Jets and Kraken ready to battle for first time this season

The Winnipeg Jets hit the ice at Canada Life Centre ahead of a Tuesday night match-up against the Seattle Kraken. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News)

The Winnipeg Jets are hoping to build off the success of a pair of wins over the weekend.

After a disappointing 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday, the Jets responded with two thrilling comeback wins over the Hurricanes and Sabres.

On Saturday, the Jets stormed back from a three-goal deficit in the third to beat the Hurricanes 5-3 in Raleigh, N.C. The Jets followed that up with a 5-2 win on Sunday in Buffalo after trailing 2-1 heading into the third.

The back-to-back road victories propelled the Jets back to the top of the NHL’s Central Division.

Defenceman Josh Morrissey was a catalyst in both contests –- racking up a goal and four assists over the two-game stretch. He also picked up two assists at home versus the St. Louis Blues last Tuesday.

The seven-point week earned Morrissey NHL player of the week honours.

On Tuesday, Morrissey and the Jets welcome in the Seattle Kraken – a team battling to climb the standings in the Pacific Division.

This is the first matchup between the two teams this year. The Jets took two out of three from the Kraken last season. Each game was decided by a single goal.

“All the games we’ve played with Seattle have been fast and very tight checking – not a lot of room out there,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said following his team’s morning skate. “They use their speed to get on top of us and we try to use our speed to get on top of them.”

Seattle comes into town after a 4-2 win in Calgary on Monday night.

Bowness said they’re not taking the Kraken lightly.

“Regardless that they've played last night, there's so much at stake right now,” Bowness said. “You overcome fatigue, you overcome sickness, you overcome everything and lay it all on the line – and we fully expect that for that crew tonight.”

Tuesday’s game comes as a flu bug continues to float around the Jets locker room – with defenceman Nate Schmidt being its latest casualty.

“Nate’s been really battling it. He was really sick in Buffalo, so we’re taking Nate out and putting [Logan Stanley] back in,” Bowness said. “And there’s a couple guys I’ve talked to that want to play through it.”

Bowness said this isn’t the worst flu bug he’s seen over the years, but said it’s one that just won’t go away.

“It’s gone through the room, but give them full marks,” Bowness said. “You’re on the ice and you’re not feeling well, or you’re getting sick between periods. It’s tough, so give the guys full marks.”

The Jets will also be without forward Gabe Vilardi for a third straight game. He was hurt during the game in Dallas and Bowness said the winger is dealing with an upper-body injury. Vilardi is expected to travel with the team to Seattle and Vancouver this weekend.

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to get the start in net.

Puck drop from Canada Life Centre is at 7 p.m. CT.