Moving on to look at the Western Conference’s wildcard race before action gets underway on Monday. The Winnipeg Jets are currently 3 points behind the Nashville Predators & Los Angeles Kings, who are tied for the 8th and final spot. The San Jose Sharks are only 2 points back of those clubs and 1 up on the Jets, while the St. Louis Blues have the same record as the True Northers but have an advantage in regulation wins (1st tie breaker).

Even with only 4 NHL games on the slate today, there are some that True North fans will want to keep their eyes on. Besides the Jets game versus the Seattle Kraken, there are a pair of late contests that could play a part in the wildcard/draft rankings standings. The Sharks will have a chance to tie the Predators & Kings for 8th with a win over the Chicago Blackhawks (8 pts back of WPG) when the game gets underway in San Jose. Then, in a vital game, the Preds & Kings will square off in California….which means that one of them will improve to 83 points on the season, making Winnipeg need a win tonight just to keep the gap to the wildcard at 3 points.

Time is running out with only 5 more games after Monday’s clash (@ STL, PHI, @ VEG, @ UTH, & SJ)….speaking of that, it is time to dive into the match preview.

WPG Jets @ SEA Kraken

Start Time: 6:30 pm Central – Canada Life Centre

Winnipeg (33-31-12) is in 25th place in the NHL with 78 points on the season, scoring 215 Goals For (25th) and allowing 232 Goals Against (10th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 60 assists and 94 points. Kyle Connor is the goal scoring leader with 36 goals, while Gabriel Vilardi is 6 back with a career high 28 goals. Gabe has also set a career high for points in a season and will be looking to add to his 62 points tonight.

Seattle (32-32-11) is tied for the 28th best record in the league with 75 points, scoring 210 Goals For (27th) and allowing 237 Goals Against (14th). Jordan Eberle leads the Kraken with 52 points, while also having the most goals with 24. Chandler Stephenson is the club’s leading assist getter with 30 helpers so far this season.

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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Checking the figures over at MoneyPuck for team play at 5 on 5, neither franchise is having a great season as both clubs find themselves in the bottom half of the NHL. Winnipeg has the advantage in Expected Goals (47.91% to 46.07%) as the teams sit in 23rd & 29th in the league, but it is Seattle that has actually been slightly better at putting actual goals on the scoreboard (49.82% to 49%). The Actual Goal numbers place the Kraken in 17th and the Jets in 19th for that category.

The numbers also suggest that the Jets & Kraken play a similar game. Both clubs are in the top half of the NHL defensively, but have performed poorly enough to finish in the bottom 10 offensively. Seattle has to rely more on their depth to create chances on opposing tenders, as they are without a true star player at this point. Possibly someone like Matty Beniers turns into one, but as of now Winnipeg’s 4th best scorer would be tied for the Kraken scoring lead….Josh Morrissey at 52 pts. That gives the Jets an advantage in elite snipers, with Mark Scheifele (94 pts), Kyle Connor (87), and Gabriel Vilardi (62) all performing at a higher level than any Seattle skater.

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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SEATTLE KRAKEN LINE UP

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Some line up changes for the True Northers, as it appears that Vladislav Namestnikov and Nino Niederreiter are ready to return from injury. Both forwards have been missing from the starting line up for quite a while, with Nino getting banged up in the Olympics and having missed 20 games since then and Vladdy playing 2 games post-Olympics before being on the sidelines for 18 contests.

Then, while Morgan Barron avoided missing much time due to his recent concussion, it now appears that he sustained a lower body injury in the win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. As a result, he will be one of the forwards going out to make room for the returning veterans, while Manitoba Moose call up Parker Ford is the other one who drew the short straw. Sounds like Connor Hellebuyck will get another start for Winnipeg as he continues to try to avoid finishing with a sub-.900 save percentage for the first time of his career.

Seattle seems to be relatively healthy, with only Shane Wright listed as day-to-day, so that doesn’t explain their 2-6-2 record in the past 10 contests. The Kraken were firmly in a playoff spot when the NHL regular season paused for the Olympics, but they have completely collapsed since the 3 week break, going a pathetic 5-12-2. That means they picked up a measly 12 out of 38 available points since February 5th, falling from the NHL’s 14th best record to the 28th.

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Winnipeg Jets 6 Seattle Kraken 2

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  WPG 3.76 SEA 2.51

Expected Goals (5on5): WPG 2.46 SEA 2.46

Winnipeg ended up breaking even at 5 on 5 last night, scoring 2 goals while allowing 2 against. For the forwards, it was the Scheifele line and a one shift unit of Lambert-Lowry-Niederreiter that scored for the Jets, while the normal Lowry line & a one shift unit of Koepke-Namestnikov-Lambert allowed Seattle to score.

In terms of expected goals, the True Northers had one top six line and one bottom six unit that were above 50% (Scheifele & Toews’ lines).

Two out of three defensive duos won the xG battle, with only the top pairing of Morrissey–DeMelo on the wrong side of the numbers. It was a rough one for those two, as they were on the ice for both goals against versus the Kraken, while the Samberg–Pionk pairing ended up playing a part in both of the Jets’ even strength goals.

Despite posting a .917 save % and a positive GSAE rating, Hellebuyck is still stuck at .898 save % for the entire year. Not sure if the 4 likely remaining starts will be enough for him to get above the .900 mark.

