grab a deep breath, how will the Winnipeg Jets respond? As a five-game road trip continues on Wednesday in Minnesota against the Wild, the Jets will try and salvage what they can after dropping three consecutive games for the first time this season. Yes, it's a long season and it's easy to overreact to three consecutive losses, especially when one of those losses represented the worst effort of the campaign. Jets head coach Paul Maurice dug into the coaching manual and point the finger at himself, there's little chance the Jets weren't prepared enough to play that game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. Like good coaches do, Maurice took a bullet for his players, in hopes they would respond. And for the most part, they do, putting up a much better effort in falling 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. So, with a record and 20 points, the Jets remain in a playoff spot with American Thanksgiving set to arrive on Thursday. But there's a catch, the Jets have played more games than most teams and things are getting awfully congested as other teams are figuring some things out. While recent history has shown the majority of teams that ultimately qualify for the post-season party are in a playoff position near the end of November, nobody is running away from the pack in the Western Conference or the Central Division this season. And things figure to be tight for the foreseeable future. You want to be as high up in the standings at every point in the season, said Jets centre Adam Lowry. We've missed a lot of guys with injuries, our team is going to look at lot different in the next couple of weeks than it has in the past couple of weeks. And it's going to look different in a month's time. Guys are going to get hurt and we'll have guys coming back into the lineup. We're just going to continue to build. The goal is to be in the playoffs at the end of the year.

6 If we're not (above) that playoff line by American Thanksgiving, it's not the end of the world. We're going to look to continue climbing the standings and get on a run here and just keep moving forward. There were no signs of panic from the Jets as they returned to the ice on Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center. No, they weren't quite as loose as they were when the trip began with a morning skate prior to a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, but you wouldn't expect them to be either. This is a young group and this is another big test of their collective mettle. They've handled a rash of injuries and a condensed schedule pretty well, but other teams aren't about to feel sorry for them either. You don't really have time to dwell, because you've got to get ready for the next (game). This road trip hasn't started the way we wanted to, but you've got to kind of have a short memory, said Jets forward Drew Stafford, who is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury. Other teams aren't going to wait for you to get it turned around. It's (about) trying to keep an even keel as much as possible. This is a new group and they don't likely need a history lesson, but one year ago, the Jets rolled into the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa with a record of and were feeling good about themselves. A 3-2 shootout loss to the Senators started a slide of six consecutive losses four of which came on a road trip against Central Division opponents and after that point, the Jets found themselves in a chasing position for pretty much the rest of the season. Rock bottom seemed to arrive in the form of a 7-0 blowout loss to the Nashville Predators and the Jets limped through the month of November with a record of The Jets already have five wins and an overtime loss this month, but they're definitely looking to close out the month on a high note. They've seen the glimpses of their own potential and don't want to settle for mediocrity. Just one week ago, the Jets were coming off a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks and looking like world beaters. Going head-to-head against a pair of Central Division opponents will be another litmus test for a group that believes they can do some impressive things. All of the teams around us are climbing and we've stayed still, stayed stagnant for the last week, said Lowry. So we're going to look to get back on a roll here. Jets looking to avoid repeating history Here are the six games (0-5-1) where things went south for Winnipeg Jets in , who were going into the stretch just over one year ago:

7 Nov 5, Ottawa Senators 3 Winnipeg Jets 2 (SO) Nov. 7, Philadelphia Flyers 3 Winnipeg Jets 0 Nov. 10, Minnesota Wild 5 Winnipeg Jets 3 Nov. 12, Dallas Stars 6 Winnipeg Jets 3 Nov. 14, Nashville Predators 7 Winnipeg Jets 0 Nov. 16, St. Louis Blues 3 Winnipeg Jets 2 Stafford aiming for Wednesday return BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN ST. PAUL Drew Stafford is waiting for the official green light, but a return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild looks promising for the veteran winger. Stafford has missed the past 15 games with an upper-body injury and was limited to one assist in six games prior to the setback. I ve been preparing every day to make sure I m ready, we ll wait and see, said Stafford, who had 21 goals and 37 points in 78 games last season. I m pretty close (to 100%). It s been a long time and it s been pretty tough last month or so. Sitting out isn t fun for everybody. A return for Stafford would leave the Jets with six players in sick bay, including centre Bryan Little and left-winger Kyle Connor, both of whom skated in non-contact jerseys on Tuesday. Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Little, who has missed 20 games after injuring his knee four shifts into the season, was upgraded to day-to-day though he s not expected to return to the lineup before the end of the road trip. Connor, who suffered an upper-body injury after being on the receiving end of a hard check from Los Angeles Kings forward Kyle Clifford and has missed the past four games, is also listed as day-to-day. Things are progressing a little slower for defenceman Tyler Myers (lower body) and forward Mathieu Perreault (upper body), both of whom are doing some very light skating, according to Maurice. Forwards Joel Armia (lower body) and Shawn Matthias (lower body) remain on the shelf longterm. Defenceman Toby Enstrom took a maintenance day on Tuesday, but will be in the lineup as the five-game road trip continues for the Jets (9-10-2). The Wild ( 9-7-2) are expecting to get a boost on Wednesday, as defenceman Marco Scandella is likely to be back in the lineup after missing most of the past month with an ankle injury.

