The Winnipeg Jets play lately has mirrored the erratic weather the city has been having recently. Less than 10 days ago, the Peg was basking in the glory of +3 degrees Celsius temperatures and now we are mired in a deep freeze with the thermometer reading -30 degrees Celsius. That’s quite a swing.
The weather in Winnipeg is as inconsistent as the Jets’ efforts, as we just saw them look like a PeeWee squad full of stone-handed children against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets (4-1 L) only for them to follow that up with an explosion of offense against the Boston Bruins (8-1 W). Polar opposite performances, no doubt.
Rookie Nikita Chibrikov quickly worked his way into the hearts of Winnipeg Jets’ fans, as he picked up an assist & a goal to get his NHL totals up to 3 points in 2 career contests. The 21 yr old Russian has a good mix of offensive talents and grit, which should allow him to play up and down the lineup if he can come to terms with the defensive expectations in the NHL. Another big part of the offensive output last game was the play of the Jets’ top line, as Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, & Gabriel Vilardi had a combined 11 shots, 4 goals, & 4 assists in the beat down of the Bruins.
Based on today’s morning skate, Winnipeg’s coaching staff will only be swapping speedy Rasmus Kupari in for David Gustafsson, who is currently in concussion protocol. Here is how PuckPedia is predicting Vegas and Winnipeg to line up their players tonight:
The Winnipeg Jets (21-9-0) are still missing key pieces in defenseman Dylan Samberg & forward Nikolaj Ehlers (who has resumed skating), so they could likely be considered underdogs against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights (18-7-3) this Thursday evening. The Knights recently got star forward Mark Stone back from injury, so they are currently able to field something close to the best squad when the puck drops at the Canada Life Centre.
Vegas last played on December 6th, so they will be well rested and coming in on a 3 game winning streak. Jack Eichel has been superb this season (39 pts in 28 gms), but the Knights are also getting consistent contributions from Ivan Barbashev (28 in 28), Mark Stone (22 in 14), Shea Theodore (22 in 27), & Tomas Hertl (21 in 28).
Winnipeg is also icing some high scoring players, with Kyle Connor (36 pts in 30 gms) and Mark Scheifele (34 in 30) leading the way. Other key Jets include Josh Morrissey (27 in 30), Nikolaj Ehlers (25 in 24), Neal Pionk (24 in 30), & Gabriel Vilardi (22 in 30).
Below is how the teams compare based on this season’s performances and ESPN’s look at the potential starting goaltenders:
The above stats show two squads that have played very well to start the season, with not much separating the two Western Conference franchises. Winnipeg has a slight edge in net (when do they not with Connor Hellebuyck in between the pipes), but Vegas’ tenders have put up decent numbers in 2024-25 so far.
The Jets dropped the first meeting of the season in a hard fought 4-3 loss to the Knights in Vegas, so Winnipeg will be looking to even the series tonight at the CLC. Since the Golden Knights entered the NHL, they have amassed a 10-8 regular season record against the Jets (8-2 in the playoffs), so this is a team that consistently causes the True Northers difficulty.
Will our squad get another win tonight? Can the Jets’ #1 line continue to put pucks in the net with apparent ease? Will Cole Perfetti & Vladislav Namestnikov find success in back-to-back contests with rookie Nikita Chibrikov’s energetic play?
Lets hear your predictions and thoughts in the comment section. Enjoy your day & stay warm!!
Go Winnipeg!!!!
