The Winnipeg Jets are essentially out of the playoff race and it is all Evander Kane’s fault or something. The Colorado Avalanche on the other hand are one of the top teams in the conference and they have been in that mix all year. The numbers tell a bit of a different story. By the numbers, the Jets are a decent team let down by piss poor tending. The Avs on the other hand have largely been carried by Semyon Varlamov despite the team’s horrible possession numbers. Considering the youth at the core of these teams – and the fact that they will be sharing a division for years to come – it will be interesting to watch their respective development.
Keys to the Game
Winnipeg Jets
Empty the sin bin. This is pretty self-explanatory – just flipping do it already you dum dums.
*ED Note: Don’t actually think they are dumb.*
More Monty? It looks like Ondrej will be out again which means Al Montoya will likely get his third start in a row. He has been solid too, but there is no illusion here. Al Montoya isn’t likely to sustain a .925 save percentage long term? Just how long he can keep it up is a big question mark though. The Jets will need Monty to be as sharp as a sword blade tonight.
Kane he heat up? Evander Kane has picked up a goal and an assist in his last two games. He needs to keep producing. If Kane can heat back up – along with his new centre Eric O`Dell it will do this team some long term good.
Colorado Avalanche
Berra of bad news. Reto Berra will be in net tonight. Berra was recently traded and awarded a contract extension by the Avs. This game will be his first start for the Avalanche. By the numbers this is puzzling because the numbers say he sucks. Reto has amassed a .897 save percentage on the season and that won’t win a team many games. The Avs will need and up-tick in these numbers if they wanna score a win tonight.
Shot quantity. Why will the Avs need a high save percentage? Well, because their defense is the opposite of stingy. The Avalanche allow the 5th most shots against in the league – they actually allow 4.7 shots per game MORE than the Calgary Flames – and many of these chances are high quality. The new, better team does not necessarily equate to a lighter workload to Reto. Shots against have to decrease. Tightening up defensively is a must for tonight.
Neutral zone is a trap. The Avalanche butter their bread with neutral zone turnovers and the Jets have a number of defenders who are prone to getting caught. *cough* Stu *cough* Bogo. *cough* While Jacob Trouba and Tobias Enstrom are adept at covering up for the brain farts of their D partners, making them do this repeatedly is a recipe for success.
Player to Boo Mercilessly
Boo the lot of them.
Prediction
Jets 5 – Reto Berra sucks.
Avalanche 2
