Preview: NY Islanders @ Winnipeg Jets
With only three days left in the NHL’s regular season schedule before the 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off, our Winnipeg Jets are preparing for their final match before the break. At this point in time, only Connor Hellebuyck (US), Josh Morrissey (CAN), and Kyle Connor (US) will be missing out on some rest & relaxation, although there is still a chance Mark Scheifele gets tapped as an injury replacement for Team Canada. Tonight’s opposition, the New York Islanders, only have pending UFA Brock Nelson joining the tournament on Team USA, although Mathew Barzal & Noah Dobson came close to making the Canadian squad.
The Canada Life Centre in Manitoba will be rocking tonight when two of the league’s hottest teams square off, with the Jets (11-2-1) and Islanders (11-3-0) playing extremely well right now. The True North franchise will have a chance to match their longest winning streak of the season with a victory tonight, so hopefully we will see a motivated squad when the puck drops at 7 pm.
The Jets currently hold on to the 2nd best record in the NHL and are looking to continue winning games to lock up the top spot in the Central Division, while the Isles are just outside of the wildcard picture in the 20th position. The Long Islanders have used their recent hot streak to pull within sniffing distance of the final wildcard spot in the East (4 pts out with a game in hand), which has split the fanbase between those that want New York to sneak in and those that want them to tank for a better draft pick in the upcoming draft.
As it is prior to the team’s pre-game skate, we will have to go with PuckPedia’s predictions for the starting lineups:
The Winnipeg Jets will remain without key defensive forwards in captain Adam Lowry and key penalty killer Morgan Barron, but are otherwise relatively healthy. The New York Islanders can’t say the same thing, as they are missing a boatload of players: Noah Dobson, Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, Semyon Varlamov, & Mike Rielly.
A huge part of the Islanders’ current hot streak has been the play of goaltender Ilya Sorokin. While the Russian’s 2.59 GAA on the season is good, the goalie has been playing better than that over his past 7 starts. All of those ended up with a NY win, as well as the East Coasters limiting the opposition to 2 goals or less.
Of course the Jets can call on their own star goalie since Connor Hellebuyck is in the middle of what could end up as his best NHL season to date. A 2.04 GAA and a .925 save percentage represent the best numbers Bucky has ever put up in hockey’s best league. And that is saying something for a guy who already has two Vezina’s on the shelf of his display case. Hellebuyck hasn’t been the only Winnipeg skater to find success this season, as the Jets’ top two forwards are having a year at this point. Mark Scheifele’s 31 goals has him sitting in 3rd place in the NHL and his 61 points puts him in a deadlock for 13th in league scoring. Kyle Connor is also right up there, with his 30 goals (5th in NHL) and 67 points (tied for 6th) putting him on pace for another great campaign.
Time to check out our Match Up graphic comparing the two franchises’ stats to date and ESPN’s look at the men in the crease:
Alright….we have all the numbers we need to divine whether our Winnipeg Jets can keep up their winning ways when they clash with the New York Islanders this evening. So lets hear your thoughts, predictions, and concerns about the upcoming game in the Comment section. Have a great day!!
Go Winnipeg!!!!!!...
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