Tonight, the Winnipeg Jets are getting set to face off against the subpar Blackhawks. Both teams desperately need to come away with a win from this game.
The Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks are set to take the stage tonight at 7:00 PM Central time in Winnipeg. Both teams are among the bottom of the Central Division, and ever so desperately need wins.
The Winnipeg Jets sit fifth in the Central Division, and are coming off a painful 4-3 loss against Pittsburgh. Connor Hellebuyck let in a weak one, which has been a continuous struggle for him this season. On the other hand, Laurent Brossoit had been solid between the pipes until we took down the Blues 8-4, which saw him allow a few too many shots past him.
Chicago is sitting almost at the bottom of the division, at sixth out of seventh. They haven’t had a season to remember, as they were forced to fire future hall of fame coach, Joel Quenneville. Chicago wasn’t not showing the fans good hockey, and had a 6-6-3 record. The decision was then made to relieve Quenneville of his duties behind the bench.
Starting Goalies
The Winnipeg Jets are expected once again to start Connor Hellebuyck in tonight’s show. Still looking for some consistency like last season, Hellebuyck should be able to manage to shut down the Blackhawks. Hellebuyck is 9-7-1, still looking to get to double digits in the win column.
The Blackhawks are looking to Corey Crawford once again. Crawford is also coming off a rough game, after allowing six goals in two periods against Vegas. He was relieved, after only saving 24 out of the 30 shots faced. Crawford is 5-9-1 this season.
Interesting enough, Connor Hellebuyck and Corey Crawford have identical goals against average’s and save percentages. Despite their records looking nothing alike, the two netminders have a 2.98 GAA and a .907 save percentage.
Injuries and roster/lineup changes
The Winnipeg Just called up Cam Schilling from the Manitoba Moose, after Dustin Byfuglien and Joe Morrow went down due to injuries. Morrow is out with a day-to-day lower body injury, while Big Buff is sidelined with concussion like symptoms. Andrew Copp (Concussion) and Dmitry Kulikov (Upper body injury) remain on IR for tonight’s game.
The Blackhawks will be without defenseman Henri Jokiharju for tonight’s game with an illness. Brandon Davidson (Leg injury) and Connor Murphy (Back Injury) will be remaining out on IR.
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With a win, Winnipeg will be back to being tied for third in the division. This is a CRUCIAL, must win game for our Jets. This could be what gets us back on the right page, and away from the inconsistent hockey that stresses us fans out.
Now it’s time to sit back, relax (or not if you get as into it as I do), and watch this Central Division battle.