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Jets and Panthers Preview |
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The Winnipeg Jets are looking to come back from Tuesday’s frustrating loss tomorrow in Florida. The contest against the Avalanche was not all bad; though the score didn’t reflect it, there were positive takeaways from the match. The newly put together combination of Connor, Scheifele and Laine has a lot of potential to produce if they continue to play together. Collectively, the Jets had more expected goals than the Avalanche did. This means that though the score was ugly, there were still good things happening. That being said, there were a lot of red flags. What effect could this have on tonight’s game?
In 18 games, the Florida Panthers’ top line has a combined 64 points. Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov are both on six-game point streaks and don’t look like they’re going to be slowing down. One of the most consistent problems the Jets have faced this season is their defensive struggle, so shutting down what is considered to be one of the top offensive lines in the league could be problematic. The questionable (sometimes labelled ‘lazy’) play of Kulikov and Sbisa paired with the inconsistency of Poolman and Beaulieu has forced the Jets’ goaltender, whether Hellebuyck or Brossoit is between the pipes, to make more saves and bail out his team more times than the club would like. Neal Pionk and Josh Morrissey, who most consider to be the two strongest defenders on the team, haven’t shown their sharpest play, either. These are the top six guys iced by this team; when the puck drops against the 6-2-2 (in their last ten matches) Panthers, this core may struggle to defend.
This isn’t to say, however, that the Florida Panthers have been playing their best hockey. One of the biggest issues they’ve been having trouble with is the performance of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. In 15 games played, Bobrovsky has a startling 3.52 GAA and 0.881 SV%. After an exciting playoff run with the underdog team Columbus put together, some believed that he deserved a pay raise. The Florida Panthers granted him just that, agreeing to terms on a 7 year, $70,000,000 deal. 15 games into this massive deal, Bobrovsky has been, in light terms, disappointing. Comparing his play to that of Hellebuyck, who is making $6,167,000 AAV compared to Bobrovsky’s $10,000,000 AAV, might make some Panthers fans hang their heads.
Directly comparing these two clubs in different areas suggests that they each have their strengths and weaknesses. As highlighted above, the Jets lack defensively and have potential for greatness offensively, while the Panthers have strong offensive numbers but are struggling in the crease. There are also numbers to consider. At 5 on 5, the Jets average 1.68 ‘goals for’ per game and 2.14 ‘goals against’ while the Panthers average 2.07 GF and 2.04 GA, which is one of the best ratios in the league. However, when comparing PIM drawn (Jets: 6.22, Panthers: 6.89) and PIM taken (Jets: 3.95 and Panthers: 6.44), Winnipeg has the upper hand. Both teams bring different strengths to the table in the first of only two matchups this season. Tune in tomorrow at 6:00pm CT to watch it live.
By Alyssa Houde
Blogger • 
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