The 22-19-8 Winnipeg Jets are in town today for a matinee game against the 29-13-6 Calgary Flames.
Riding a nine game winning streak in which the Flames have outscored the opposition 38-14, the Jets will be fully aware of the quality of competition they will be facing this afternoon. While the Flames’ 2.35 GAA puts them first in the league in regards to that defensive statistic, their GAA over these nine games has been much lower— 1.55. Suffice it to say that today will be a challenge for the visiting team.
As for the Jets, it’s been complicated. Jekyl and Hyde complicated.
Of late, they’ve beaten the 31-13-3 Minnesota Wild decisively twice with 2-0 and 6-3 as the scores. They handily beat Nashville and St. Louis by 5-2 and 4-1 scores respectively. Then there’s nights where they drop the ball against much lesser teams. 1-3 against the Blackhawks, 1-3 against the Flyers, 2-4 against the Oilers.
The X-factor for the Jets has been quite clearly the play of two forwards on the first line. Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. For example, their most recent game they posted a combined minus six along with one assist against the Oilers. A week earlier, the two combined for only one goal in a 1-3 loss to the Hawks.
In their wins? Eight combined points in a 6-3 win against the Wild. Another eight combined against the Predators. It’s clear that if the Flames can shut those two down, their chances of winning the game become much higher.
Luckily for the home team, they have the best two-way line in hockey.
It’s not even close.
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman Lucic-Monahan-Toffoli Dube-Ruzicka-Lewis
Hanifin-Andersson Kylington-Tanev Zadorov-Gudbranson
Markstrom
Enjoy the game,
Trevor Neufeld
Line stats courtesy of moneypuck.com.