8 Jets hanging in at season's quarter-point BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN MINNEAPOLIS It's apparent the Winnipeg Jets remain very much in the process of finding out who they are and what they might be able to accomplish this season. Through the unofficial quarter point of the NHL season, there have been flashes of brilliance to go along with the head-scratching moments that often resulted in goals against whether it be the defensive breakdowns or the excessive number of soft goals that have plagued the Jets. There have been inspired comebacks, including a rally from a three-goal deficit in the season opener that ended with an overtime goal from Mark Scheifele, who has been at or near the top of the NHL scoring derby for most of the campaign. Second overall pick Patrik Laine has only one goal in his past seven games, but went into Monday's action tied for the league lead in goals with 12. The Finnish sniper already has two hat tricks and leads all rookies in scoring. Laine is hard on himself and realizes he needs to be better along the wall as he works to improve his all-around game, but that's to be expected for an 18-year-old making the transition to the NHL. Injuries are a part of the game, but the Jets depth has certainly been tested as they're currently missing six regular forwards from the lineup and a second-pairing defenceman, which has resulted in massive changes to the roster. The biggest blow was losing Bryan Little just four shifts into the season with an apparent knee injury after a collision with Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell in the opener. Special teams was an area that needed serious improvement and the gains have been closer to subtle, though it's allowed the Jets to post a record with 20 points to date, which was two points fewer than at this time last year. That's allowed the Jets to remain right in the thick of things in both the Central Division standings and Western Conference playoff picture. After completing a stretch of 17 games in 29 days, the Jets look mentally exhausted and often physically drained in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, extending the losing streak to three (a season high) on the heels of a stretch which moved Winnipeg into second place in the Central Division. Going into Monday's action, the Jets were third in the Central but had also played the most games in the NHL.

9 The schedule isn't going to let up much in the next few weeks, so it will be a test to the Jets' collective mettle to see if they can fight through this taxing time. With American Thanksgiving just around the corner, it will be important to see how the Jets close out the final two games of this five-game road trip after dropping the first three. The majority of teams who qualify for the post-season find themselves in a playoff spot by American Thanksgiving and points are already at a premium across the NHL. It's time to put the teaching hat on and hand out grades for all of the individual categories, as well as an overall team grade: Goalies (C-) When the decision to waive and send Ondrej Pavelec down to the minors and turn the crease over to Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson, it was apparent there were going to be some growing pains. That's simply a fact of life for most young goalies or at least young in terms of NHL experience. While the Jets used a rotation for a good chunk of the first 10 games, neither goalie was able to get into a rhythm or establish himself as the front-runner to take the ball and run with it. However, Hellebuyck who is viewed as having the highest ceiling among the goalies in the organization has received the lion's share of the work of late, starting eight of the past 10 games and has shown he's been better when busier. While the quality of shooter in the NHL has never been better, the Jets have given up too many weak goals in the first quarter and that's an area which must be cleaned up. There haven't been enough times when the Jets had a goalie outright steal a game for them perhaps the 37-save shutout for Hutchinson against the Colorado Avalanche or the 27-save shutout for Hellebuyck against the Chicago Blackhawks but the team could find itself in a more favourable position if they received a few more timely saves. As has been said in this place countless times before during the previous five seasons, the Jets often need above-average goaltending in order to win games. That still rings true. Defence (B-) Dustin Byfuglien leads the NHL in average time on ice per game, though his level of play might be raised by playing a little less, since he's allowed a bit more risk to creep into his game this season. By scoring his first goal in his 19th game of the season, it's possible Byfuglien relaxes a bit and gets back to being a bit more responsible defensively. Rookie Josh Morrissey has been excellent this season, which was one of the reasons the Jets held things together when Jacob Trouba was locked in a contract stalemate that kept him out of the first 15 games of the season. Toby Enstrom remains a steady defender and smart puck-mover. Being without Tyler Myers, who sat 10 of the past 13 games with a lower-body injury, has been a blow as he seemed to be finding his stride before leaving the lineup the first time. Forwards (B) This group has done more than just provide ample fodder for the highlight reels. The top-end production has been strong and the secondary scoring is much improved. Blake Wheeler has done a nice job on the leadership side of things during his first season as Jets captain and continues to be a driving force. Nikolaj Ehlers has been using his speed and showing no signs of a potential sophomore slump. It will be a fascinating exercise to see who sticks around and who is sent down to the minors or traded once this group gets back or close to full health. There are some difficult decisions ahead. Coaching/Management (B)

