Winnipeg Jets vs Ottawa Senators

Hockey Day in Canada started with the Jets taking on the new regime Montreal Canadiens, as Claude Julien made his return behind the Habs’ bench. However, the Jets came to spoil the party, and spoil they did, as a shorthanded breakaway goal by Joel Armia, some shifty stickwork by Dustin Byfuglien, and a empty netter by Patrik Laine sealed the win for the Jets, 3-1. This win not only gave the Jets a much needed 2 points towards their run for a wildcard spot, it gave the team a much needed confidence boost. Connor Hellebuyck was solid in net, as he seemed to channel his counterpart in Carey Price for a good portion of the night, while the defensive pairing of Josh Morrissey and Jacob Trouba has Jets’ fans hopeful that the team can become an opposing team nightmare.

NHL.com

Today’s opponent is the Ottawa Senators, who are coming off a 6-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. Mark Stone was a force to be reckoned with in this game, as he gave the Senators one goal and four assists as he helped his team protect a play off spot.

In today’s game, Stone is hoping not to re-live a Buff-style crushing...

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Who: Winnipeg Jets (27-29-5) vs Ottawa Senators (31-19-6)

When: 4:00 pm CST

How: TSN3, TSN5, TVAS, TSN1290, TSN 1200

Projected Lineups:

Winnipeg Jets:

Nikolaj Ehlers - Bryan Little - Blake Wheeler

Mathieau Perreault - Mark Scheifele - Patrik Laine

Shawn Matthias - Adam Lowry - Joel Armia

Brandon Tanev - Nic Petan - Chris Thorburn

Ben Chariot - Dustin Byfuglien

Josh Morrissey - Jacob Trouba

Mark Stuart - Paul Postma

Connor Hellebuyck

Micheal Hutchinson

Ottawa Senators:

Ryan Dzingel - Derick Brassard - Mark Stone

Mike Hoffman - Kyle Turris - Zack Smith

Tom Pyatt - Jean Gabriel Pageau - Bobby Ryan

Tommy Wingels - Chris Kelly - Chris Neil

Marc Methot - Erik Karlsson

Dion Phaneuf - Cody Ceci

Mark Borowiecki - Chris Wideman

Craig Anderson

Mike Condon

For more info on today’s Jets opponent, please visit Silversevensens.com

3 Questions:

1. As the team continues it’s playoff hunt, the following question will persist...can Hellebuyck continue to play up to the level of confidence the team, the coaching staff, and the management of the Winnipeg Jets have in Pavelec? Ondrej Pavelec is with the team during this road trip, and is breathing down Connor Hellebuyck’s neck! But, Hellebuyck has been playing very well over the past few games, so maybe the team will finally cut him some slack.
2. Can the Winnipeg Jets maintain it’s disciplined play and not allow the other team to secure a valuable power play opportunity? The Jets gave up 4 power play opportunities to the Canadiens, but were able to kill all of them off.
3. Can the Winnipeg Jets become a consistent defensively minded team? Hellebuyck only faced 20 shots against the Canadiens, and the defense tandem of Morrissey and Trouba looks to be a standard going forward.

Player to Watch:

Winnipeg Jets: Nikolaj Ehlers - 7 games without a point. The last point Ehlers scored was an assist on a Bryan Little goal against Dallas on Feb. 2nd.

Ottawa Senators: Curtis Lazar (if he’s inserted in the game day roster). Lazar has had a severe drop off in his production this season, and has found himself a healthy scratch because of it.

Prediction: Jets 2-1

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