The Winnipeg Jets started the final stretch of the NHL’s 2025-26 campaign with a victory and they will need to pile up a lot more of those if they hope to qualify for the playoffs. The win over Vancouver did allow our team to close the gap to the final wildcard spot from 11 pts to 9 pts, so the True Northers took a good first step if they want to book a spot in the post-season.
The next obstacle in Winnipeg’s path is the Anaheim Ducks, who they will square off against in another late night West Coast match tonight. The SoCal franchise is looking to end a 7 season playoff drought and they are placed well currently, holding onto the 6th spot in the Western Conference and challenging the Edmonton Oilers for the 2nd spot in the Pacific Division (down by 1 pt w/ 3 games in hand).
The Jets (23-26-8) have amassed 54 points on the season, good for a tie for 27th in the NHL with the Calgary Flames. Winnipeg have played adequately in the defense/goaltending areas with 177 Goals Against (tied for 13th), but have struggled to score goals with only 163 Goals For (25th).
The Ducks’ (31-23-3) years of high draft picks is beginning to pay off, especially on the offensive side where their 191 Goals For puts them in a tie for 14th in the NHL. As is often the case with young teams, defense can be an issue and Anaheim is no exception, with their 200 Goals Against putting them near the bottom of the league (27th).
Winnipeg is currently trailing Anaheim by 11 points in the standings and they will be facing a hot team when the puck drops at the Honda Center (9 pm Central). The Ducks have a 3 game winning streak on the line and have gone 8-2-0 over the past 10 matches, while the Jets have a 1 game winning streak and a 4-4-2 record over the last 10 contests.
Here is how the two clubs’ year-to-date stats compare, via ESPN‘s team & goaltender comparison numbers:
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The pre-skates aren’t until the early afternoon, so we won’t know much about the official line ups until then. Although, it is expected that Connor Hellebuyck will return to the crease for his first post-Olympic start in Anaheim. The Ducks’ starter should be Lukas Dostal and both tenders are having similar seasons, with Bucky sitting in 21st for Goals Saved Above Expected (+6.6) compared to Dostal’s 28th rating (+2.3).
Both clubs are dealing with injuries, as Anaheim could be without a couple key forwards in Frank Vatrano & Mikael Granlund and Winnipeg should be missing Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Nino Niederreiter, Colin Miller, & Haydn Fleury.
For now here are the line up projections via PuckPedia, which are based on the clubs’ most recent games, so there is a good chance they could be incorrect:
WINNIPEG JETS LINE UP
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ANAHEIM DUCKS LINE UP
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Tonight’s game should be a lot more challenging than the Jets win over the Canucks, so Hellebuyck will need to still be in the zone to give his team a chance. The True North skaters will also need to do a better job finish on the scoring chances they created.
Both Winnipeg & Anaheim have their weaknesses though (Ducks defense/Jets offense) so the outcome will likely be decided by whoever takes the most advantage of them. How do you see things playing out?
Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!
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POST-GAME INFO
Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
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BOJA’S Post-Game Thoughts:
Since it is Friday night I will most likely be up late enough to update the article with the post-game information sometime around midnight….but not making any promises.
Busy at work still so didn’t have a chance to add in the Lottery Draft simulation this article, but I should get back to that feature in the next preview. Have a good day and see you back here to chat about the game.