Time: 6:00 PM
Channel: CBC, SN360
Radio: TSN1290
Enemy Blog: Pension Plan Puppets
The Winnipeg Jets are coming off of a demoralizing victory (how is that possible) against the Detroit Red Wings are now facing off against one of the leagues top offences before jetting off to the land of reindeer and saunas aka Finland. But this is Saturday in Canada so we get to watch everyone’s favourite racist uncle on television just to watch our favourite team play.
Anyways, the Jets have not looked like themselves lately. It is not that they do not have a second line centre; early returns on Bryan Little have looked good thank you very much. The defence has been a modge-podge of not good and the forwards have looked out of sync. While I am all for switching up the lines, running on a constant blender is a bad idea. One thing that Paul Maurice could is have the forwards work in partners and shift the third player around as he sees fit. Whatever they end up settling on, they need to find something that works soon.
As for the defence, it is also a mess. Coverage is being blown frequently and no pairing is safe. What are the Jets to do? They could start with simply playing a sixty minute game instead of showing up for the last twenty. If that does not work, it might be time to get radical and…call up Sami Niku. There is no way that Niku would right the ship, but sometimes simply being able to place players into roles that they are best suited for than anything else.
The Jets should be facing Frederick Andersen with the Leafs. They still do not have any William Nylander, who is in a contract stalemate with the Leafs. The Jets should be starting Connor Hellebuyck as Laurent Brossoit started last night. Other than that, there have been no indications that the Jets will make any changes to their lineup.
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