After a season long 4 game losing streak in late November/early December, the Winnipeg Jets have righted the ship by going 4-1-1 in their last 6 contests. Most recently, a hard working Montreal Canadiens team tested the Jets’ resolve but ultimately Habs’ penalties ended up providing the path for Winnipeg to gain the upper hand.
The True North franchise is coming off two days of rest, something that hasn’t occurred frequently for the Peggers this season. In fact, this is only the 3rd such break the Jets have received…and that includes their week long holiday just a week into the 2024-25 NHL campaign. So that allowed the players to rest up and heal those bumps & bruises, while also allowing head coach Scott Arniel to get some practice time in with his squad.
GM Kevin Cheveldayoff also got a bit of business done today by signing recent draft pick Kevin He to his entry level deal. The 4th round pick has exploded offensively this season as he has 43 pts in 29 games in 24-25 after amassing just 53 pts in 64 games last year. His gritty, high energy style of play could fill a much needed role with the Jets in the future…so best of luck to Kevin as he continues his path to the NHL.
After starting off the year with 9 straight losses (including a 8-3 loss to the Jets), the San Jose Sharks have been playing much better hockey lately. Not that it has resulted in a huge amount of wins coming their way, as the Sharks have a 5-5-0 record over their last 10 games. More recently, San Jose has gone 1-4-0 but for the majority of those losses the Sharks were within a goal of tying the game up (3 out of 4).
Here is how PuckPedia is predicting the coaches to line up their players for this late night clash in California:


The Winnipeg Jets are coming in with a 22-9-1 record, which is good enough to place them atop the NHL standings (though some of the teams right behind them have games in hand). No changes to the Jets’ lineup is expected, with both Nikolaj Ehlers & David Gustafsson still considered day-to-day. The good news is that Fly has shed the non-contact jersey and may make his return as early as tomorrow in Anaheim. Unfortunately, Winnipeg’s best defensive defenseman Dylan Samberg will take longer to get back into the lineup, with the current timeline putting his potential return in January.
I haven’t seen an official starter named for the Jets, but with back-to-back games on the schedule both Connor Hellebuyck (.926%) and Eric Comrie (.901%) will get into action in California. Yesterday’s practice suggests Bucky will be in the crease. Winnipeg’s top point getters this year have been Kyle Connor (38 pts), Mark Scheifele (34), Josh Morrissey (30), Nikolaj Ehlers (25), Gabriel Vilardi (24), & Neal Pionk (24).
The San Jose Sharks (11-17-5) are at the opposite end of the spectrum, holding onto the NHL’s 6th worst record. On paper this could be a problematic match for the Sharks, as they have allowed the 2nd most goals against this year while the Jets have scored the most. The home team is also dealing with injuries, as Logan Couture, Klim Kostin, & Marc-Edouard Vlasic are on the shelf.
San Jose is getting some good offensive production from pending UFA Mikael Granlund (32 pts), 22 yr old William Eklund (25), Fabian Zetterlund (22), Jake Walman (22), former Jet Tyler Toffoli (20), and 18 yr old Macklin Celebrini (20). Their goaltending on the other hand hasn’t been very impressive and I doubt their recent acquisition of Alexandar Georgiev (.873%) will help fix that issue.
Here is how the team’s compare head-to-head based on this season’s stats, plus ESPN’s look at the masked men:


As you can see, the Winnipeg Jets should have a huge advantage in the crease over the San Jose Sharks, while also holding a huge advantage in goals scored/allowed. Now that you have all the information to make an informed prediction, lets hear them in the comment section!!
Will Nikita Chibrikov explode with a multi-point game after being shut off the scoresheet for the first time in his NHL career? Perhaps the Adam Lowry line will crash the crease to pop in another timely goal? Maybe Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, & Gabriel Vilardi will be key players at even strength and on the powerplay?
It’s going to be a late one, folks…..so try to sneak in a cat nap (whether you are working today or not 😉 ) sometime today in order to stay awake to watch another Jets’ victory tonight…
Go Winnipeg!!!!!