The long awaited day is finally here.
No, I’m not talking about the Toronto Blue Jays first playoff game in 23 years, which is totally awesome. After a long offseason talking about changes (not many!) and how the team will do, we will finally get to see the Winnipeg Jets play in some meaningful hockey tonight.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Nic Petan will both make their NHL debuts for the Jets tonight against the Bruins. Ehlers will skate on the second line while Petan, eh, just go read this if you want to know how the lines project tonight before Paul Maurice shakes them up after 40 minutes. In goal, Ondrej Pavelec is being touted as the starting goaltender as the Jets try to get the season off on the right foot.
For Boston, the team is without Dennis Seidenberg, who is sidelined for over a month with an injury. An even bigger loss on their blueline could be Zdeno Chara, who may or may not play in the opener (EDIT: Not playing!). Tuukka Rask is expected to counter Pavelec in goal.
The season opener is a time of optimism for every team sans the Maple Leafs. In that spirit, go read one of the more optimistic season previews on the Jets by Ryan Dixon over at Sportsnet. While he cautions a deep playoff run might not be in the cards this season, “… this club’s countdown to greatness might not have as much time left on it as originally thought.”
Puck drop is at 6 p.m. central time in Boston. TSN 1290 will have the game on the airwaves while TSN3 will broadcast it for those in the Jets region.
Let’s get this season started!
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