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Winnipeg Jets Game #46: Ice the Wild

By RJ Beaulieu

ST PAUL- JANUARY 14: Exterior view of the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild taken on January 14, 2003 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
ST PAUL- JANUARY 14: Exterior view of the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild taken on January 14, 2003 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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It’s a sunny day in St. Paul Minnesota where the visiting Winnipeg Jets can enjoy a high of 5°F and low of -9°F. It’s a good thing the San Jose Sharks players aren’t in town.

The Winnipeg Jets will be looking to rebound at the Xcel Energy Center as they face the Minnesota Wild Saturday night.  They are 6-1-1 without Mark Scheifele, which is pretty impressive for a team missing their top center.

Get the Game:

6 pm CST

TV: SN1 & CITY

Radio: TSN 1290

A Tale of Two Cities

The Wild picked up a 2-1 win in Chicago on Wednesday. That puts them at 5-4-1 in their last 10. The Jets are 6-2-2 in their last 10 with the loss to the same Blackhawks Friday night. Two franchises in very different situations.

The Jets are rolling right now with the return of Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom. The entire team has pitched in during the loss of Scheifele to make up the loss of scoring, which has been a pleasant surprise. They will seek to keep the momentum pushing forward as they challenge for the Western Conference lead. The Las Vegas Golden Knights are riding some rare chemistry between their expansion picks to the top of the west. They sit second in the NHL behind the first place Tampa Bay Lightning, who got some bad news after their loss to Calgary.

Bruce Boudreau will be looking for some energy from his team right from the first puck drop.
ST. PAUL, MN – APRIL 22: Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau argues a call against the St. Louis Blues in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xcel Energy Center on April 22, 2017 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Minnesota has been wildly inconsistent this season. Coach Bruce Boudreau has had to tear into his team more than a few times for their effort. While this produced some positive results, like Wednesday’s comeback win in Chicago, Bruce should not have to be put in this position. The Wild are currently tied with Chicago for the last wildcard spot in the west. A win tonight would keep them above water and in the race. One would hope that is enough motivation.

Starting Goaltenders

Looking like Connor Hellebuyck will get the back to back nod over recently called up Michael Hutchinson. Devan Dubnyk will be in net for Minnesota. This has the potential to be a low scoring game where the netminders are the stars. Let’s hope Wheeler, Laine, and Ehlers disagree.

Three Things To Watch For

The first 10 minutes – If the Jets can come out strong and put the Wild on their heels. They can control the game.

Goaltending – A netminders duel between Dubnyk and Hellebuyck could be epic.

Shots – Let’s see if the Jets can put some rubber on the goaltender tonight, instead of around him like in Chicago. Need more shots on net, especially early. Test Dubnyk.

The Magic 8-Ball Says

Win

After the loss in Chicago, I think Paul Maurice will have the team come out strong. If they can jump on Dubnyk early they can get the Wild on their heels and enforce their will for the win. It will take a full 60 from the Winnipeg Jets this time around if they want to go back to Winnipeg with a successful road trip.

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