With the decisive win over the Seattle Kraken, the Winnipeg Jets moved into the 23rd spot in the National Hockey League and temporarily pulled with 1 point of the Western Conference’s final wildcard spot. But the late games altered that situation, as the San Jose Sharks win over the Chicago Blackhawks allowed them to pass the True Northers, dropping our club to the 24th spot. Then, the Los Angeles Kings & Nashville Predators ended up needing extra time, with the Californians pulling ahead in the wildcard race to re-take the 3 point lead on Winnipeg.

So, with 5 games remaining on the 2025-26 regular season schedule, the Jets find themselves with the 9th best odds in the upcoming Lottery Draft and a magic number of 4 in the wildcard race. That means any Winnipeg loss or Los Angeles victory will reduce that figure and if it gets to zero, then the Jets will be officially eliminated from post-season contention.

Our hockey team is off until Thursday night, when they will visit the St. Louis Blues for the 4th and final time of the year. With a 2-1-0 record facing our Central Division rivals, the clubs can split the series by winning their home games if the Blues come out victorious on April 9th. But before then, the Blues will play their game in hand tomorrow night versus the Colorado Avalanche and could use that to tie Winnipeg in points, thus dropping our squad down to the 25th spot in the standings.

I am not sure that any of the other franchises near the bottom have much chance of overtaking the Jets…so we will need some lottery luck if the True Northers are to get a top 5 draft pick this summer.

Enjoy your week everyone!!

Winnipeg has just 13 days remaining in their regular season schedule, with road games versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, & Utah Mammoth (2 playoff teams, 2 fighting for a spot) and home contests against the Seattle Kraken, Philadelphia Flyers, & San Jose Sharks (3 teams in the wildcard hunt).

And that brings us to Saturday evening’s game for the True Northers……

WPG Jets @ CLM Blue Jackets

Start Time: 6:00 pm Central – Nationwide Arena

Amazingly with 12 points separating them in the standings, both the Blue Jackets and Jets are in the fight for a playoff berth. Such is the state of the Eastern & Western Conferences in 2025-26. Columbus is in a 4-way tie for the East’s last wildcard spot, but have 6 less regulation wins than the Ottawa Senators, who are currently holding the playoff ticket. They also have less reg. wins than the Detroit Red Wings, but do have an edge on the Philadelphia Flyers. Finally, the Wings & Sens have the advantage of having an extra game in hand.

Winnipeg (32-31-12) is in 27th place in the NHL with 76 points on the season, scoring 213 Goals For (25th) and allowing 231 Goals Against (tied for 14th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 34 goals, 58 assists, and 92 points. Kyle Connor is tied for the goal scoring lead too, while Gabriel Vilardi is 6 back with 28 goals.

Columbus (38-26-12) is tied for the 11th best record in the league with 88 points, scoring 240 Goals For (16th) and allowing 236 Goals Against (tied for 18th). Zach Werenski leads the Jackets with 78 points, while also having the most assists with 57. Kirill Marchenko is the club’s leading goal scorer with 26 red lights lit so far this season.

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 numbers above agree with MoneyPuck’s stats in indicating that Columbus have been the better franchise this season. When you look at 5 on 5 play over the entire season, the Blue Jackets have been very good with a 51.56% Expected Goals percentage (9th in NHL) and their Actual Goal rate is almost as good at 52.7% (11th). They have improved since Rick Bowness took over too, as those figures have gone up to 53.3% xG’s and 55.34% aG’s (both good for 8th in the NHL).

That doesn’t compare favourably to Winnipeg, whose 47.96% Expected Goals percentage (24th) and 48.82% Actual Goal rate (19th) are quite a bit lower. Oddly, things have improved and worsened over the past 20 contests, as the Jets have earned the 14th best xG’s (50.17%) but only scored at the 25th best aG’s rate (43.84%).

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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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS LINE UP

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Sounds like the pre-game skate confirmed that rookie Elias Salomonsson is injured from the hit he took in the Dallas game, so Jacob Byrson will be coming in on the 3rd pairing with Haydn Fleury. Another Connor Hellebuyck start as he tries to get his save percentage above .900%….but it has been going in the wrong way over his past couple starts.

That is all I have time for today…..got to do some grocery shopping before the Manitoba Moose game starts at 2 pm. Have a good Easter weekend everyone.

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Winnipeg Jets 2 Columbus Blue Jackets 1

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  CLM 2.66 WPG 1.90

Expected Goals (5on5): CLM 2.38 WPG 1.90

Was thinking of ordering some food before tonight’s Jets game and noticed this on Skip The Dishes…..

Not what I was craving….but thought it was pretty funny. Think there is a KFC commercial with Kyle Connor out too.

In a contest that the Winnipeg Jets would have been very interested in since the clubs involved are just ahead and behind them in the wildcard race, the Los Angeles Kings & St. Louis Blues ended up going to overtime on Wednesday night before Trevor Moore won it for the Californian squad. That victory allowed LA to leapfrog the Nashville Predators to take the West’s 8th spot, sitting a full 2 points up on our Jets with equal games played. The league’s other two games yesterday also saw teams near the bottom of the standings pick up points, as the Vancouver Canucks won an 8-6 shoot out over the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks launched a late 3rd period charge to steal a win from the Anaheim Ducks. As a result, both the Kings & Sharks moved in front of Winnipeg, dropping our team to the 25th best record with 8 games to play.

