Up until now, the Jets have stubbornly remained in the wildcard fight, routinely picking up at least one point (only outright lost 4 of their past 16 contests). Despite Winnipeg often adding points to their year total, they actually have only managed to move from the 5th worst record to the 7th. However, since there are 5 teams with 2 or less points ahead of them in the standings….our hockey team could significant diminish the value of their upcoming 1st round draft pick over the remainder of the schedule.
Yet Tuesday begins a tough stretch for the Winnipeg Jets, as they will have four games against clubs that have historically caused the True Northers problems…..the Colorado Avalanche, the Dallas Stars, and today’s opposition, the Vegas Golden Knights. With only the easier Chicago Blackhawks in the next 5 contests, there is a possibility that the Jets could walk away with only 2-3 out of 10 potential points and stall their slow crawl up the standings.
Lets take a look at Game 1 of that stretch…..
VEG Golden Knights @ WPG Jets
Start Time: 7 pm Central – Canada Life Centre
Winnipeg (29-29-12) is tied for 26th place in the NHL with 70 points on the season, scoring 199 Goals For (tied for 24th) and allowing 219 Goals Against (tied for 19th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 31 goals, 52 assists, and 83 points (been stuck there for a couple games now). Kyle Connor is tied for the goal scoring lead as well, while Gabriel Vilardi is 4 back with 27 goals.
Vegas (32-25-14) has the 18th best record in the league with 78 points, scoring 224 Goals For (14th) and allowing 221 Goals Against (21st). Pavel Dorofeyev has the most goals for the Knights this year (34), Mitch Marner has the most assists (51), while Jack Eichel leads the club in points (74).
Here is how the two clubs’ year-to-date stats compare when you look at the head-to-head data, via ESPN‘s team & goaltender comparison numbers:
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The biggest differences between Winnipeg & Vegas this year have mainly come in three categories: Goals scored, Power Play success rate, and Penalty Killing abilities….where the Knights hold key advantages.
The Jets stand 5 points back of the Nashville Predators for the Western Conference’s final wildcard spot, while the Golden Knights sit in 2nd in the Pacific Division….yet if the Edmonton Oilers (1 pt back) and Los Angeles Kings (5 pts back) finish the season better, they could find themselves outside of the playoff picture.
Here are the line up projections for both clubs via PuckPedia based on the most recent games:
WINNIPEG JETS LINE UP
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VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS LINE UP
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Word on the street indicates that both Vladislav Namestnikov & Nino Niederreiter were on the ice today skating…but since they were sporting non-contact jerseys, the two veterans’ return isn’t imminent. So expect the same line up as the Jets’ most recent game….with the likelihood the Connor Hellebuyck returns to the crease. That might be good for the “tankers” among us, as back up goalie Eric Comrie has won his last 6 starts.
I quickly looked at Winnipeg & Vegas ‘ advanced stats on MoneyPuck and noticed that while both have similar Actual Goal % rates at 5 on 5 (VEG 49% WPG 48.39%), it is the visitors who are more adept at creating scoring chances (VEG 53.66% WPG 48.16%).
So while the Golden Knights have only scored the 18th most goals at even strength, they “should” have scored the 5th most. The Jets, on the other hand, hold the 20th best Actual Goals % which is actually better than expected (24th).
That is all I got this morning……
Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!
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POST-GAME INFO
Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)
Expected Goals (all):
Expected Goals (5on5):
Will update the post-game stats by Wednesday morning……have a good day!!