10 Maurice has more talent at his disposal, but there's work to be done when it comes to getting this group to fully commit to the defensive part of the game on a consistent basis. Special teams have room for improvement, but are trending upward. The additions of Jamie Kompon and Todd Woodcroft have provided a boost to the Jets staff. One of the best coaching jobs done so far is by Moose bench boss Pascal Vincent, who has helped the recalled players be prepared for the many recalls so far. Although general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff didn't bring any flashy free agent signings from outside the organization, there was more competition for jobs in training camp than at any point since the franchise relocated from Atlanta in The depth is currently being tested and is holding up okay, at least to this point. Although Trouba missed the first 15 games, getting him on a relatively inexpensive bridge deal and not granting his trade request was a big move for Cheveldayoff, who also got Byfuglien, Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault signed to long-term contract extensions this past summer. Overall (C+) Normally a slightly sub.500 record would probably result in a C-, but we pegged the Jets as a bubble team going into the season, which meant they needed a number of things to go well in order to return to the playoffs for just the second time since And that assumed relatively full health, not requiring six players to be recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League to date just to try and help this team stay afloat. The Jets will need to be above.500 during the second quarter in order to retain grasp of a playoff spot. Let's see how they respond to the next set of challenges. Winnipeg Jets: looking back at first quarter of NHL season Record: Points: 20 Home: 6-4 Road: Goals per game: 2.71 (11) Goals against per game: 2.95 (23) Goal differential: -5 (20) Shots for/game: 28.5 (25) Shots against/game: 30.2 (14) Team shooting %: 9.52 (8) PP efficiency %: 14.7 (21) PK efficiency %: 81.3 (19) Faceoff %: 44.5 (30th) Team leaders: Points: Mark Scheifele (23) Goals: Patrik Laine (12) Assists: Nikolaj Ehlers (13) Game-winning goals: Patrik Laine (2) Shots on goal: Blake Wheeler (63) Time on ice: Dustin Byfuglien (28:10 per game) Shooting %: Marko Dano (21.4%) Power play points: Patrik Laine (8) Penalty minutes: Chris Thorburn (34) Plus/Minus: Mark Scheifele (plus-6) Goals against average: Connor Hellebuyck (2.62) Save %: Connor Hellebuyck (.911)

11 Five keys to Jets vs. Wild BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN Five keys to Jets vs. Wild Energy restored? The Jets held their first full practice in nearly a month on Tuesday and are hoping to be reenergized as they play the fourth game of this five-game swing. After dropping three consecutive games for the first time this season, finding a way to try and stop the bleeding is essential if the Jets want to remain in a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Laine looks to break out The Finnish rookie has seen his production tail off a bit as he s produced one goal and three points in the past seven games. He s still leading his team in goals (12) and remains a dangerous weapon, but he hasn t been as noticeable recently as he continues to adjust to the North American game. As he s shown so far, all he needs is one opportunity to make something happen. He s got a tremendous release of his shot and I used to coach a guy with a shot like that, said Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau, referring to Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. He knows where to go at the right times. He s pretty smart. He doesn t just blatantly go to areas he s not going to score from. You have to definitely know where he is at all times on the ice. Reinforcements on the way All signs point to Jets winger Drew Stafford returning to the lineup on Wednesday after missing the past 15 games with an upper-body injury. Stafford was limited to one assist in six games, but produced 21 goals and 38 points in 78 games last season, so he ll be looking to make a contribution as he gets back into the action. Dubnyk returns to form Once again, the Jets are running into one of the hottest goalies in the NHL. This time it s Devan Dubnyk supplying the opposition to Connor Hellebuyck and he heads into the contest as the NHL leader in shutouts with four. He s only on the season, but isn t getting much offensive support as he s posted a 1.59 goals against average and.949 save percentage in 14 games. So goals figure to be tough to come by on Wednesday night. Staal s resurgence With a steady decline in production and minimal impact made after a trade to the New York Rangers, Staal needed a fresh start, so he signed a three-year deal with the Wild in the offseason and has come back strong as he made the shift to the Western Conference. He s currently tied for the team scoring lead (five goals, 13 points in 18 games) and is averaging just over 19 minutes of ice time per game. He s got two game-winning goals and leads the team in shots on goal (51). Staal has 25 goals and 60 points in 64 career games against the Jets.