The Jets continue to straddle the fence between a playoff spot and a bottom 5 finish, as the hockey team is an equal 2 points from each of those scenarios. Here is how the bottom of the NHL standings appear before action gets underway on Thursday (courtesy of ESPN):

With 14 big league games on tap tonight, the constant shuffle for positioning will likely be very active. Interestingly, even though Winnipeg is only 2 pts back of a playoff spot….they will not be able to move into a tie for 8th in the West even with a win over the Stars tonight. How can that be? Well, it is due to the Kings & Predators going head-to-head on Thursday night, which will ensure that at least one of them picks up a full 2 pts and guaranteeing that the wildcard mark will be 79 or 80 when we wake up on Friday morning.

Many other games of interest to the Jets & their fans, as the Maple Leafs & Sharks match features a pair of clubs with just a single point more than Winnipeg. San Jose is still in the West’s wildcard hunt and while they also can’t secure a playoff position tonight, they could move into a tie with Nashville if both clubs win on Thursday. Toronto will lose their 1st round pick to Boston if they don’t end up in the bottom 10, so they might not be too motivated to pick up points (though they won their last game). The Seattle Kraken are just 1 pt behind the Jets and a win over the Utah Mammoth could allow them to overtake our club. Finally, in one of the earlier games, the Florida Panthers could also surpass Winnipeg with a win over the Boston Bruins.

Well, that is how the bottom of the NHL looks heading into Thursday’s contest…..

WPG Jets @ DAL Stars

Start Time: 7:00 pm Central – American Airlines Center

Winnipeg (32-30-12) is tied for 25th place in the NHL with 76 points on the season, scoring 213 Goals For (24th) and allowing 228 Goals Against (15th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 34 goals, 58 assists, and 92 points. Kyle Connor is tied for the goal scoring lead too, while Gabriel Vilardi is 6 back with 28 goals.

Shortly after becoming the franchise’s longest serving player, Scheifele has now set a personal career high for points in 2025-26. His 92 pts to date have Winnipeg’s best center on pace for 101 points this year, which would be the first time in Jets 2.0 history that a skater reached that plateau in a regular season.

Dallas (44-19-12) is tied for the 2nd best record in the league with 100 points, scoring 255 Goals For (9th) and allowing 209 Goals Against (3rd). Jason Robertson leads the Stars with 89 points, Wyatt Johnston has the most goals with 41, and Miro Heiskanen is at the top of the assist category with 52.

With Robertson exploding offensively once again and only a full season away from reaching unrestricted free agent status, this off-season could be an interesting one for Dallas’ front office. The pending restricted free agent is likely looking for an extension in the $12M/year range, which will be difficult for the Stars to fit in with only a smidge over $14M to spend. Fortunately, they don’t have any other significant RFAs that need signing, so that will make the cap gymnastics a bit easier.

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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Most of the above stats heavily favour Dallas, such as an almost 0.5 goal more scored per game and a powerplay that fires at a 11.2% better rate than Winnipeg’s. It is interesting that the Stars are such a low shot volume team…..it makes sense defensively since they are one of the NHL’s elite in that category, but becomes harder to understand how they have managed to have a top 10 offense when they average less rubber on opposing goalies than the Jets.

Those special team numbers for Dallas are quite impressive and should be very helpful when the post-season kicks off. Despite having the 13th best Expected Goals rate at 5 on 5 this year (50.51%), the Stars are the 5th best even strength scoring team (54.45%). The xG data isn’t a great sign for playoff success, especially since both the Colorado Avalanche & Minnesota Wild are sporting better numbers. The Texans might match up better versus the Minnesotans because while their xG stats are slightly better (51.16%), the Wild only score around that same pace too (51.06%).

Neither of America’s top 2 goaltenders are having good seasons, as both Connor Hellebuyck & Jake Oettinger have sub-par save percentages in 2025-26. Too early to say who will get the starts, but both starters played on Tuesday so have had a full day of rest.

Here are the line up projections for both clubs via PuckPedia based on the most recent games (will update once I get info from pre-game skate):

WINNIPEG JETS LINE UP

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DALLAS STARS LINE UP

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Even though Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, & Colin Miller have been skating with the team, I don’t expect any of them back tonight. And Morgan Barron will certainly be out as he remains in concussion protocol.

So probably a continuation of the younger version of the Winnipeg Jets when the action gets underway. It does make me think what the coaches will do if the team does somehow work its way into a playoff spot. Will we see a return of the veteran-laden line up that led us to the NHL’s basement or the somewhat younger version that has stubbornly refused to give up on the season??

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Dallas Stars 3 Winnipeg Jets 0

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  WPG 4.86 DAL 2.60

Expected Goals (5on5): DAL 2.06 WPG 1.27

A rather uninspired performance by a Winnipeg Jets club that was within smelling distance of a playoff spot. The Dallas Stars were the better team right from the opening face off and a couple mid-1st period goals pretty much ensured they would walk away with a win.

The True Northers did create some scoring chances, but most of these occurred outside of 5 on 5 play as well as happening after the Stars began sitting back to protect their multi-goal lead. Another subpar performance by Connor Hellebuyck in net and Winnipeg were short a defenseman for most of the game as rookie Elias Salomonsson was forced to leave the game early with an injury.

