The Winnipeg Jets kick off a huge two-game series at Bell MTS Place against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Puck drop for tonight’s clash is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. central time.
It has two-weeks to the day since the Jets last had a game on home-ice. For the past two weeks, the Jets were on a seven-game road trip. They finished the trip with a 4-3-0 record.
The Jets are coming into this game after finishing a three-game series against the Calgary Flames on Monday night. The Jets saved their best performance of that series for last and skated to a 5-1 win on Monday. Our own Dan St. Joseph wrote three talking points about the game and it can be found here.
On the other hand, the Leafs played the Edmonton Oilers on Monday and lost 3-2 in overtime. In their past five games, Toronto has a 3-1-1 record.
The Winnipeg Jets can jump into first place with a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Right now it is crowded at the top of the North Division. With Edmonton losing last night, the Jets currently sit in second place with 46 points in 36 games. The Oilers are in third place with 45 points from 37 games, and the Leafs are in first with 47 points in 35 games.
With twenty games remaining in the regular season, Winnipeg will take first place in the division with a regulation win tonight.
Odds
The Action network lists the Jets as the underdogs in tonight’s matchup.
This is the first time these sides will be playing in Winnipeg this season. In their four prior contests in Toronto, the Jets have a 2-1-1 record against the Leafs and have performed well against the division front runners.
Tonight’s game has all the makings of a playoff-type game and should be extremely fun to watch.
Where you can Find the Game
TV: SN, TVAS
Radio: 680 CJOB
Projected Lineups
It has been a while since the Jets have made a lineup change and tonight should be no different. Winnipeg is projected to go with the same exact lineup from the last game, including keeping the reshuffled lines from Monday.
Connor Hellebuyck is projected to get the start in net after making 29 saves on 30 shots faced while picking up his 17th win of the season two days ago.
The Jets are projected to lineup like this:
Connor-Scheifele-Ehlers
Stastny-Dubois-Wheeler
Copp-Lowry-Appleton
Perreault-Thompson-Lewis
Morrissey-Poolman
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-DeMelo
Hellebuyck (Brossoit)
Just like the Jets, Toronto is expected to keep the same forward lines and defensive combination that they employed on Monday.
The one change that the Leafs are projected to make is in net. Jack Campbell is expected to return and start for the Leafs after missing the last game. Sheldon Keefe has stressed the importance of managing Campbell’s workload, so there is a good chance that if Campbell starts tonight, Hutchinson will get the nod in goal on Friday.
The Maple Leafs are expected to lineup like this:
Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Galchenyuk-Tavares-Nylander
Thornton-Kerfoot-Spezza
Mikheyev-Engvall-Simmonds
Reilly-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl
Dermott-Bogosian
Campbell (Hutchinson)
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Will the Winnipeg Jets win tonight’s game? Leave your comments below!
*All Stats Provided by the NHL*