12 Big matchup Blake Wheeler vs. Zach Parise Wheeler will be looking to lead the way as the Jets try to snap a three-game losing skid, while Parise is trying to produce the way he has in the past. Parise, who is coming off a knee injury and a bout of strep throat, has only two goals and six points in 11 games this season. Wheeler has six goals and 14 points in 21 games. Metro Winnipeg Heritage Classic street banners among Jets cancer-fighting auctions By: Braeden Jones Metro It s one thing to buy a hat or a jersey, but some Jets fans are bidding to commemorate the 2016 Heritage Classic with one of the huge promotional banners that hung on downtown light posts before the event. Even though the Jets lost the outdoor game against Edmonton, dozens of people have submitted bids for one of 12 heritage classic street banners through the National Hockey League s (NHL) official auction site. As of Tuesday afternoon, the highest bid on any one of the banners was at $210. The auction page describes the banner as: "custom designed 2016 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic vinyl street banner that was displayed ahead of Heritage Classic Weekend along either historic Portage Avenue or Main St. in Winnipeg, MB." The size is listed as 30 inches wide by 90 inches tall. A flag flown at spectator plaza is also available, with a current bid of $141, and the signage used on the fence at Spectator plaza is currently at $126. Through social media, a representative for the Jets said, proceeds go toward (the team s) donation to its Hockey Fights Cancer campaign and CancerCare Manitoba. The Jets Hockey Fights Cancer night at the MTS Centre earlier in November was the team s best game of the season so far, according to head coach Paul Maurice. Game-used merchandise from that outing is also available on the auction site, including autographed jerseys, ties, and masks worn by goaltenders Micahel Hutchinson (bid at $1,550) and Connor Hellebuyck (bid at $2,100). The high bid for a player-worn necktie as of Tuesday afternoon was Patrik Laine s. for $130. The auction closes Sunday at 10 p.m.

13 FOX Sports Minnesota Wild aim to make move at home vs. Jets ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Playing five times at home in the matter of six games, the Minnesota Wild had the prime opportunity to make a move in the Central Division. With two games left in that span, sandwiching the Thanksgiving holiday, Minnesota is hoping to salvage its remaining two games beginning Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets. The Wild return home having lost back-to-back games with Monday's overtime loss at Dallas. "We did fight back twice, and that's something we haven't done a lot of," Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau told the team's website after Monday's loss. "I thought we got better as the game went on. It's a hard-earned point in here, and the points are gonna be very valuable to come by, cause it's gonna be tight." In the previous three home games, the Wild won once. In November, the Wild have lost three of four home games after starting the season by winning the first four games on home ice. The November schedule hasn't been kind to either team. Winnipeg has lost three games in a row, all three coming on the road. The Jets lost 3-1 at Carolina on Sunday. After playing 17 games in 29 games, two days off was a welcome respite. "We've played well up until the last two games," head coach Paul Maurice told the team's website, adding: "We need the mental break from those two, and now we get back to teams that we play a lot, and we understand the style of game that's going to happen, and try to get back on that winning track." Minnesota and Winnipeg are tied in the division with 20 points, but the Wild have played three fewer games. Minnesota also won the first game between the two teams, opening the season with a 4-3 victory at home. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk saved 14 shots in the victory and should start on Wednesday after Darcy Kuemper started against Dallas. Dubnyk had allowed nine goals in nine starts before stopping 31 of 34 shots in a loss to Colorado on Saturday. Eight of the last 12 meetings between the Wild and Jets have been decided by one goal. Minnesota has also played in six straight one-goal games. The Wild could get defenseman Marco Scandella back in the lineup on Wednesday. Scandella has missed 10 games with a high ankle sprain and is eligible to be activated off long-term injured reserve. Scandella has been practicing with the team. "It's never fun getting hurt and I knew it wasn't going to be a two-day injury," Scandella told the team's website. "It's hard to watch games. You just want to be a part of it when you're part of a team, you see your guys battling and you're not a part of it. It's frustrating at times, but I'm real excited to get back."