After the dust settled on the NHL’s Thursday action, Winnipeg has dropped to 27th in the standings and are now 3 points back of the Western Conference’s final wildcard spot. The San Jose Sharks have now grabbed a hold of that coveted position since they have a game in hand on the two franchises they are tied with 79 points. The Nashville Predators & Los Angeles Kings game ended up requiring extra time, with the West Coasters pulling out the win and moving the clubs into a tie with SJ at 79 points.

The Seattle Kraken refused to take the chance to pass our Jets by losing to the Utah Mammoth last night, but the St. Louis Blues could tie (and surpass in the standings) Winnipeg if they could manage a win over the Anaheim Ducks. The two other teams close to the Jets are the Florida Panthers, who picked up a win last night to give them 1 more point than Winnipeg, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who also have 77 points but have played an extra game.

Here are how ESPN is showing the NHL’s bottom of the standings after Thursday’s action:

Next up for the True Northers is a visit to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. It seems the “Bowness Bump” has officially ended for Columbus, as they had worked their way into a playoff spot after hiring Rick Bowness to take over the reins mid-season…but have more recently found themselves on a 5 game losing streak (lost 5 of last 6). Currently the Jackets are tied for the East’s final wildcard spot with 88 pts, but have played an extra game than the Detroit Red Wings & Ottawa Senators.

See you all on the weekend…..

But with the weekend over, the True Northers will have to get back to work in the final stretch as they continue to hover between the Western Conference’s final wildcard spot (3 pts back) and a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft (1 to 4 pts up). How will the remaining NHL games impact the standings?? Quite a bit likely, since there is currently only an 8 point gap between the 21st and 30th place franchises. Oddly, one of those 10 teams will move majorly up in the Draft Lottery standings, as whichever club gets the West’s final playoff spot won’t be participating in that as they will end up in the top 16 (NSH, LA, SEA, SJ, WPG, STL). The rest will end up with varying odds of grabbing a top 5 overall selection in the draft…..so lots to monitor as the regular season reaches a conclusion.

Starting with tonight’s action that includes our Winnipeg Jets visiting the Chicago Blackhawks….

WPG Jets @ CHI Blackhawks

Start Time: 7:30 pm Central – United Center

Winnipeg (31-30-12) is tied for 26th place in the NHL with 74 points on the season, scoring 209 Goals For (25th) and allowing 225 Goals Against (16th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 34 goals, 55 assists, and 89 points. Kyle Connor is 1 short of the goal scoring lead, while Gabriel Vilardi is 6 back with 28 goals.

Chicago (27-34-13) has the 2nd worst record in the league with 67 points, scoring 192 Goals For (30th) and allowing 244 Goals Against (tied 25th). Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 30 goals, 38 assists, and 68 points. Tyler Bertuzzi is having another good goal scoring season, with his 6th 20 goal plus campaign & his 3rd straight. His 29th goal this season is one shy of his career high, which he set with the Detroit Red Wings back in 2021-22.

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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A rare game where the Jets have a statistical advantage on their opponents….but Winnipeg has the edge in every category except special teams. Chicago has a slightly better powerplay and the Hawks sport the NHL’s best penalty killers.

Depending on who is net tonight, the Blackhawks might also have an advantage sinceSpencer Knight has put up better numbers than the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck this year. Bucky is looking to have his worst campaign in terms of save percentage in 2025-26 as the .907% he put up in his 2nd NHL season might be too far out of reach. I’m sure he will want to get it above the .900% mark as much as he can and you have to wonder how many more starts he will get over Winnipeg’s 9 remaining games. With only 1 back-to-back situation left, Hellebuyck could get as many as 8 more starts despite Eric Comrie’s 6 game winning streak.

Here are the line up projections for both clubs via PuckPedia based on the most recent games (no news yet from 11:30 am pre-game skate):

WINNIPEG JETS LINE UP

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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS LINE UP

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Still no Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, Colin Miller, and Morgan Barron for the Jets. Coming off a Winnipeg win….I am betting the coaching staff leaves the starters alone and no alterations are made.

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Winnipeg Jets 4 Chicago Blackhawks 3 (OT)

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  WPG 2.86 CHI 2.21

Expected Goals (5on5): WPG 2.06 CHI 1.66

The Blackhawks & Jets went back & forth in last night’s game…..with Chicago controlling the 1st & 3rd periods and Winnipeg dominating the middle frame. In terms of the xG battle at 5 on 5, the True Northers took the lead 5 minutes into the 2nd period and never gave it up.

The Jets gave up 3 goals at 5 on 5, while scoring a pair of their own. The Scheifele line allowed all 3 of the Hawks’ goals to go in while they were on the ice, but they also were able to score one of their own for Winnipeg. The other goal for our club came from Zhilkin’s 4th line, who only saw 5 minutes of ice time when compared to Toews’ 11 minutes and the top 2 lines getting over 13, yet controlled the scoring chances when they were deployed. It was only the Jets’ top line that lost that battle, which might be why Lowry’s unit ended up getting more ice time.

