Time: 7:00 PM CST
Channel: TSN3
Radio: CJOB680
The Winnipeg Jets are playing the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are still a very good team, but according to the good people at Raw Charge, their For Hockey Fans site, the team is missing that little bit of magic that had them win back to back Stanley Cups and go to the Finals three years in a row. If you watched them lose in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs last spring, you would know what I mean. There is just something that is missing from a very good team.
The Jets are coming off of two big wins against the Minnesota Wild where they were full marks for both wins. They will want to keep the momentum going tonight against the Lightning. They will hopefully get to play a style that is not as much rise and grind, but then again, the Jets have started scoring goals from more than their top six. This is a good thing unto itself.
The Lighting are currently in the second Wild Card spot, but they have no games in hand on any team ahead of them and share the lead for the most games played in the Eastern Conference. Things could get interesting for them as we move into the second half of the season. They are in this spot with the top scorer in the NHL, Nikita Kucherov is leading the league by three points, but they are still not there. There is something missing. Steven Stamkos is not top ten goal scorer this year. Is this the year the Lightning are not seen as contenders for real?
The Jets will naturally be in tough because when you have the league’s leading scorer, you have to be on your toes and ready for anything. But they are not playing the Lightning of yesteryear and that favours them.
