Tonight the Winnipeg Jets will face the Colorado Avalanche who currently sit at 7th place in the Central Division. Winnipeg currently sits at 1st place in the Central, so a win tonight will help them retain the position.
The Winnipeg Jets are on a nice little three game winning streak. It’s a bit surprising that the absence of Mark Scheifele hasn’t affected us more. We’ve also had depth players such as Marko Dano, and Shawn Matthias step up to chip in.
Starting Goalies
Nothing new for the Winnipeg Jets tonight, as we likely will be starting Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck has been on a roll this season, and Steve Mason has been the exact opposite. Tonight will be his 33rd start. He has been amazing, but we really need to hope that we don’t wear him out. His save percentage going into tonight is .923, and his GAA is 2.37.
The Avalanche are expected to start veteran goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov has been average this season, posting a .909 save percentage, and a GAA of 2.94. He has a decent record however, at 13-9-2. Varlamov hasn’t been splitting games, but isn’t playing as much as a regular starter. They have Jonathan Bernier as a backup.
Injuries
Tonight the Jets will once again be without Tobias Enstrom. Enstrom is slowly returning from an injury, but won’t be back tonight. We will also be without Mark Scheifele. Scheifele is out for multiple weeks with an “upper body injury”. We also have Brandon Tanev who is gone on a week to week basis.
Winnipeg Jets fans will have something to get excited about tonight, as Dustin Byfuglien could potentially make a return tonight. Byfuglien has been out a while, and will provide the Jets some more stability on our already strong D-core.
The Avalanche will be without three players. Tyson Barrie, JT Compher, and Vladislav Kamenev are all injured.
Next: Marko Dano Makes a Big Return
I’m calling a Jets win tonight. They’ve been playing very solid lately. I’d be very surprised if the Avs walked away with the W.