The Jets ended up playing their top 2 pairings around 18 minutes at 5 on 5, while the Bryson–Salomonsson duo saw about 9 minutes. While all three defensive units won the expected goals battles, the 3rd pairing did give up 2 goals to Chicago. The other two main pairings each were on the ice for a Winnipeg goal and the final Hawks’ goal came during an odd shift with two righties in DeMelo & Pionk. I thought Samberg had one of his best defensive games on Tuesday, stopping a couple for sure goals by tying up his man in front of Hellebuyck.

Another negative GSAE rating for Hellebuyck and this time his save percentage was sub-par as well (.857%).

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With the overtime win, the Winnipeg Jets have found themselves tottering between two worlds. Only a single point back of the current holders of the Western Conference’s final wildcard holders….yet still only 3 points away from finishing in the bottom 5 of the National Hockey League.

The True Northers have 8 more games (5 on the road, 3 at home) left in the regular season to figure out where they will end up when the full 82 schedule has wrapped up. While I really did want to see the Jets lose these past 10 games (6-2-2), it is nice to see young kids like Brad Lambert & Isak Rosen performing well. The two rookies had the 4th & 5th most expected goals last night versus Chicago.

Winnipeg is off until Thursday, when they visit the Dallas Stars…..see you all then.

When it comes to the Winnipeg Jets (72 pts) and their place in the NHL standings, these 8 contests will be the ones to keep an eye on:

FLA (73) @ NYI – NJ (76) @ CAR – SJ (71) @ CLM – SEA (74) @ BUF – TOR (75) @ STL (71)

MTL @ NSH (77) – UTH @ LA (76) – VAN @ CGY (68)

A lot of the teams the True Northers need to pass them in the standings in order to get a better shot at the 1st overall draft pick in June are playing quality opposition like the Islanders, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, & Sabres. So they might not end up with any points today….but at least one of the Maple Leafs and Blues are guaranteed to add to their yearly total.

On to the pending Saturday Night hockey match…..

WPG Jets @ COL Avalanche

Start Time: 6 pm Central – Ball Arena

Winnipeg (30-30-12) is tied for 25th place in the NHL with 72 points on the season, scoring 203 Goals For (24th) and allowing 220 Goals Against (18th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 34 goals, 54 assists, and 88 points. Kyle Connor is 2 short of the goal scoring lead, while Gabriel Vilardi is 7 back with 27 goals.

Congratulations to Scheifele for becoming the longest serving Winnipeg Jets 1.0 & 2.0 player by surpassing Thomas Steen’s games played record. One of the few highlights of this season has been the play of their best center, who at the ripe age of 33 has set a career best for points scored already. Not sure if he can match his previous best goals scored record, as he is short by 8 goals……but a couple more 2 goal outings like the last game could help him get there.

Colorado (48-13-10) has the best record in the league with 104 points, scoring 263 Goals For (1st) and allowing 177 Goals Against (1st). Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 48 goals, 69 assists, and 117 points.

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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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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COLORADO AVALANCHE LINE UP

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Winnipeg will be without Morgan Barron for the rematch versus Colorado and there is possibly another injured player since the Jets had 2 emergency recalls from the Manitoba Moose before they headed out on the road trip. Forwards Danny Zhilkin & Parker Ford were added to the roster and it looks like the young Russian will get in another NHL game as he will take over the 4th line center role. This hasn’t been confirmed though and since Ford is also a capable pivot, he could be the one who gets the tap this evening.

That is all I have for this morning…..I had a late start to the day after allowing myself to sleep in longer than normal. Now I need to make breakfast, take my cat Lambo for a walk, and pick up some beverages for tonight’s Jets’ game. See you back here to cheer or complain about Winnipeg’s performance….

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Winnipeg Jets 4 Colorado Avalanche 2

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  WPG 2.90 COL 1.51

Expected Goals (5on5): COL 1.32 WPG 1.30

Colorado had the better of the xG battle (5 on 5) in the 1st period, but Winnipeg took over early in the 2nd and held the lead until the final 14 minutes of the 3rd frame. Connor’s empty net goal to seal the victory almost knotted things up in the xG race as the Jets did a very good job limiting the Avalanche’s scoring opportunities in the final 10 minutes of the contest.

Three out of four of Winnipeg’s forward lines won the xG battle as the Jets outscored the Avs 3 to 1 at 5 on 5 on Saturday. Our team got secondary scoring from the Lowry & Toews lines, while the other goal for & against happened during line changes.

Despite the Jets winning the game, the defensive side of things didn’t go smoothly to start of the game and that made the coaches start looking for new pairings to shore things up. The top 2 pairings each saw over 14 minutes of ice time, while the Bryson–Salomonsson duo was around 6 minutes (gave up the only even strength goal against).

The final 4 pairings played between 2:00-2:30 minutes and had much more success in terms of the xG’s. The Morrissey–DeMelo duo were on for a Winnipeg goal, as were the Samberg–Salomonsson and Bryson–Pionk pairings.

Despite having a negative GSAE rating, Hellebuyck did have a solid .919 save percentage versus Colorado.

COL Avalanche @ WPG Jets

Start Time: 7 pm Central – Canada Life Centre

Winnipeg (30-29-12) is tied for 25th place in the NHL with 72 points on the season, scoring 203 Goals For (24th) and allowing 220 Goals Against (18th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 32 goals, 54 assists, and 86 points. Kyle Connor is tied for the goal scoring lead as well, while Gabriel Vilardi is 5 back with 27 goals.

