The Winnipeg Jets face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight with puck drop at 6:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto for game two of a three-game series.
The Jets answered any questions people had about how they would rebound from the worst loss of the season against Montreal with a 4-3 victory on Tuesday against the Leafs. Kieran Hurley wrote an excellent recap of the game pointing out that the difference maker was Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
As great as Hellebuyck was, I am sure that the Jets do not want to repeat a game where they were outshot 39-23 against a team with the offensive talent of the Leafs.
With a victory tonight the Winnipeg Jets would close to three points behind the first place Maple Leafs.
The Jets’ third line of Appleton-Lowry-Copp were fantastic on Tuesday night against the Leafs with Copp chipping in two points, and Appleton scoring his career high seventh goal of the season. If the Jets are to win tonight, they are going to need production from the top two lines.
Odds
The Action network lists the Jets as the underdogs in tonight’s matchup.
Despite dropping three games in a row, oddsmakers understandably feel that the first place Leafs are due for a victory tonight at home versus the Jets.
Where you can Find the Game
TV: TSN3, TSN4
Radio: 680 CJOB
Livestream: TSN.ca, TSN app,
Projected Lineups
I have been vocal about wanting Paul Maurice to insert either Logan Stanley or Sami Niku into the lineup ahead of Nathan Beaulieu. I did not want that decision to be made however based on an injury, as I hate seeing any player get injured.
Unfortunately for Beaulieu, it looks like he is going to be out of the Jets line up with an injured hand from a blocked shot. He has been placed on IR as the injury is expected to last several weeks.
I wish him a full, speedy recovery. I also wish that either Stanley or Niku seize this opportunity to prove that they belong at the NHL level to the point that Maurice will think twice about removing them when Beaulieu has recovered.
Paul Maurice will reveal who will step into the lineup on Thursday after the morning skate. I would expect that Logan Stanley will get the nod as Maurice mentioned that the player stepping in would see some time on the penalty kill, which points more towards Stanley than Niku.
It will be an excellent opportunity for both young players when they are called upon, and a great opportunity for the Jets tonight if they are able to knock off the Leafs again.
Stastny-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Dubois-Ehlers
Copp-Lowry-Appleton
Perreault-Thompson-Lewis
Morrissey-Poolman
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-DeMelo
Hellebuyck (Brossoit)
The Leafs will be desperately trying to avoid losing their fourth game in a row tonight against the Jets. There were obviously good signs on Tuesday night if you are a Leafs fan, particularly the barrage of shots on goal they were able to generate.
Auston Matthews sat out of practice on Wednesday as he continues to recover from a wrist injury. Reports from practice were that Coach Sheldon Keefe and the rest of the Leafs were not feeling any sense of panic despite dropping three games in a row.
Having lived in Toronto for several years previously, I would suggest that while the Leafs may not be panicking, the fan base is. From their perspective it is Stanley Cup or bust, so I would hope for their sake that the Leafs come out with a playoff level intensity against the Jets tonight.
Thornton-Matthews-Marner
Kerfoot-Tavares-Nylander
Mikeyev-Engvall-Hyman
Vesey-Boyd-Spezza
Rielly-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl
Dermott-Bogosian
Anderson (Hutchinson)
*All Stats Provided by the NHL*