Winnipeg Jets vs Anaheim Ducks Preview: 2021-2022 Season Opener

The Winnipeg Jets kick off the 2021-2022 season with a matchup tonight against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. The game is scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. central time.

Not only will tonight be the Jets’ season opener, but it will also be Winnipeg’s first game in the United States since February 25, 2020, when the Jets lost in a shootout against the Capitals in Washington, D.C.

The Winnipeg Jets will look to start their season-opening road trip with a win in Anaheim against the Ducks

This game is the first of a three-game road trip for the Jets. On Saturday, the Jets will head to San Jose to take on the Sharks and then they will finish the trip on Tuesday in Minnesota with a divisional matchup against the Wild.

Odds

The Winnipeg Jets come into tonight as the favorites, courtesy of WynnBET.

This should come as no surprise considering the Jets’ strong offseason and the fact that the Ducks finished with the second amount of points last season and did not make too many roster changes.

As we all know anything can happen especially during the first game of the season and it should lead to a great game to watch.

Projected Lineups

The most notable omission from the Jets’ lineup is Mark Scheifele. Scheifele will be serving the fourth game of his four-game suspension for his hit on Jake Evans during the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Paul Stastny is expected to take Scheifele’s spot on the Jets’ top line and center Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor.

Since there will now be an open spot on Winnipeg’s third line, Cole Perfetti will make his NHL debut tonight. The Jets 2020 first-round pick, had an outstanding preseason and there is definitely an immense amount of excitement surrounding his debut.

Perfetti is expected to play on a line with Jansen Harkins and Adam Lowry. Also, Riley Nash and Evgeny Svechnikov will be making their Jets’ debuts and are projected to play on the fourth line with Kristian Vesalainen.

Winnipeg’s defense is expected to stay the same as we watched throughout training camp and preseason. Josh Morrissey will play alongside Nate Schmidt, Brenden Dillon will play on a pair with Neal Pionk, and the final pair will consist of Logan Stanley and Dylan DeMelo.

Connor Hellebuyck will be starting in goal for the Jets as he looks to start out the season with a win. Eric Comrie will be Winnipeg’s backup goaltender.

Here’s how the Jets are projected to lineup:

Connor-Stastny-Wheeler
Copp-Dubois-Ehlers
Harkins-Lowry-Perfetti
Vesalainen-Nash-Svechnikov

Dillon-Pionk
Morrissey-Schmidt
Stanley-DeMelo

Hellebuyck (Comrie)

The Ducks are a franchise that did not make too many changes this offseason. They have many younger players and are in the midst of a rebuild.

With that being said, the Ducks can be a fun team to watch. They have some of the top prospects in the league and these players have a great amount of talent who feature with some reliable veterans.

Cole Perfetti of the Jets may not be the only player who is making his debut this evening. Mason McTavish, who was drafted third overall in this past summer’s draft, is also projected to make his NHL debut. If the eighteen-year-old, McTavish, plays against the Jets he will be the youngest player in Anaheim’s franchise history to play in a game for the Ducks.

John Gibson is projected to start for the Ducks. He is looking to improve his record from last season where he finished 9-19-7, but had good stats with a 2.98 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. Anthony Stolarz is projected to backup Gibson.

Here is how the Ducks are expected to lineup:

Comtois-Zegras-Rakell
Henrique-Lundestrom-Silfverberg
McTavish-Getzlaf-Terry
Grant-Steel-Jones

Lindholm-Manson
Fowler-Drysdale
Larsson-Shattenkirk

Gibson (Stolarz)

Where to Catch the Game

TV: SN360, BSSC, BSSD

Radio: 680 CJOB

Livestream: ESPN+

Winnipeg Jets Fans: What are your predictions for tonight’s game? Leave your comments below!

*All Stats Provided by the NHL*