Colorado (47-13-10) has the best record in the league with 104 points, scoring 263 Goals For (1st) and allowing 177 Goals Against (1st). Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 46 goals, 69 assists, and 115 points.

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 stats for the Jets & Avs are pretty lopsided….but Winnipeg does have the better powerplay somehow. Colorado have scored 6 more goals than the nearest NHL franchise and an impressive 18 less goals against than the 2nd place Tampa Bay Lightning. The team is having a dominant season and will have every player in their line up except Nicholas Roy, so they should represent a real test for the True Northers tonight.

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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COLORADO AVALANCHE LINE UP

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No changes expected from the Winnipeg coaching staff, so we should see what we have been seeing for the past few games in terms of players on the ice. The Josh Morrissey–Neal Pionk experiment on the top pairing continues, while the forward lines will remain the same.

Last night I spent a bit of time seeing how the Jets’ players have been doing offensively at 5 on 5 this season and decided to create a list of some of the forwards to show how many points per minute of ice time they have this season:

Mark Scheifele: 0.04546

Kyle Connor: 0.04102

Gabriel Vilardi: 0.03491

Brad Lambert: 0.03333

Morgan Barron: 0.03017

Cole Koepke: 0.02845

Cole Perfetti: 0.02507

Isak Rosen: 0.02335

Alex Iafallo: 0.01996

Jonathan Toews: 0.01869

Gustav Nyquist: 0.01364

The top of the list has the usual suspects with Winnipeg’s three best forwards leading the way, but after that you have a quartet of bottom sixers in the same range as Jets’ 2nd liner Cole Perfetti before you get to the lowest scoring regular skaters.

Unsurprisingly, this seems to indicate that all those AIH members calling for players like Morgan Barron, Cole Koepke, Brad Lambert, & Isak Rosen to be given more playing time were correct in suggesting that Winnipeg’s offensive production would increase if the coach tapped them on the shoulders more frequently.

Having no idea how this compares to other NHL teams, the value of the above data is limited….but it could suggest to True North management who should be in the running for next year’s squad and where they might fit in.

That is all I got……spent most of the day in bed with a migraine and now the medication I took to deal with it has made me groggy.

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Colorado Avalanche 3 Winnipeg Jets 2

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  COL 4.72 WPG 2.37

Expected Goals (5on5):  COL 2.99 WPG 1.58

After the action concluded on Thursday….here is how the NHL standings looked, at least the bottom of it (via ESPN):

***Will add more in the morning….like how much ice time each unit received and who scored or allowed the goals. Cheers.***

The True North organization dipped into the undrafted free agent pool resulting from the conclusion of the NCAA hockey season (at least for the non-playoff teams). This time GM Kevin Cheveldayoff inked a 24 yr forward from the University of St. Thomas named Lucas Wahlin.

The Minnesota-born winger signed a one year contract with the Winnipeg Jets, starting in the 2026-27 NHL season, but the right handed forward has agreed to a Amateur Try Out with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for the remainder of their campaign. Like many other undrafted free agents the Jets have signed before him, Wahlin was the captain of his NCAA hockey squad and has scored at a point per game pace his last two seasons.

Here is his career stats, via Elite Prospects:

The 6′ 180 lb winger will hopefully provide a bit of a boost to the Moose, as they fight for playoff positioning with 13 games left in the regular season. Manitoba has fallen into 4th place due to a 2 game skid and will be visiting the Toronto Marlies this evening. Probably too quick to get Lucas into his first AHL game, so he might have to wait for Friday’s game versus the Belleville Senators.

Obviously not a game changing signing, but a one year commitment on a 2 way contract is never going to hurt a team. I am guessing any NHL potential would be in a bottom six role and would probably be considered a long shot….but he could help make the Manitoba Moose better in the short-term like other such signings did (Cole Maier, Wyatt Bongiovanni, etc).

Wahlin is coming off winning the Defensive Forward of the Year award….so he should bring responsible 2 way play to Manitoba. Welcome to the Winnipeg Jets organization Lucas!!!

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: Winnipeg Jets 4 Vegas Golden Knights 1

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  WPG 4.20 VEG 1.94

Expected Goals (5on5): WPG 1.77 VEG 1.38

Despite the lopsided numbers in the xG battle, the Winnipeg Jets didn’t take the lead until the early 3rd period…so a lot of the True North chances came after Vegas began opening up to push for a comeback. Our club capitalized on the few looks they received early in the game and the Knights never really looked like they were going to win once they fell behind.

The Jets gave quite a few different combinations an opportunity last night and the above 3 all received at between 8 & 9:28 of ice time. This group was also responsible for all 3 Winnipeg even strength goals, with the Lowry unit scoring once while the Scheifele line pocketed a pair.

Winnipeg didn’t give up any 5 on 5 goals against since Vegas scored their only goal on the PP, so no minuses for the Jets last night.

The final 3 forward lines received between 2 & 4 minutes of playing time together, with two of the three finding statistical success in the xG battle….though none of these actually created much offense either.

Winnipeg’s top 2 pairings were on the ice the most, skating for between 11 & 13 minutes at 5 on 5. The Morrissey–Pionk duo continue to surprise me by winning the xG battle and they added an even strength Jets’ goal to that against Vegas. The younger Samberg–Salomonsson duo wasn’t as good statistically, as they ended up spending a lot of their minutes in their own end.

