Time: 7:00 PM CST
Channel: TSN3
Radio: CJOB
The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames are playing again. The Flames are not the team they were last year and they are not the team they were when the Jets played them earlier in the year. They have started to find their footing again and look closer to being a good team. Of course they are not the same team as they were last year after losing Johnny Gaudreau to free agency and Matthew Tkachuk to a trade request.
The Jets are looking like they are about to get back multiple injured players within the next few games. They have held on and won some games thanks to very good goaltending and they will be back to trying to do everything in their power to once again hold off a team that does not have a million injuries to contend with.
The Jets have been holding on partially thanks to their defence not being terrible. They have been getting fine games from both Dylan Samberg and Ville Heinola. Heinola seems to be embracing the fact that this is his best chance to stay in the NHL and show himself to be someone who should be an everyday player. This is good news for the Jets because he has been turning in strong performances for the past few games. Of course with me saying this the news will come out that he is scratched this game or something because I am lucky like that.
As for the Flames, they are being led by Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, and Nazem Kadri with the first two being on Calgary’s top line. This combo should not be surprising as Lindholm has been strong for them for a while, Toffoli has consistently been a scorer, and Kadri developed into an excellent player back in Toronto. The Jets will need to match the Flames production which honestly seems like an easier task than some of the ones they have been presented with recently. However, the Flames are three centres deep with the excellent Mikael Backlund centring the third line. One cannot say it will be easy.
Nothing has been said about who is starting for either team, but expect Jacob Markstrom and Connor Hellebuyck to get the call. It’s just too big of a game to not have your starters playing.
