Alright folks its time to tackle game II of our game by game predictions. First off, it will be difficult to predict every single game and not to mention rather useless. So, why don’t we just predict the Jets first meeting of the season with each NHL team. This brings us to today’s game prediction of the Winnipeg Jets V. The New Jersey Devils.
Once again we must take a look at the small things before we dive right into this.
During the past season the New Jersey Devils were 19-14-8 at home while the Winnipeg Jets were 20-13-8 on the road. When it comes to home ice advantage it would appear that the Devils do not have it and that in this small department the Jets hold the advantage.
Winnipeg Jets
In goals for per game the Winnipeg Jets ranked 16th with 2.72 and the Devils ranked 28th with 2.15. In shots per game the Jets ranked 17th with 29.7 and the Devils ranked 29th with 24.5. In goals against per game the Jets ranked 20th with 2.49 and the Devils ranked 17th with 2.55 (better to be lower in this case). In all these major categories the Jets find themselves coming out on top.
The top scorers for the Jets last season were,
Andrew Ladd going 24-38-62 with a plus/minus of 9
Blake Wheeler going 26-35-61 with a plus/minus of 26
Bryan Little going 24-28-52 with a plus/minus of 8
The top scorers for the Devils last season were,
Adam Henrique going 16-27-43 with a plus/minus of -6
Mike Cammalleri going 27-15-42 with a plus/minus of 2 (More goals then any Jets player had)
Patrik Elias going13-21-34 with a plus/minus of -20
Here’s the goaltending matchup,
Michael Hutchinson V. Corey Schneider
Last season Schneider played in 69 games going 26-31-9 with a GAA of 2.26 and a save percentage of .925. Last season Hutchinson played in 38 games going 21-10-5 with a GAA of 2.39 and a save percentage of .914. Hey, looks like the Devils finally came out on top in a category.
More from Jets White Out
- How expansion and relocation around the league have affected the Winnipeg Jets
- 5 interesting Winnipeg Jets prospects to check out at the Young Stars Classic
- 3 takeaways from Adam Lowry being named captain
- What to think about Nikolaj Ehlers and his dynamic skill set?
- Winnipeg Jets name Adam Lowry team captain
It would be difficult to dispute that the the Jets don’t have the better club in this matchup. The Devils did not play well at home last year and did not have many high scorers (don’t get me wrong they do have some capable ones though). The most promising part of the Devils club from last season was Corey Schneider who proved that he could be the Devil’s workhorse and despite having a bad club around him he did put up some nice stats. If the Devils are going to win this their scorers have to unleash their potential and Schneider’s performance can’t be off.
In the end Schneider is going to keep them in it, but I don’t believe they have the offensive or defensive depth to theoretically defeat the Jets. My prediction? A 3-2 Jets win (that’s being generous).
What do you guys think? Are the Devils going to pull the upset? Or are the Jets going to soar to victory? Comment below and join in on the discussion!
More from Jets White Out
- How expansion and relocation around the league have affected the Winnipeg Jets
- 5 interesting Winnipeg Jets prospects to check out at the Young Stars Classic
- 3 takeaways from Adam Lowry being named captain
- What to think about Nikolaj Ehlers and his dynamic skill set?
- Winnipeg Jets name Adam Lowry team captain