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Preview: Minnesota Wild @ Winnipeg Jets

Oct 13, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets assistant coach Davis Payne discusses strategy against the Minnesota Wild at the end of the third period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets have returned to Manitoba after a disappointing effort in California saw them drop a game to the lowly Anaheim Ducks. Despite back up goalie’s Eric Comrie excellent performance in the match, the True Northers were brought down by a defensive zone giveaway very late in the game.

As a result of the loss, Winnipeg now has a record of 23-10-1 on the year and next up on the schedule is their division rivals, the Minnesota Wild (20-9-4). The Saturday night clash (6 pm Central) involves the top two franchises in the Central Division, who are both currently sitting in the top 5 of the entire National Hockey League. You would think that would mean both teams are playing really great hockey right now….but that is not the case.

The Wild have dropped their last 3 contests, including a 2-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club last night. Minnesota has failed to score 3 goals in four of their last five games, resulting in a 1-4-0 record in that span. The Jets have had better results in their past five (3-1-1), but the on-ice performances have left a lot to be desired in a few of those contests.

With the news that Winnipeg will be missing Logan Stanley for the next couple of games, that means Ville Heinola will get another chance to impress the coaching staff. Otherwise, I don’t expect any other changes besides the return of Connor Hellebuyck to the crease. The one unknown factor is that David Gustafsson is now out of concussion protocol and could potentially draw back into the lineup.

Minnesota is dealing with a lot more injury woes….with players like Joel Eriksson-Ek, Yakov Trenin, Jakub Lauko, & Jacob Middleton banged up. Here is how PuckPedia was predicting the starting rosters this morning:

Sniper Kyle Connor has been leading the way for the Winnipeg Jets this year, with a team leading 19 goals and 42 points as he continues to be on pace for his first 100 point season. Other key offensive contributors are Mark Scheifele (38 pts), Josh Morrissey (30), Gabriel Vilardi (28), Nikolaj Ehlers (26), Neal Pionk (24), Cole Perfetti (20), & Adam Lowry (20).

The Minnesota Wild have a superstar of their own, with Kirill Kaprizov lighting up the league with 49 pts in 32 games. The offense hasn’t come as easily for the rest of the team, with only young Matt Boldy (30 pts) and Marco Rossi (27) surpassing the 20 point mark.

Below is how the two squads look head-to-head based on this season’s stats, along with ESPN’s review of the potential goaltenders:

The Wild are coming in without the #1 goaltender being available (Filip Gustavsson), a slew of other injuries, and on the second half of a back-to-back situation….so all signs point to the Jets being in a good spot to steal 2 points from their divisional rival. But since you never really know what Winnipeg squad will show up for each game, I guess that we will have to tune in this evening to see how it all plays out. If you are wondering how the teams have done head-to-head this year, the Jets picked up a 2-1 OT win over the Wild early in the season (in WPG) and then added a 4-1 victory in late November (in MIN).

I apologize for the late posting of the Preview article, but hopefully there is still plenty of time for AIH members to get in their prognostications for tonight’s battle. While there are plenty of Jets in the Preview photo, my main intent of the BOJA Boost was on assistant coach Davis Payne…..so I am gambling on the powerplay playing a key role today.

Enjoy the weekend!!

Go Winnipeg!!!

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