Time: 6:00 PM CST
Channel: TSN3
Radio: CJOB680
What ever happened to Hometown Hockey? Was it another casualty of the COVID shutdowns or was it simply Rogers making cuts to save money on hockey? Either way, there is no more Hometown Hockey and instead we get to enjoy this game on TSN (no shade). The Winnipeg Jets are playing one of the pleasant surprises in the NHL this year with the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes are currently fifth in the Wild Card, but were higher up earlier in the season.
The Jets have been on fire lately and their record shows that. They are currently first in the NHL, tied with the New Yorks Rangers in points, but ahead on wins. The Jets have been full marks for their play, finding lines that work better than most of what they have tried for years. One of the biggest revelations has been how good first line Nikolaj Ehlers is. Ehlers has been the Jets best player for a while now, but most of that comes from him finally getting the minutes to show what he can do on the ice.
Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes with 31 points in 37 games including 13 goals. He is their biggest threat, but he also isn’t alone in being a threat. There is Matias Maccelli, Lawson Crouse and a few others who can score. While the Coyotes don’t have the same weapons as Winnipeg, they are no longer a team that cannot score.
I believe this game is the last one of the Jets Mentors Trip. Calling it a Mentors Trip instead of a Dad’s Trip is more inclusive for players who cannot have their dads join them for whatever reason. In previous years, the Jets have also done a Mom’s Trip and it will be interesting to see if they do this still with the rebranding of the dad’s trip. The Jets have given their mentors a real show and after taking some time to play golf with them yesterday, hopefully they can give them one more great game tonight.
