Winnipeg Jets vs Edmonton Oilers Preview: Second Game of Two

The Winnipeg Jets take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight in the second game of a two-game series starting at 9:00 p.m. central.

The Jets lost the first game against the Oilers 2-1 on Thursday evening thanks in large part to the talents of the best hockey player on the planet, Connor McDavid.  You can find a full post game recap along with video highlights and talking points of that game here.

The win moved the Oilers two-points ahead of the Jets in the North division standings, tied in points for first place along with Toronto Maple Leafs.

With a win tonight the Winnipeg Jets can jump back into a tie with the Oilers with 40 points each.

The Jets top line of Stastny-Scheifele-Wheeler had the unenviable task of lining up against Connor McDavid most of the game, and ended up a minus-two for the night. The Jets will need more offense from both of their top lines if they hope to beat the Oilers.

The Jets have not lost two games in row this season and have shown the ability to bounce back after any type of loss. I expect the Jets to understand the importance of this game and capitalize on the types of scoring chances that they missed on Thursday.

Odds

The Action network lists the Jets as the underdogs in tonight’s matchup.

The oddsmakers are favoring the Oilers at home. The Oilers have won two games in a row and Connor McDavid is on fire. So, it makes sense that they are favored tonight.

Where you can Find the Game

TV: CBC, SN, SN1, TVAS

Radio: 680 CJOB

Livestream: SN app

Projected Lineups

In Kieran Hurley’s recap of the game he mentioned fans calling for changes to the Jets fourth line. While I would like to see more of Jansen Harkins and Kristian Vesalainen, why would you make changes when the team is playing well?

The Jets are two points out of first place in the North. And, the fourth line of Perreault-Thompson-Lewis scored the Jets only goal Thursday in very limited ice time.

Fans often mention that a team’s goal is to draft and develop players. I would counter that while that is a component of a successful organization, the actual goal every year is to win a Stanley Cup.

If your team needs to play too many players who are in the development phase, you are not winning a Stanley Cup. So, if I were coach, I would stick with the veteran fourth line for now.

The Oilers kept the Connor-Dubois-Ehlers line off the scoresheet on Thursday. However, they were able to generate a few quality chances, and Dubois is starting to look much more comfortable. It is perfect timing for a big night by the Jets second line.

The Winnipeg Jets are expected to lineup like this:

Stastny-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Dubois-Ehlers
Copp-Lowry-Appleton
Perreault-Thompson-Lewis

Morrissey-Poolman
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-DeMelo

Hellebuyck (Brossoit)

I was texting a friend during the game on Thursday, often marveling at the amazing talents of Connor McDavid. He told me that he was watching the game with his spouse who does not closely follow hockey. His spouse commented that McDavid just seems like he is so much better than everyone else on the ice.

That is an accurate description of McDavid. I watched the speed and ease at which he scored his goals on Thursday and worried that perhaps a switch would go off in his brain telling him he could likely do that every time he touches the puck in the offensive zone.

Hopefully, he does not read Jets White Out and I’m not the cause of a revelation for him. He is a wonderful player to watch, and a scary player to watch against your own team. With that said, the Oilers do have flaws.

They are really top heavy in terms of offensive talent with McDavid, Draisaitl, and to some extent Nugent-Hopkins. If they hope to truly contend this year they need to develop some secondary scoring either within their roster, or through a trade.

The Oilers are expected to lineup like this:

Nugent Hopkins-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Kahun-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Ennis-Haas-Kassian
Chiasson-Shore-Archibald

Nurse-Barrie
Lagesson-Larsson
Russell-Bear

Koskinen (Smith)

*All Stats Provided by the NHL*