The Winnipeg Jets are going to be in for a tough game tonight as they battle a Calgary Flames squad that has won their past eight games.
The Flames come into Winnipeg with points in their past 10 games, including those eight straight wins. The Jets will need to watch out for Johnny Gaudreau, who has 13 points during the Flames’ winning streak. He’s already had success against the Jets in the past, racking up nine points in seven career games against them.
The Jets have scored two goals in both of their games against the Flames this season but allowed six in one game and none in the other. It’s been up and down for Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Before allowing five goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he had only allowed four in the previous three games.
Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets
MTS Centre – 6:00 p.m. CST
Broadcast channels – SN
2016-17 Season Series:
Dec. 9 – Winnipeg (2) at Calgary (6)
Jan. 9 – Calgary (0) at Winnipeg (2)
Winnipeg Jets: 30-32-6 – 66 Points
Home Record: 16-17-1
Hot Players: Patrik Laine
Key Injuries: Tyler Myers, Ondrej Pavelec, Ben Chiarot
Projected Lines:
Forwards
Nikolaj Ehlers – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Mathieu Perreault – Bryan Little – Patrik Laine
Andrew Copp – Adam Lowry – Joel Armia
Shawn Matthias – Nic Petan – Marko Dano
Defense
Josh Morrissey – Jacob Trouba
Mark Stuart – Dustin Byfuglien
Julian Melchiori – Paul Postma
Starting Goaltender
Connor Hellebuyck (expected)
[irp]
Calgary Flames: 37-26-4 – 78 Points
Away Record: 18-12-4
Hot Players: Johnny Gaudreau
Key Injuries: Ladislav Smid, Curtis Lazar, Michael Stone
Projected Lines:
Forwards
Matthew Tkachuk – Mikael Backlund – Michael Frolik
Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Micheal Ferland
Kris Versteeg – Sam Bennett – Troy Brouwer
Lance Bouma – Matt Stajan – Alex Chiasson
Defense
Mark Giordano – Dougie Hamilton
T.J. Brodie – Deryk Engelland
Matt Bartkowski – Dennis Wideman
Starting Goaltender
Brian Elliott (expected)
Game Notes
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]1)[/miptheme_dropcap] The Flames have pulled themselves into a great playoff position, sitting in the first wild card spot and just one point behind the Edmonton Oilers. With points in 10 straight games, and wins in eight straight, the Flames now have a 94% chance of making the playoffs, up from well below 50% in mid-February.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]2)[/miptheme_dropcap] The Jets haven’t had much luck against the Pacific Division this season. They are 5-10-1 and are 0-6-0 against the three teams holding a divisional playoff spot: the San José Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and the Anaheim Ducks. This finishes off a six-game home stand for the Jets.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]3)[/miptheme_dropcap] The Flames have been rolling, but injuries may start to take their toll. Their newest acquisition, Curtis Lazar, is injured, along with Ladislav Smid and Michael Stone. The top two lines have been great, so they should still be okay.
Injuries are hitting the Jets just as hard. They are missing three of their top six defencemen, which is hitting them hard for depth. Julian Melchiori has been called up and will be in the lineup.
Catch the game tonight at 6:00 PM local time, and comment below with your predictions for the final score.