5 things to watch for as Jets battle Oilers

The Winnipeg Jets return home from a two-game road trip to welcome the Edmonton Oilers to town Monday night at the MTS Centre. The Jets (29-19-10) finished their recent trip with a 1-1 record, dropping their first game to Nashville on Thursday before rebounding nicely against Detroit, beating the Red Wings 5-4 in a shootout Saturday night.

As for the Oilers (16-32-9), their season-to-forget hit another low point Saturday as they fell to the Ottawa Senators 7-2. Winnipeg will be their final stop on their six-game road trip.

With that, here are 5 things to consider heading in to tonights game.

New additions

Its been a whirlwind of a week for the two newest members of the Winnipeg Jets.

Since being acquired by Winnipeg via blockbuster trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 11, newcomers Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers have had little time to adjust to their new surroundings, spending most of it with the team on the road.

That hasnt prevented them from making their presence felt in the lineup, however, as both players played key roles in Saturdays win.

Myers finished the game with two assists in 22:57 of ice time, earning himself the games first star, and Stafford added a power play goal in the second period before icing the game in the shootout with the lone marker in the fourth and final round.

The two will surely get a warm welcome tonight as they play their first game as a member of the Jets on home ice in front of a rowdy MTS Centre crowd, something theyve been looking forward to since being dealt to Winnipeg.

Playing here on the road, it was always one of the loudest buildings, said Myers following Mondays pre-game skate, adding so Im excited to be a Jet and be part of the home crowd now.

Top-line shuffle

The Jets will have a bit of a different look on their top line when they take on the Oilers tonight, replacing Blake Wheeler with Stafford on the No.1 unit with Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little.

Coach Paul Maurice first made the move midway through the Detroit game, and it appeared to work wonders, sparking a comeback that included goals from both Wheeler and Stafford.

With the move, Wheeler will take over for Stafford on the second unit alongside Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault; something Maurice says will confuse opposing teams when it comes to matching lines with different defence pairings.

Blakes speed is something the other coaches take notice of, said Maurice. Its something that you have to be aware of in terms of who your backend is going out against them. Not having (Wheeler) with Little and Ladd means you have to make a decision (on who you put out there).

Heating up at home

Remember when the Jets were all the rage on the road but couldnt seem to find the magic on home ice?

That appears to be a thing of the past, as the Jets have turned up the heat at home since the start of a new calendar year. Since Jan. 1, the Jets are 6-2-1 at the MTS Centre. Its a big improvement for Winnipeg after going 8-8-3 at home in the first three months of the season.

The Jets have also played well against the Oilers on home ice since joining the Western Conference to start the 2013-14 season, winning both games against Edmonton at the MTS Centre during that stretch. Winnipeg finished last season with a 2-1-0 record against the Oilers and have won the only match this year, beating Edmonton 3-2 in overtime back on Dec. 3.

Hutch goes again

Goalie Michael Hutchinson will get the nod in net tonight, making it his second consecutive start for the Jets in favour of Ondrej Pavelec.

Hutchinson had a solid showing against Detroit despite allowing four goals on 29 shots. He made a number of key saves in close which included stopping all four shots in the shootout.

Its not the first time Maurice has turned to Hutchinson in back-to-back games. Hutchinson got the start in three consecutive matches at the end of January, a stretch where he went 0-3, and allowed at least four goals in each game.

Asked if he wanted Hutchinson to steal the No.1 job, Maurice hesitated to give a definitive answer.

No, not unless its on stellar performance, he said. Dont care who it is, either one. If we have to roll them to keep them at that level then well do that. But it wouldnt matter to me, either one.

Clearly, the spot is up for grabs and right now Hutchinson is being put in the position to take it outright. Whether or not hell be able to do that, well just have to wait and see.

Thin blue line

If its one thing the Jets are stacked with, its defenceman.

As it stands, the D pairings include Dustin Byfuglien and rookie Ben Chiarot, Myers with Toby Enstrom and Jacob Trouba with Mark Stuart. On the bench, ready and willing, are Adam Pardy, Paul Postma and Jay Harrison.

But its crunch time now, and with the Jets very much in the playoff race, look for Maurice to thin out his blue line as the game winds down.

Whether the Jets are in need of a goal or trying to prevent one in the late stages of the game, it wont be surprising to see the six-man arsenal trim down to four with Trouba moving over to play with Byfuglien and Myers and Enstrom getting extra ice.