The Jets’ starting 3rd pairing (Fleury–DeMelo) did well with 6 minutes of ice time despite getting outshot 2-1, as the xG numbers were 0.391 to 0.092 in their favour.

The Samberg–DeMelo duo saw about 5:30 of playing time together and while they slightly lost the xG battle, they were on the ice for one of Winnipeg’s 3 even strength goals. Fleury & Salomonsson’s stats above don’t look very good, but really nothing much happened in their 3 minutes together (total of 0.05 xG’s for both clubs).

Finally, the young Swede got a bit more than a minute on Winnipeg’s top pairing and the Jets had the only shot attempt while they were on the ice.

Other than flurries to start and end the game, it seemed to me that Connor Hellebuyck had a pretty quiet night. Hellebuyck kept Vegas off the scoreboard as they came out flying to outshoot Winnipeg 9-0 in the early minutes….then the Jets took control of the game in the early 2nd when they scored on back to back rushes. Bucky wasn’t called on to save the day on Tuesday….but he played well enough to give his team a chance and the end of his string of negative GSAE ratings will make him happy.

Here are the NHL’s standings after last night’s games, focusing on the bottom of the NHL:

As you can see, the Winnipeg Jets have moved out of their long-held 27th place spot to pass the San Jose Sharks and tie the Seattle Kraken. Fortunately, both clubs have at least a game in hand so there is hope that the current state of things will only be temporary…..but the teams have been playing horrible lately and are on 5 & 4 game losing streaks.

The St. Louis Blues seem like they really want to pass the True Northers, going 7-1-2 in their past 10 contests……so I would think it would only be common courtesy for Winnipeg to allow them to over the final 11 games of the season.

Quiet night for the NHL on Wednesday with only 2 games on the slate and only the Toronto Maple Leafs-New York Ranger game matters to our team. With one squad slightly ahead of the Jets and the other 7 points back….I am guessing we should be cheering for a Toronto win in OT??

The True Northers will be back at it on Thursday when they host the Colorado Avalanche….see you then.

WPG Jets @ NY Rangers

Start Time: 11 am Central – Madison Square Garden

Winnipeg (28-29-12) is in 27th place in the NHL with 68 points on the season, scoring 196 Goals For (tied for 24th) and allowing 217 Goals Against (tied for 19th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 31 goals, 52 assists, and 83 points. Kyle Connor is tied for the goal scoring lead as well, while Gabriel Vilardi is 5 back with 26 goals.

New York (28-33-8) has the 29th best record in the league with 64 points, scoring 196 Goals For (tied for 24th) and allowing 221 Goals Against (tied for 22nd). Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers with 29 goals, 37 assists, and 66 points this year.

Coming into Sunday’s action the Jets & Rangers are separated by just 4 points in the standings with an equal 13 contests left to play. Both clubs will be entering on 3 game losing streaks, though Winnipeg has picked up a couple “loser” points in that span while New York didn’t earn squat.

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 two franchises stats have been fairly similar this year, allowing a like amount of Goals For & Against. The one difference between the clubs does appear to be the Rangers’ success on the powerplay, having the 5th most efficient man-advantage in the NHL (24%).

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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NEW YORK RANGERS LINE UP

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Since neither New York’s or Winnipeg’s coaching staffs have provided any line up updates by 7 am when I am writing this, I wouldn’t put too much stock into the projected lineups above. The Jets won’t probably make too many changes, other than back up goalie Eric Comrie getting the start in the second half of the back-to-back situation. Possibly Haydn Fleury comes out for one of Ville Heinola or Jacob Bryson? Then there is the fact that Dylan Samberg took a puck to the face late in yesterday’s game…will he be ready to go by 11 am today?

The True Northers can’t move up or down in the standings regardless of today’s outcome, though the St. Louis Blues win over the Vancouver Canucks last night have pulled the division rivals within 1 point of the Winnipeg Jets. The Blues don’t play again until Tuesday, so a loss by our club this afternoon would give them a shot at overtaking the Jets. Neither of the squads Winnipeg is chasing (SJ/TOR) play today, so we could pull into a tie with the Sharks with a win over the Rangers (San Jose would have 2 games in hand).

Okay…stomach is growling, so time to make some bacon, hashbrowns, & eggs. Have a great day!!!

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Winnipeg Jets 3 New York Rangers 2 (SO)

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  WPG 3.20 NYR 2.91

Expected Goals (5on5): WPG 2.06 NYR 1.17

Winnipeg’s top 6 forwards won the xG battle, while the bottom 6 lost. In terms of actual goals against, the Jets’ Lowry line was on the ice for both of the even strength goals scored today (one by WPG, one by NY). The Barron line allowed the 2nd least scoring chances for the Rangers, but struggled to create any offense of their own today.

All 3 of the True North defensive pairs were above 50% xG’s during 5 on 5 play, with the Morrissey–Pionk duo being on for a Winnipeg goal and the Samberg–Salomonsson pair getting scored against.

Another strong performance for Comrie, who has now piled up 6 straight wins and appears to be playing much better than Hellebuyck as of late.

The Winnipeg Jets’ shootout victory moves them up to 70 points on the season, tying them with the San Jose Sharks and making them closer to passing a bunch more franchises in the standings. The Nashville Predators remain hot though, as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime and kept Winnipeg’s distance from the West’s final wildcard spot at 5.

