Winnipeg Jets vs San Jose Sharks

The Winnipeg Jets are on a roll. A shutout victory against the Blues on Friday night, followed by a near shutout of the Avalanche on Saturday night, gave the team 4 much needed points, and a boatload of confidence going forward. However as of this morning, they are still 3 points back of the last wild card spot, currently being held by the Blues, with 2 games in hand. The Jets only play the Blues (and the Kings) once more this season, and it’s critical that they can keep pace so when the time strikes, they’ll be able to capture the remaining post season spot. In the game against the Avs, the Jets put up 6 goals and really captured the full team spirit. They’ll need to use that newly found full line up contribution aspect as they take on the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks are coming off a 3-1 loss against the Minnesota Wild last night.

NHL.com

Who: Winnipeg Jets (30-30-6 for 66 pts) vs San Jose Sharks (38-19-7 for 83 pts)

When: 7:00 pm CST

How: TSN3, TSN1290, CSN-CA, KFOX

Projected Lineups:

Winnipeg Jets:

Ehlers - Scheifele - Laine

Perreault - Little- Wheeler

Matthias - Lowry - Armia

Dano - Copp - Thorburn

Enstrom - Byfuglien

Morrissey - Trouba

Chariot - Postma

Hellebuyck

Hutchinson

San Jose Sharks:

Lablanc - Thornton - Pavelski

Marleau - Couture - Boedker

Sorensen - Hertl - Ward

Haley - Tierney - Karlsson

Martin - Burns

Vlasic - Braun

Dillon - Schlemko

Jones

Dell

3 Questions:

1. With Hellebuyck’s near shutout against the Avs, does this solidify his position as #1? I certainly hope so, as he was obviously rock solid the night before too against the Blues, stopping 29 shots for the shutout.
2. Can the Winnipeg Jets manage to stay out of the penalty box? The stick penalty gremlin crept back into the light in the game against the Avalanche on Saturday night, as the Jets were on the hook for 4 tripping and/or slashing penalties.
3. Will the second period continue to prove to be the Achilles’ heel of the team, or can the they find a way to push through? The second period is literally the “hump” of the game, and if they can get over the hump, more games will come through as winners.

Players to watch:

Winnipeg Jets: Big, Bad, Brawny Buff The Bruiser

San Jose Sharks: Big, Bad, Brawny Burns The Bushy

Prediction: Jets 3-2

Moneypuck.com