Just like the game against the Blackhawks on November 29th the visitors came back and made things interesting as the game wore on. Winnipeg took a 3-0 lead in the first and 4-0 in the second before the Blackhawks crawled back into the game to make it 4-3.
We know what happened after but that, meaning lackadaisical play, cannot happen against the Oilers tonight at Bell MTS Place.
The Oilers under new coach Ken Hitchcock are starting to find an identity that works for them have managed to creep back into the playoff picture. Hitchcock has instilled some discipline to play and is doing what he does best- using his tactical structure to grind teams down to win games 1-0 or 2-1, unless of course you are the Avalanche who managed to drop 4 on the Oilers in their last game.
Now consider that the Oilers can grind you down and then lull you into frustration and then drop McDavid doing McDavid things in a flash. It's like falling into a warm snuggle in bed and having a bucket of cold water thrown on you. The difference is that can only work some of the time if a team prepares for what Hitchcock does and can match firepower. The Jets, like that Avalanche, can do that but they can't be careless when up, if they go up.
The Jets have the highest goal differential in the West, have scored the third most goals and have allowed the second least. The Oilers, well they are in transition having a negative goal differential of -3 and are in the middle of the pack for goals scored and allowed.
If you want to consider some other numbers and metrics in this matchup then it looks like this:
PDO- Winnipeg 20th at .998 Edmonton 21st at .998
What separates the two teams is the Oilers have a better 5vs5 save % while the Jets are shooting better.
xG rolling average- the Jets sit at -0.192 the Oilers are -0.33
The Jets have been underwater for most of the season here and are currently having a low uptick while the Oilers have been humming along quite nicely at even.
Corsi Diff rolling average- Jets are at 2.62 the Oilers at .78
The Oilers have been better of late and while the Jets have mainly been above water with some very good spikes.
When it comes to shot rates for the two teams seem to be going in different directions
The same can almost be said for shot rate against.
The point here is that while the Jets seem to find ways to win in spite of themselves (qualifier being they seem to be getting better lately) the Oilers are definitely better compared to when the two teams met in October a 5-4 Oilers OT win.
The Oilers are at that point where they have to string together some wins and keep their play and results consistent to make most believe they are playoff calibre. The Jets seem to be doing that already and are finding ways to win despite some problems either due to injury, tactics or more. Needless to say for the Oilers their last ten game record of 7-2-1 has some lumps in it given their changing dynamics and tonight the home team should be prepared for an opponent who is looking to prove something.
That's a cliche idea but it speaks to motivation, confidence, and desire as a team fights to change the image it has earned, deservedly or not. The Jets have to be prepared and not allow the Oilers to stay in the game or take it over.
I've tweeted this out but probably should put it in here too- Tyler Myers has been playing well. It is a coincidence that Kulikov has come back and helped him find balance? One thing that helps Myers is getting involved offensively and he's done that for two games straight with 2 goal and 2 assists. He's read plays and found options to make things happen without hurting his team and hopefully this becomes a trend.
Kyle Connor is making new fans every game and one has to ponder what his ceiling is. Sure he was hot last game but he has shown a consistent determination in his play with positioning and attack that makes him a threat when he's on the ice. Connor moves around too depending on certain criteria only Paul Maurice seems to know as he will switch with Ehlers. It's an interesting situation because the simple shuffling of those two can help both lines depending on the opposition. Tonight when choosing his match up with McDavid it will be curious to see how Maurice uses Connor and Ehlers.
The forward group is probably the least concerning part for Maurice when it comes to the game as it was Trouba who was burned by McDavid two times in the last meeting. The Jets really don not have anyone who can move like him on defense, but which team does, so how the Jets defense plays will also be intriguing.
Despite the Oilers woes this game has a ton of interest simply because of McDavid but also for the fact that it marks the start of a fairly significant run for the Jets as they head out to Chicago before facing Tampa and then a road trip out west.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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