Now with 6 games left in the regular season, the Winnipeg Jets are in report card/ team assessment mode. This is thanks in large part to missing the playoffs and injuries to their main roster. The Jets entered Sunday’s contest missing a few key pieces, namely Dustin Byfuglien and Patrik Laine (Flu). With that said, the team played well infront of Micheal Hutchnson and won the contest against the Vancouver Canucks 2-1. Vancouver is also in “next season” mode, and have made a step ahead in the Jets in that regard with the signing and playing of Brock Boeser.
Today’s game (with the Rock the Rock promotion, which I could easily get behind) is a make-up game from a few weeks ago, as the Jets take on the New Jersey Devils. You may recall that this game was postponed a few weeks ago due to “Snowmageddon” along the eastern seashore. The Devils are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars.
For those interested, here’s a great article by Patti Dawn Swansson as it relates to snake oil salesmen, teeth gnashing and navel gazing, and how it all relates to the current state of the Winnipeg Jets. Enjoy!
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Who: Winnipeg Jets (34-35-7 for 75 pts) vs New Jersey Devils (27-35-13 for 67 pts)
When: 6:00 pm CST
How: TSN3, TSN 1290, MSG+, TOJN
Projected Lineups:
Winnipeg Jets:
Ehlers – Scheifele – Wheeler
Perreault – Little- Laine
Copp – Lowry – Armia
Tanev – Petan – Thorburn
Melchiori – Byfuglien
Morrissey – Trouba
Stuart – Nogier
Hellebuyck
Hutchinson
*Enstrom (UBI), Myers (LBI), Pavelec (LBI), Postma (LBI), Matthias (UBI), Chariot (UBI).
New Jersey Devils:
Hall – Zajac – Palmieri
Henrique -Blandisi – Bennett
Quennville – Zacha – Noesen
Wood – Coleman – Pietila
Greene – Lovejoy
Merrill – Santini
Moore – Severson
Schneider
Kincaid
Keys to the game:
Winnipeg Jets: Good start, good middle, good ending.
New Jersey Devils: See Winnipeg Jets’ keys to the game.
3 Questions:
- Has Hellebuyck finally solidified the #1 goaltender position? Yes, sorta. We haven’t seen him for a few games as Hutchinson has been getting the starts due to good play.
- Can the Winnipeg Jets manage to stay out of the penalty box? The only way this will happen is if penalties are not called and the rule book is thrown out the window.
- What more can the Jets do? Take the time to assess what they have going forward. Only then can you plan for the future.
Players to watch:
Winnipeg Jets: Petan, Petan, the Anchorman
New Jersey Devils: Hall. The leader of the team in a losing season.
Participants worthy of your rejection and unclean wordplay: Schneider. Once the darling of the Manitoba Moose is now the enemy. (but still great in my books!)
Prediction: Jets 3-2
