Flames, Jets set for outdoor clash in Regina

Josh Morrissey hails from Calgary and plays for the Winnipeg Jets, but his ties to this year's Heritage Classic outdoor game in Regina, Sask., don't end there.

When the Jets meet the Flames on Sunday night at Mosaic Stadium -- home of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders -- Morrissey will be helping celebrate his family history as well as the game's roots.

"It's where my dad grew up, my grandparents are from there. I didn't anticipate I'd be playing an NHL game back in Regina. It's cool," the Jets defenseman told NHL.com. "The whole province of Saskatchewan will be supporting either us or the Flames, since they're right in the middle. It's a great hockey province, and it's going to be a great game."

The Jets and Flames will certainly deal with all the pomp and circumstance of an outdoor game -- there are two other outdoor games scheduled in the NHL this season, one in Dallas and the other in Colorado Springs -- but they are reminding themselves the meeting is just as important as any other regular-season clash.

The Jets, who are the home team, are struggling mightily right now, with just one win in the last five games, all at home. Winnipeg's last outing was a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

"There's certain times in this game where it feels real tough," Jets captain Blake Wheeler told the Winnipeg Free Press. "I think not just the young players but even the veteran guys, when it's not bouncing our way and you're in the fight, you're in the fight and you just can't seem to get it turned around. It's certainly frustrating."

The Flames are faring better than the Jets these days, but not by much, due to a maddening inconsistency. Calgary has as many losses as wins and is coming off a crazy 6-5 shootout win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday. In that game, the Flames blew three leads -- including a two-goal edge in the third period -- fell behind, tied it late and then won.

"We're not sharp enough right now," captain Mark Giordano said after the Florida win. "There were spurts, again, but we know that's not the way we want to play, to win a 6-5 game.

"We'll take the two points, but definitely some things we'll have to go over again and clean up."

"What's kinda interesting about this game -- certainly the spectacle of it -- but both teams are coming into this game not very happy, right?" Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "Both coaches are going to be, 'Yeah, yeah, enjoy the game, it's fun, but we don't like our last game, and we've gotta make amends for it.'"

Both teams have lineup changes on their hands. Winnipeg, which had a massive turnover on defense in the offseason and now a litany of injuries, claimed veteran Luca Sbisa off waivers. Sbisa, 29, has played 504 games for Anaheim, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Vegas and the New York Islanders over an 11-year NHL career.

The Flames summoned forward Alan Quine from the minors on Friday because Austin Czarnik sustained a leg injury and has been placed on the long-term injury list.

--Field Level Media