The Blackhawks have come to town today to take on the Jets at the MTS Centre. I love Jets/Blackhawks games, they are honestly so much fun to watch. The Jets have been struggling as of late and are currently in the midst of a pretty ugly losing streak, but historically they have fared well against the Blackhawks. For their part, Jonathan Toews and company have done relatively well this season and are currently sitting 10th overall in the league but guess what? They're also coming off a couple of losses, but what's even worse for them is that in both of those losses they didn't score a single goal.
I hope you're ready for some whimsy because after these past few days, I sure am.
Keys to the Game
Winnipeg Jets
Hey, I just met you.
And this is crazy,
But here's a big hint,
Score goals, maybe?
Special Teams on Call: While scoring goals is key for the Jets (um, duh) there's also a need for consistent play throughout the team for the most part. Making smart choices on the ice will be key against the Blackhawks as for some reason these Jets/Hawks games can turn pretty ugly in rather short fashion. An interesting fact is that this season the Jets haven't allowed a single Blackhawks goal while on the PK, but this feels to me like something that could be a challenge tonight.
Don't lose your cool: Maintaining composure and not letting their feathers get ruffled unnecessarily will be key for the Jets this game, as it has been for a lot of their recent games. I understand that things get heated and people don't necessarily think clearly when they have to make a snap second decision on how to react to things, but I hope that the Jets as a whole can take a deep breath tonight. Just relax and play the damn game, don't let whatever else is happening around you control your emotions. Pull up a small piece of zen, park your arse on it and win the game.
Chicago Blackhawks
Be Offensive: As stated above, the Hawks haven't scored a goal in a very long time and they're definitely looking to change that. Getting things going quickly will be key for the Blackhawks in order to control the momentum of the game as will taking advantage of the foibles of the Jets defensive pairings and capitalizing on their inevitable mistakes. Use those incredibly talented young forwards you have signed to massive contracts for all they're worth. Toews and Kane should be able to at least get a goal or two tonight if they push hard and look for ways past the D.
What? Like it's Hard?: Pick a fight->Draw a penalty->Score a goal? It's no secret that the Jets are struggling to maintain composure as of late and by taking advantage of their hot heads, the Blackhawks can gain the advantage in this game. This Jets crew has been through some very interesting things in the past few days and are essentially trying to deal with an ongoing media circus. Throwing them off their game may be easier than it ever has before.
Get rid of Dan Carcillo: Seriously, Blackhawks. I know that this isn't necessarily a key to the game tonight, but I offer this as a general life goal.
Player to Boo Mercilessly
Prediction
I don't even know anymore. Jets lose? Win?
No, no. I'll go with Jets lose.
Final score: 3-1
