Time: 6:00 pm CST
Channel: Sportsnet & CityTV
Radio: CJOB680/Power 97
The Winnipeg Jets enter tonight’s contest on a 5 game losing streak, the second drought of that length in the NHL’s 2023-24 season. Their opponents this evening have been doing the opposite, with the Ottawa Senators winning their last 4 games over Chicago, Buffalo, Edmonton, & New Jersey.
The fans at the Canada Life Centre will be hoping a battle between the 8th place Jets and the 26th place Senators will help Winnipeg avoid a season-long losing skid. With a massive 26 point difference between the two Canadian franchises and the Senators not playing for anything other than pride, this game could be rated the most “winnable” of the Jets’ remaining schedule.
Our squad did receive some good news after a spirited match versus the Vegas Golden Knights, as Gabriel Vilardi will return to the lineup and will be playing on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. The coaching staff also seem to have determined that it is not important to get goaltender Laurent Brossoit the required minimum games (25) to qualify for the Jennings Trophy, as starter Connor Hellebucyk will be dressing for his 500th NHL game. If you are wondering, Brossoit needs another 5 starts to possibly get his name on the NHL award, though Winnipeg is currently trailing the Florida Panthers (2.44 to 2.47 GAA) so the Jets might not finish as the league’s best after 82 regular season games regardless. Oddly, if you happen to look at the NHLs’ top 10 teams, you might notice that the only squads with a losing record over the past 10 games are the two franchises fighting for the league’s lowest goals against (Panthers 3-6-1 and Jets 4-5-1). Here is the full projected line up for the home team:
The Ottawa Senators have plenty of players who can put up points (Tim Stutzle – 68 pts, Brady Tkachuk – 63 pts, Claude Giroux – 60 pts, and Drake Batherson – 57 pts), however when it comes to stopping goals against the Sens have difficulties (6th most GAs with 251). None of Ottawa’s masked men have had even average seasons since none have a save percentage above .900%. Here is who the Senators’ coaches have to choose from:
Let’s take a peek at how the two franchises match up statistically ahead of tonight’s clash:
Well, this preview is well-past due, so might as well wrap it up. I am hoping that Winnipeg plays with the intensity they had against the Knights and our squad should walk away with 2 points when the horn goes. Feel free to share your own predictions of who will win or which Winnipeg Jet will be the team’s best tonight.
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