Columbus is currently in a bit of a slump of its own. They have dropped their last five games (0-4-1) but are still in the wild-card race in the Eastern Conference, as they remain tied in points (88) with Ottawa, Detroit, and Philadelphia, while Ottawa currently holds WC2.
The Jets pretty much need to win out the rest of their games to have a shot at making the playoffs. Winnipeg and St. Louis are three points out with 76 points, while L.A., Nashville, and San Jose all have 79. The Sharks currently sit in WC2 with a game in hand on all of the teams in the race, that’s how tight it is.
Most notably tonight, Nashville takes on San Jose, making it a must-win game for Winnipeg because no matter what happens, if the Jets lose in regulation or extra time, they’ll lose ground. L.A. also faces Toronto, while Seattle, who sits one point behind Winnipeg, takes on Chicago.
Winnipeg and Columbus haven’t met in a while, as the two clubs last faced off back at Canada Life Centre on Nov. 18, which ended in a 5-2 Jets win. Tonight is the final meeting of the season.
Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo
Perfetti – Lowry – Vilardi
Koepke – Toews – Lambert
Rosen – Barron – Ford
Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Pionk
Fleury – Bryson
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Up next:
Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. CT on SNW.