The True Northers will be heading home for a match versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday before facing a string of Central Division rivals (COL, @ COL, @ CHI, & @ DAL). See you all back here then.

WPG Jets @ PIT Penguins

Start Time: Noon Central – PPG Paints Arena

Winnipeg (28-29-11) is in 27th place in the NHL with 67 points on the season, scoring 192 Goals For (26th) and allowing 212 Goals Against (tied for 17th). Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 31 goals, 52 assists, and 83 points. Kyle Connor is tied for the goal scoring lead as well, while Gabriel Vilardi is 5 back with 26 goals.

Pittsburgh (34-18-16) is in a tie with the 7th best record in the league, scoring 235 Goals For (8th) and allowing 210 Goals Against (tied for 14th). Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 28 goals and 61 points this year, while defenseman Erik Karlsson has the most assists (43).

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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While the two franchises have allowed similar goals against per game this season, it is the Penguins’ offense that has vaulted them into the playoff hunt while the Jets flirt with a top 5 draft pick in the upcoming entry draft. Goaltending hasn’t been a strength for either club this year, as none of the potential starters are above a .900 save percentage. One final advantage for the hometown Pennsylvanians is their success on special teams, with the 3rd best PP unit and the 2nd most successful PKers.

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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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS LINE UP

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With Winnipeg facing back-to-back games this weekend, both masked men will have a chance to suit up….but with Connor Hellebuyck coming off possibly his worst outing of the campaign, I am leaning towards Eric Comrie getting the call versus the Pens. The back up hasn’t lost a start since January 1st, winning 5 straight while only allowing 7 pucks to get by him.

Pittsburgh has gone 5-3-4 since the Olympic break, but only got their captain back from injury the last game (a 5-4 SO loss to CAR).

Speaking of injuries, it does sound like defenseman Neal Pionk will be ready to return from the injury that has kept him out of the line up since January 13th. Not exactly sure how that will impact the coaching staff’s decisions, but I have seen nothing that suggests that rookie Elias Salomonsson can’t handle the top 4 minutes he has been playing….so maybe they ease Pionk in on the 3rd pairing? Or Scott Arniel will return to the duo of Dylan Samberg & Pionk, sliding the young Swede down to play with one of Haydn Fleury or Jacob Bryson (not Fleury please). I won’t bother to guess at the forward lines after another game where the coaches shuffled things up constantly….but I would guess it would be a return to the typical starting units they have been using mostly. While I have appreciated the play of the current 2nd line…I personally would like to see young players like Isak Rosen & Brad Lambert get some top six looks. And not just when the starting lines aren’t working out or the game is out of hand….give the prospects a solid chance by guaranteeing them a game or two near the top, without fear that a mistake will result in a quick return to the bottom six. Just my thoughts…..and I will sign off with those 2 cents spent. Let me hear what alterations you would like to see in the Comments section….I know a promotion of Morgan Barron to 2nd line center is one idea that has been put out there by a few people.

Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!

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POST-GAME INFO

Scoring Summary: (courtesy of ESPN)

FINAL SCORE: Pittsburgh Penguins 5 Winnipeg Jets 4 (SO)

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Game Stats: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)

Expected Goals (all):  PIT 3.22 WPG 2.88

Expected Goals (5on5):  WPG 2.56 PIT 2.40

The Penguins didn’t take the lead in the xG battle for all situations until overtime, while the Jets slightly won the even strength play.

Winnipeg only deployed 4 main line combinations today with the Jets’ top six getting between 16 & 12 minutes of 5 on 5 play, while the bottom six were limited to the 6 to 9 minute range.

Good debut from the Lambert–Barron–Rosen unit, winning the xG battle (59%) and outscoring the Penguins 2 to 0. They did also give up scoring chances at a higher rate than any other line, but they also were Winnipeg’s best line at creating them.

With the recent success from the Lowry line as well, wonder if you could see the top 3 units above being together next season? Hopefully Chevy could upgrade Iafallo on Scheifele’s line, sending the veteran to be part of the 4th line, which they would have to upgrade quite a bit with a couple new additions. Running it back with Niederreiter & Namestnikov is another option, but would it be enough to give Winnipeg 4 solid lines that could hold their own?

So many defenseman combos today……the top 2 pairs above played 10 minutes each at even strength, while the other two were in the 6 to 9 minute range. Most of the duos did well, but unfortunately Morrissey–Salomonsson didn’t gel in their time together (12.1% xG).

This group didn’t allow a goal against, while both pairs with Pionk were able to score one for Winnipeg.

The top pairing in this group had the most ice time, with 4:36 together after DeMelo returned from his benching (1GF/1GA). The other 3 duos had between 2:30 & 3:00 minutes, performing statistically well, but the Fleury–Pionk pairing did allow a goal against.

One final chart of defensemen, playing around 2 to 2:30 together but managed to not be on the ice for either a Jets’ goal or a Penguins’ one.

Another rough outing from Hellebuyck, though much better than the stinker he laid up in the most recent loss. Bucky still made some huge saves that appeared almost certain to enter the net….but some inconsistency on clean or partially screened attempts showed that his focus wasn’t at the level we’ve grown to expect.

***Still haven’t seen the highlight video uploaded to YouTube…will add that once I notice it. Have a good weekend!!**