The Winnipeg Jets (9-4-0) will continue their road trip with a visit to the San Jose Sharks (5-6-3) on Friday night (9 pm Central start). The trip didn’t start off great as the True North offense dried up, allowing the Los Angeles Kings to shut out our club for the second time this year. Interestingly enough, the Sharks will be coming in off a big 6-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken, the other NHL team that has blanked the Jets this season.
Winnipeg’s leading scorers are hardly surprising this season, where 1st liners Mark Scheifele (20 pts), Kyle Connor (17), & Gabriel Vilardi (13) are leading the charge, along with star defenseman Josh Morrissey (11). Of course, the Jets are also getting superb goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck (.921%) & Eric Comrie (.929%).
Youth has been the key offensively for San Jose in 2025-26, with 2024 1st overall pick Macklin Celebrini (21 pts), 2023 4th overall selection Will Smith (13), and the player drafted 7th overall in 2021, William Eklund (11), the top three scorers for the Sharks. A couple of veteran skaters are also contributing, as defenseman Dmitri Orlov (10) has been excellent in his first year in a teal jersey and winger Tyler Toffoli (9) continues to find success on the west coast.
Here is how ESPN has the team & goaltender comparison numbers for tonight’s late night game (9:00 pm Central start):
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The “morning” skate doesn’t get underway until 1 pm Central, so I don’t have any real insight into coach Scott Arniel’s plans for tonight. Illegal Curve also didn’t mention the lines used at yesterday’s practice, so no clues there either. Sounds like Luke Schenn was supposed to play versus the Kings, but was a late scratch. Does that mean Colin Miller will remain in the line up for a 2nd straight contest? Will Nikita Chibrikov break into the starting unit
So lets see how PuckPedia is predicting the lines for both teams:
WINNIPEG JETS LINE UP
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SAN JOSE SHARKS LINE UP
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The Jets are still missing 4 starters for the game….3 forwards & 1 defenseman: Dylan Samberg, Cole Perfetti, Gustav Nyquist, & Morgan Barron. While the Sharks are without the 2nd overall pick of the 2025 Entry Draft, Michael Misa, and long-time veteran Logan Couture, who hasn’t suited up in the NHL since the 2023-24 season.
Well, that is about all the pre-game rambling I can manage at this time. I hope to come back in the afternoon to update any news the morning skate gives, so check back for updates. Think I will take advantage of the sunny, yet cold weather here in the Peg and take my cat Lambo for a walk. Have a great day everyone!
Go Winnipeg!!!!!
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POST-GAME INFO
Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)
FINAL SCORE: San Jose Sharks 2 Winnipeg 1
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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)
Expected Goals (all): SJ 3.71 WPG 3.53
Expected Goals (5on5): SJ 2.84 WPG 1.34
Yet another game where the Jets’ top forward line is the only one with more expected goals than their opposition. The lack of puck control by Winnipeg is beginning to become concerning.
Not really sure what was happening on the defensive side last night…..was Arniel trying out new pairing combinations all game? Seven different duos with over 2 minutes of ice time versus the Sharks.
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I am still a bit grumpy this morning after watching both the Winnipeg Jets & Manitoba Moose lose on Friday night….so I will keep this brief. The True Northers did have some scoring chances last night, especially early in the match, but their sniping abilities faltered on a couple glorious chances. They let a hungry & young squad hang around until the Sharks eventually took control of things in the 2nd period. After that, it was pretty much up to Connor Hellebuyck to try and keep the Jets in the contest by making a couple top-notch saves. By eventually, when Neal Pionk finally gained possession of the puck after a long San Jose offensive shift…the defender just flipped the puck into the corner instead of actually sending it towards a teammate or attempt to clear the zone. Unsurprisingly, the tired Winnipeg skaters lost the race to the puck and a short time later, the Sharks were able to shovel the game winner home during a scramble in front of the Jets’ net.
Through 14 games this season, I have seen very few signs the True Northers can play to the level they did last year. Here’s hoping that the returns of Dylan Samberg & Cole Perfetti can fix things…..but it is starting to look like a big ask.