14 Winnipeg is hoping for reinforcements, as well. Forward Drew Stafford participated in Tuesday's practice, according to the team's website. Stafford, who scored 21 goals last season, has been out since Oct. 25 with an upper-body injury. "There are other things that you have to make sure you're taking care of yourself, so that if you do come back, you're at 100 percent," Stafford told the team's website. "I've just been preparing every day to make sure I'm ready." Maurice said Stafford's status would be decided on Wednesday. "He needed to get through a full practice and feel good," Maurice said. "As of now he did, but we'll wait until tomorrow morning to make sure that continued." Sportsnet.ca 30 Thoughts: Patrik Laine and the Finnish league theory BY ELLIOTTE FRIEDMAN When Buffalo drafted Joel Armia 16th overall in 2011, then-general manager Darcy Regier said part of the attraction was that Armia had 67 points in 102 games in the top Finnish league before he turned 19. That s a man s league, Regier said at the time. I ve always wondered if that was true if there was something to back it up. More and more research is being done, trying to figure out if certain leagues are predisposed to turning out legit NHL players. (The Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers are among the teams taking a deep dive.) Of course, no one will talk about it. Looking at the numbers from , I counted approximately 25 Finns drafted into the NHL who played in their country's top league at age 17. How many played 100 NHL games? Eight (assuming I counted right). How many go to 200? Six. That s a really good percentage, compared to everywhere else. The problem is that the sample size is too small. There are so many more potential CHL draftees in that league at 17. But it does give Regier s theory some credence enough to make teams take a longer look. Anyway, this popped into my head because of Patrik Laine s shooting. I can already see the Trumpian-level hatred hockey fans are going to have for Calder Trophy-voting journalists in June.

15 Laine vs. Zach Werenski vs. Auston Matthews vs. Mitch Marner vs. William Nylander vs. everyone else? Yeah, everyone s going to be so united with the result. Laine averaged 0.7 points per game last season in Finland. For someone who didn t turn 18 until the season ended, that s really good. Jesse Puljujarvi (a month younger) was at 0.56, which is also very good. But I don t know if anyone expected him to have the same immediate impact as Laine. The 2016 No. 2 pick is such a spectacular talent, with such a spectacular shot. But there were still a ton of questions about the adjustment. People wanted to be conservative, because you never know how someone will adapt. After 21 games, Laine is shooting 21.1 per cent. A rookie shooting that well used to be a fairly regular occurrence: Joe Nieuwendyk shot 24.1 per cent; Eric Lindros hit 22.8; Luc Robitaille 22.6 and Steve Yzerman 22. Since the rules changed in to emphasize scoring and speed, those numbers actually dropped. Only two players have reached 20 per cent in at least 60 games: Petr Prucha was at 23.1 in and Jordan Staal 22.1 the next season. No one has done it since The Finnish league keeps tracks of overall shot attempts (Corsi). Last season, Laine scored on fewer than seven per cent of all his attempts. This year? He s at 12. By comparison, Connor McDavid, who was obscene when he played in , was at 10. That s a ridiculous number. I m looking forward to seeing where it goes. Laine is incredibly talented, but it is so freaking hard. 30 THOUGHTS 1. An example of Mark Scheifele s improved skill level? The pass that set up Laine s hat trick goal on Nov. 8. Scheifele worked to improve the zip of his backhand passes, and that s a perfect example. That puck gets to Laine with some juice. TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) Beyak: Would be shocking if Lowry exposed to expansion draft Dennis Beyak joins Hustler & Lawless to discuss the first Winnipeg Jets practice in nearly a month, and posits who the Jets may protect for the upcoming NHL expansion draft.

16 Cullen: Injuries are catching up to the Jets Scott Cullen of TSN.ca discusses his NHL Power Rankings with Rick Ralph. ASK A JET Patrik Laine Patrik Laine answers YOUR questions from Facebook & Twitter in the season's first episode of Ask a Jet presented by FASTSIGNS PRACTICE Paul Maurice Head Coach Paul Maurice provides injury updates on Stafford, Little, Connor, Perreault and Myers PRACTICE Drew Stafford Drew Stafford said he feels 100 percent and could be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Wild PRACTICE Mark Scheifele Mark Scheifele speaks to reporters following Tuesday's practice in Minnesota