Time: 6:00 pm CST
Channel: TSN
Radio: CJOB680/Power 97
After coming up big on Broadway in their last outing, the Winnipeg Jets have headed to the Prudential Center in Newark to take on the New Jersey Devils tonight. The game will give Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller the first chance to play against their recent teammates after being acquired by Winnipeg at the trade deadline.
The hometown Devils find themselves in the 23rd spot in the NHL coming into the match, but still are only 6 points off the final wildcard spot in the East. I was not alone in predicting New Jersey to be much better than they were this season, but the failure of the GM to address the goaltending situation has led to disappointing results in 2023-24. So far, the franchise has used 5 different tenders and only one of the recent additions (Jake Allen) has put up a save percentage above .900%. Check out below how Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws, Akira Schmid, Kaapo Kahkonen, and Allen have performed with NJ (courtesy of ESPN):
The Winnipeg Jets are currently tied for 5th place in the league, only 4 pts off the leading Boston Bruins. They also remain deadlocked in a three-way tie with the Colorado Avalanche & Dallas Stars for the top spot in the Central Division. When it comes to goalies, the Winnipeg Jets have had one of the league’s best tandems with both Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit putting up career numbers. Word on the street is that Brossoit will be in the crease this evening and he is coming in hot…..with back-to-back shutouts being part of a streak of 5 straight wins. Check out how the Peg’s goaltenders have done this year on the image below from ESPN:
The New Jersey Devils (33-32-4) have gone 2-4 since being both buyers & sellers at the trade deadline and 3-7 in their last 10 matches, which has not really helped them catch up to the struggling Detroit Red Wings for the final playoff spot. The Devils home arena hasn’t been particularly kind to them this season, with a record a smidge below .500 (16-17-2). Despite that, Winnipeg will have to be concerned with a bunch of Jersey players on Thursday evening, since guys like Jesper Bratt (67 pts), Jack Hughes (65 pts), and Nice Hischier (52 pts) are all potent in the offensive zone.
The Winnipeg Jets (44-19-5) are coming in on a three game winning streak and have only allowed 7 goals against over their past 5 contests. The Jets have been a good road team (21-10-3) and also have done well against the Eastern Conference (19-5-4) in 2023-24. Mark Scheifele had a hattrick in New York on Tuesday and leads Winnipeg with 62 points on the season, with Josh Morrissey (57 pts), Nikolaj Ehlers (49 pts), and Kyle Connor (48 pts) also frequently chipping in. The Jets’ key in-season acquisitions have also performed for the franchise, as Tyler Toffoli has scored 4 goals and 2 assists in his first 5 games and Sean Monahan has amassed 15 points in 20 contests in a Winnipeg uniform.
Let’s take a look at how the two franchises match up statistically:
The two squads seem to be fairly close in most categories, other than the obvious difference in goals allowed. I expect New Jersey to put up a good fight in their home barn and that powerplay conversion rate suggests Winnipeg should do their best to stay out of the box. The Jets are pretty good at that, sitting in a tie for 4th with the Toronto Maple Leafs (188) for least PP opportunities against (St. Louis Blues – 180, Vegas Golden Knights – 181, and Seattle Kraken – 186).
Tune in tonight during the game to share your thoughts and cheer along with your fellow AIHers. Can Winnipeg re-take (technically since the Jets own the 1st tie-breaker, they are currently in 1st place) the division lead with another win and extend their streak to 4?? I certainly hope so.
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