Jets White Out
Fansided

Winnipeg Jets Set To Take On Slowly Drowning Canucks

By Dylan Paré

WINNIPEG, MB - OCTOBER 18: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets is all smiles as he celebrates his third period goal against the Vancouver Canucks with teammate Bryan Little #18 and Ben Chiarot #7 at the Bell MTS Place on October 18, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB - OCTOBER 18: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets is all smiles as he celebrates his third period goal against the Vancouver Canucks with teammate Bryan Little #18 and Ben Chiarot #7 at the Bell MTS Place on October 18, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Tonight should be a good game for the Winnipeg Jets. We suit up against the Vancouver Canucks, who currently have five straight losses.

How does Winnipeg look?

The Winnipeg Jets are coming off a tough 2-1 shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres. Not going to lie, as a fan, shootouts are all fun until your team plays a hard game and loses in because your goalie got unlucky against a lethal shooter. However, there’s not much we can do about it other than go win this game tonight against Vancouver.

Winnipeg is currently 3rd in the Central Division with an 11-5-2 record.

How does Vancouver look?

The Vancouver Canucks extended their losing streak on Saturday to five games. This team was absolutely rolling, then suddenly hit a dead stop that sent them flying backwards. Their last loss on Saturday was to the Montreal Canadiens, who have a great record, but sit buried below all the other good records of the Atlantic Division.

The Canucks gave up two goals, only scoring one for themselves in the third, subsequently costing them the game. Carey Price stood on his head, allowing only two goals on 38 total shots. Jacob Markstrom was able to stop 28 out of 31 shots, which just wasn’t enough.

Starting Goaltenders

The Winnipeg Jets are expected to start Connor Hellebuyck for tonight’s game. Hellebuyck’s last game was a 3-1 win against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, Washington. Hellebuyck let in only one of the 28 shots he faced, giving him a .964 save percentage.

Hellebuyck is now 8-5-1 this season. He did start the season a little shaky, however has been able to bounce back with three wins in a row, and four wins in his last five games. His save percentage for the season is at .915 now, and his GAA is at 2.72.

The Vancouver Canucks will likely be starting Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom has had a statistically below par season, with a 3.27 GAA and a .897 save percentage. His record is over .500, at 7-6-2. He has lost his last four games, and has won only one game in his past six.

Lineup Information

The Winnipeg Jets recalled Kristian Vesalainen from the Manitoba Moose a few days back, meaning he has a chance of slotting in somewhere on the fourth line. Vesalainen played earlier this season for the Jets, but he was only able to record an assist in his short five game stint before being sent down to the Moose.

Don’t expect to see Brenden Lemieux in the lineup this evening either. Since the gritty forward was suspended for a dirty check, he hasn’t seen any game action. His last game was over two weeks ago on November 2nd, against the Florida Panthers.

The Vancouver Canucks will see forward Sam Gagner dress in his first NHL game this season. Gagner has been in the AHL since just before the season started, where the Toronto Marlies had him on loan. The Marlies will lose on of their top scoring players, who averaged a point per game in the AHL.

Gagner spoke to the media about the Marlies after being called up:

"“Great coaching staff, great group of guys, some different things system-wise and different atmosphere at the games, but hockey is hockey. The team is playing fun hockey, I’m excited to help where I can. I’m very excited to be back (in the NHL).”"

Injury Report

Not much to report on the Jets side of things. Dmitry Kulikov is still out, and will remain on injured reserve for the next couple of weeks, maybe even months. Kulikov has been sidelined due to injuries for the better part of this season.

The Canucks don’t have the same situation as us. Brock Boeser (groin), Thatcher Demko (concussion), Brandon Sutter (upper body), Anders Nilsson (broken finger), Alex Edler (lower body), Sven Baertschi (upper body), and Jay Beagle (fractured forearm) will all be out on IR for tonight’s tilt.

Next. Thoughts on every Winnipeg Jets jersey. dark

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Wrap Up/Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I think Winnipeg should be able to pull away from this game with a win. The bruised and battered Canucks have so many key players out, leaving room for the Jets to take off. I’d be quite disappointed if we left the arena with anything besides a win tonight.

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