Winnipeg Jets (1-3-0) will be looking to set fire to their early-season three-game losing streak as they welcome the Calgary Flames (3-3-0) for a Sunday evening battle. After torching the Arizona Coyotes for six goals in the opening game of the year, the Jets have seen their goal-scoring abilities go up in smoke as they’ve tallied just once in the last three games.
Some Thoughts
Winnipeg Jets
- ‘Fire’-ing Blanks: The Jets offence has gone AWOL since their outburst in Glendale, as only Bryan Little has lit the lamp in the past 8 days. Amongst the players looking to break the goose-egg on their own personal scoresheet are Andrew Ladd, Mark Scheifele, Michael Frolik and Mathieu Perreault. This goal drought has led to the following line changes up front:
- No Sunburnt Neck Here: The play of Ondrej Pavelec has been one of the very few pleasant surprises for the Jets early this season, as his 2.22 GAA and 0.919 sv% have left his critics (myself included) in check so far.
- Burn Notice: There were a smattering of boos that serenaded the Jets as the final seconds ticked off of their home-opening loss to Nashville the other night. Unfortunately, that was likely just a preview for what could be a louder and regular occurrence if the home team continues to not produce in front of their fans.
#NHLJets late line rushes: Ladd-Little-Byfuglien, Perreault-Scheifele-Wheeler, Galiardi-Lowry-Frolik, Thorburn-Slater-Peluso
— Ken Wiebe (@WiebeSunSports) October 19, 2014
Calgary Flames
- Trail Blazers: The Flames have been a nice story to start the season, as they are an even 3-3-0 on the year. But what’s even nicer for them is the fact that they’re 3-2-0 on their current six-game road trip and will be looking to cap it off with another victory before heading home.
- Burning Bright: Calgary is being led by one of the most underrated defensive pairings in the league in Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie, as they are tied with each other for the team lead in points with six. They also lead the team in ice-time at over 24 minutes per game apiece.
- The Kids Are Hot Tonight: Calgary is currently in the middle of their youth movement, and the early returns look extremely promising. With a top-6 tonight projected to include Johnny Gaudreau (21) and Sean Monahan (20), plus Sam Bennett (18) who is currently on the LTIR, the kids are not only playing but are playing in big roles.
#Flames lines at Winnipeg: Colborne-Monahan-Hudler Gaudreau-Backlund-Raymond Glencross-Stajan-Setoguchi Bollig-Bouma-Byron
— Kristen Odland (@KristenOdlandCH) October 19, 2014
Player to boo Mercilessly
Devin Setoguchi. For conning Kevin Cheveldayoff into thinking he was worth a 2nd-round pick and the $3 million he "earned" last year.
Prediction
The Flames are playing a stingy brand of hockey and the Jets are struggling to score. Expect a low-scoring affair. Jets win 2-1 in a shootout.
