| Broadcast Schedule |
|---|
| Time: 7:00 P.M. CDT |
| TV: TSN3, FS-N+ |
| Radio: TSN1290, KFAN 100.3 |
The Winnipeg Jets wrap up the pre-Christmas break section of the schedule on a three game road trip this week, with things getting underway tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.
These two teams met in the Jets’ home opener this year, with the Jets prevailing 2-1. At that time, I thought that Los Angeles had a good shot at making the playoffs, with players like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty and the NHL return of Ilya Kovalchuk.
Oops, not so much.
The Kings have clunked along to a league worst record of 11-20-3. A big part of this is a complete lack of attack: the Kings are last in goals for per game at 2.18 (Los Angeles has scored two or fewer goals 22 times this season). Their penalty kill has also been atrocious, stopping just 74% of opponents’ chances. Anze Kopitar leads the team in scoring with 21 points, after 34 games.
The Kings have been royally bad.
The Jets, however, are humming along. Sporting the best record in the West, the team has five wins in a row, and nine in their last 10, with the sole outlier being a performance in which they got goalied against Jake Allen and the St. Louis Blues.
Mark Scheifele is playing lights out, and was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week for his 11 points in four games, and has 14 in his last five.
The Jets have also seen other players step up their game in the past five games, with Dustin Byfuglien (nine points), Blake Wheeler (eight points), Patrik Laine and Tylers Myers (six points each) standing out.
These teams will meet again once more this season, once again in California on March 18th.
| Winnipeg Jets | Stats | San Jose Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| 1-0-0 | Series | 0-1-0 |
| 14-9-1 | Record | 13-11-1 |
| 29 | Points | 27 |
| 3rd Central | Division | 4th Pacific |
| 5th West | Conference | 8th West |
| 4-1-0 | Last 5 | 4-1-0 |
| 68 | Goals For | 73 |
| 73 | Goals Against | 83 |
| Regular Season | ||
| Nikolaj Ehlers (11) | Goals | Evander Kane (12) |
| Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele (14) | Assists | Logan Couture (20) |
| Scheifele (22) | Points | Couture (25) |
| Connor Hellebuyck (11) | Wins | Martin Jones (10) |
| Hellebuyck (2.42) | Goals Against Average | Jones (3.18) |
| Hellebuyck (.928) | Save Percentage | Aaron Dell (.897) |
| 15.5 (24th) | Power Play % | 19.5 (14th) |
| 72.2 (29th) | Penalty Kill % | 91.4 (1st) |
Enemy Territory
Los Angeles Kings Coverage: Jewels From The Crown
A brief look at numbers, the #LAKings, and the intense pain of statistics. Plus: Cal Petersen breaks down his shootout win against Chicago, and assorted notes from around the league. https://t.co/cSeaZsS6nA
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) December 17, 2018
Last Jets Game:
Winnipeg Jets 5-4 (OT) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Best in the West beat the Best in the East in an absolutely glorious game. Nikolaj Ehlers scored a pair and Mark Scheifele scored the overtime winner.
Last Kings Game:
Los Angeles Kings 3-4 (OT) Pittsburgh Penguins
The Kings’ last game also went to overtime, but things did not go as well for them. After the Kings came back from a 3-1 deficit to force the extra frame, Phil Kessel scored the OT winner on the power play.
Players to watch:
Winnipeg Jets
Dustin Byfuglien is quietly having a great season. He has 25 points in 22 games, despite only scoring three times with a career low 3.8% shooting accuracy. He has 14 assists with the extra man, and you can find him patrolling the blue line when the Jets have the extra man. Despite being on the Jets’ second pairing, his 24:31 of average ice time leads all Winnipeg skaters. Byfuglien will turn 34 before season’s end, but he doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Los Angeles Kings
Speaking of guys who will turn 34 before the end of the year, it’s hard to believe that just two years ago Jeff Carter scored 32 goals. Carter missed a ton of time last year after suffering a cut tendon in his ankle in October 2017. He finished the year with 22 points in 27 games, but this year he’s disappeared offensively. His six goals on 92 shots is not helping things for a Kings team that struggles to score. Can he turn it around, or is this all that’s left of a once prominent scorer?
