The Winnipeg Jets ended their long home stand in a disappointing manner on Saturday when they dropped the contest to the visiting Calgary Flames. Despite controlling the puck for long stretches and getting ample opportunities to score goals, the Jets were only able to beat Dustin Wolf once in yet another example of the strange “Comrie Effect“. After beginning the season by supporting the backup with 17 goals in his first 3 starts, Winnipeg’s skaters have only scored a total of 12 in Eric Comrie’s last 8 starts. Some people questioned whether the tender should have stopped one of the two pucks that got by him and while that might be the case, neither goal was a bad one (1st was deflected by a Jets’ defenseman and the 2nd came after a cross-seam pass on the PP). Comrie did end up with a .905 save percentage in the game, keeping him in the NHL’s top 30 for goalies with at least 7 appearances, so he clearly isn’t the problem. For whatever reason…..Winnipeg either fails to show up or just can’t beat the opposing goalie whenever Connor Hellebuyck takes the night off. That isn’t a great trend to see if you are one of those fans who think Bucky needs to play less.
Speaking of Hellebuyck, if you want to read an interesting article on how the goalie & his teammates interact during practices, check out TSN’s article below:
Moving on to the Winnipeg Jets’ (31-13-3) upcoming Monday night match against the Utah Hockey Club (19-19-7), which will be aired on TSN3 at 8:30 pm Central. The True Northers have a bunch of question marks going into the road game, with the possibility that forwards Vladislav Namestnikov & Mason Appleton will be returning from injuries. Coach Scott Arniel also has plenty of defensive depth to choose from, with Ville Heinola & Haydn Fleury raring to get back on the ice. The pre-game skate will likely provide some clues, but that won’t happen until 12:30 pm Central. I will provide an update in the Comment section when I know more.
The Utah HC has had a nightmare season when it comes to injuries, with key defensemen like John Marino & Sean Durzi missing significant time. Fortunately for the NHL’s newest franchise, Marino is back in the lineup but the recovery room is still crowded with important players like Mikhail Sergachev & Dylan Guenther expected to miss the game versus the Jets. Here is how PuckPedia is currently projecting the coaches to line up their players tonight:


I am very interested to see what Winnipeg’s coaching staff does if Vladdy & Apples are ready to return. The newly formed 2nd line consisting of Nikolaj Ehlers & Alex Iafallo on the the wing of Adam Lowry has impressed my eye test in their short time together (43.3 mins) and the advanced stats agree with that:
71.8% expected goals, 66.7% of actual goals, 64% of shot attempts, & 70.4% of unblocked shot attempts
When you add that the 3rd line of Cole Perfetti, Rasmus Kupari, & Nino Niederreiter have also done well (57.1% of expected goals & 100% of actual goals in 51.2 mins), you really have to wonder if Arniel & company will limit any roster changes to the 4th line for the time being.
The Jets’ offensive stars to date include Kyle Connor (60 pts), Mark Scheifele (53), Gabriel Vilardi (41), Josh Morrissey (40), & Nikolaj Ehlers (38). It appears that Utah will be without two of their top 5 scorers (Guenther/Sergachev) for tonight’s clash, so they will rely more on Clayton Keller (48 pts), Logan Cooley (41), and Nick Schmaltz (35).
Okay, moving on to a look at how the two franchise’s stats to date compare head-to-head and ESPN’s review of the potential starters in net:


Monday’s match up in the Mormon State will pit the NHL’s 2nd best squad (WPG) and the 25th (UTH), but it is the home team that is coming in on a 1 game winning streak. Utah picked up a victory over the St. Louis Blues in their most recent contest, something that hasn’t happened all that often lately (3-8-2 in past 13 gms). While Winnipeg didn’t dominate their long homestand, the franchise has a 8-3-2 record in their last 13 matches so they haven’t hit their typical “winter skid” yet.
While Comrie might have a hard time believing this, the Jets are still leading the league in goal scoring with 165 red lights on the season….a massive 38 more than Utah has managed (tied for 26th). Winnipeg remains strong defensively as well with the 2nd least goals against (113), while the Hockey Club sits with the 14th least (137).
The Winnipeg Jets shut out the Utah HC 3-0 at the Canada Life Centre in early November, so this contest will represent their second meeting of the season. While over 2 months have passed since the clubs last clashed, they won’t have to wait very long to finish the season series with their third match occurring this Friday (Jan 24th).
Well, that is all I can come up with and my growling stomach is not-so-subtly advising me it is time to make some lunch. Lets hear your thoughts on how Arniel should line up his troops tonight? Targets Kevin Cheveldayoff should keep in mind for the approaching trade deadline? Predictions on the outcome of tonight’s game? Favourite game time snack food or beverage? Whatever it is…let me hear it in the Comments section. Have a great day!
Go Winnipeg!!!!