Music: {allcanada} Jets' Harrison expected to make debut vs. Bruins

Christmas - Michael Bublé / Elf (2003) / Scrooged

WINNIPEG -- Veteran NHL defenseman Jay Harrison will be the latest change on defense for the Winnipeg Jets when they host the Boston Bruins on Friday.

After losing their top four defensemen to injuries in the past three weeks, the Jets acquired the 32-year-old Harrison from the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, in exchange for a 2015 sixth-round pick that originally belonged to the Ottawa Senators.

Harrison and Jets coach Paul Maurice have a long history together. Harrison played for Maurice as a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect in the American Hockey League and later was with Maurice in the NHL with the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes.

The trade followed the Jets' announcement that defenseman Mark Stuart will be out until February because of a lower-body injury. Stuart joined Zach Bogosian (lower body), Toby Enstrom (lower body) and Jacob Trouba (upper body) as Winnipeg defensemen out with long-term injuries.

Harrison did not arrive in Winnipeg in time for the morning skate at MTS Centre; Maurice expected him to arrive mid-day. If Harrison passes his physical he will dress against Boston and play the left side on a pairing with Grant Clitsome.

Maurice said he expects a quick transition for Harrison.

"He fits the identity of our hockey [team]," Maurice said of Harrison. "He is a big man and he moves really well. He's a good skater, very competitive on the puck. He has played [a] fairly close [system with Carolina]. We run some things differently so [there is] is a bit of a learning curve, but [he offers] experience."

Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien moved from forward to defense Dec. 5 after Bogosian and Enstrom went out with injuries, and he will be expected to shoulder a significant load for the next several weeks. Byfuglien has played at least 26 minutes in four of the past six games.

"It doesn't matter who is in or out," Byfuglien said. "We're going to stick together as a team and play our game and play our system."

With his retooled defense corps, Maurice has said he will be stressing simpler breakouts, better puck support for the defensemen and more assistance from the forwards.

The Bruins had their morning skate Friday after a day off Thursday as they conclude a three-game road trip. The Bruins are 3-4-3 in their past 10 games after a 3-2 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

Center David Krejci returned at Minnesota after missing 11 games with a groin injury. The Bruins went 3-5-3 without Krejci.

"It was a little bit different game," Krejci said of playing Monday. "I'm glad I got through it. I don't want it to happen again. [I'm] trying to play the game the right way and the rest will take care of itself."

The Bruins' familiarity with injuries means that they can relate to what Winnipeg is experiencing.

"We know that there are a lot of injuries back there," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "But we had a lot of [injuries] in November and we still did fairly well. We can learn from that and know that it's not going to be an easy game."

Tuukka Rask will start in goal for the Bruins and oppose Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson.

Here are the projected lineups:

BRUINS

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Seth Griffith

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Reilly Smith

Chris Kelly - Carl Soderberg - Loui Eriksson

Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Craig Cunningham

Zdeno Chara - Dougie Hamilton

Dennis Seidenberg - Zach Trotman

Torey Krug - Kevan Miller

Tuukka Rask

Niklas Svedberg

Scratched: Matt Bartkowski, Matt Fraser, Simon Gagne, Joe Morrow

Injured: Adam McQuaid (thumb)

JETS

Andrew Ladd - Bryan Little - Blake Wheeler

Mathieu Perreault - Mark Scheifele - Michael Frolik

Evander Kane - Adam Lowry - Matt Halischuk

Chris Thorburn - Jim Slater - Anthony Peluso

Ben Chiarot - Dustin Byfuglien

Jay Harrison - Grant Clitsome

Adam Pardy - Paul Postma

Michael Hutchinson

Ondrej Pavelec

Scratched: Julien Brouillette, TJ Galiardi

Injured: Zach Bogosian (lower body), Toby Enstrom (lower body), Mark Stuart (lower body), Jacob Trouba (upper body)

Status report: McQuaid will miss his 13th game. … Brouillette will play if Harrison can't.

Who's hot: Smith has four goals in his past six games. … Scheifele has two three-point games in his past three games. His linemate, Perreault, has one goal and four assists during a five-game point streak. … The Winnipeg power play has scored in five consecutive games and is 11-for-37 since Nov. 25.

Jack Frost (1998) / Wintersong - Sarah McLachlan / The Polar Express