The 2022-2023 regular season is finally here for the Winnipeg Jets! Tonight the Jets start the season at the Canada Life Centre as they host the New York Rangers. The opening puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. central time (8:00 p.m. eastern time).
One of the biggest storylines coming into the Jets’ season and home opener is that tonight is Rick Bowness’ first regular season game as head coach of the Jets. Bowness was hired by the Jets this past offseason after he stepped down as head coach of the Dallas Stars.
*It was announced after this article was published and prior to the game starting that Rick Bowness has tested positive for Covid-19 and will not be on the Jets’ bench tonight. Associate coach Scott Arniel will take over Bowness’ duties tonight as head coach.*
Although tonight is the Jets’ first game, the Rangers already have two games under their belt. On Tuesday night, the Rangers opened up their season with a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. Mika Zibanejad had two goals in the win.
Tonight is also the second game of a back-to-back for the Rangers. Last night, they beat the Minnesota Wild 7-3. That win now gives the Rangers a 2-0-0 record to start this season.
Tonight’s matchup between the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers pits familiar faces against their former teams
Winnipeg and New York have been trading partners during the past couple of seasons and there are a number of players who have worn the opposite side’s sweater in this matchup.
In the most recent trade between these sides, the Jets received Morgan Barron and three draft picks for Andrew Copp. Barron is expected to be in the lineup for the Jets tonight. On the other hand, the Rangers failed to resign Copp before free agency and he signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
The other notable trade between these two involved the Rangers sending Neal Pionk and a 2019 first-round pick (Winnipeg selected Ville Heinola) for Jacob Trouba. Trouba now returns to Winnipeg as Captain of the Rangers.
One interesting thing to keep an eye on tonight is if the Rangers make any lineup changes considering this is the second leg of a back-to-back during the first week of the season. There is a chance Jaroslav Halak gets makes his Rangers’ debut in goal after Igor Shesterkin played last night.
Jets Look for a Better Showing Against the Metropolitan Divison
One noticeable reason why the Jets missed the 2022 postseason was their poor performances against the Eastern Conference, especially against Metropolitan Division opponents.
The Jets finished the 2021-2022 season with a 4-10-2 record against the Metro division, meaning they only picked up 10 points out of a possible 32 available versus Metro teams.
Winnipeg missed the postseason by eight points last year, so obviously dropping these games versus the Metro came back to hurt the Jets.
The Jets will look for a much better showing against their Metropolitan opponents. Last year clearly showed that these points can be the difference in making the postseason or missing it.
The Winnipeg Jets Projected Lineup
Connor-Scheifele-Ehlers
Perfetti-Dubois-Wheeler
Barron-Lowry-Appleton
Maenalanen-Gustafsson-Gagner
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Stanley-Schmidt
Hellebuyck (Rittich)
Scratches: Jonsson-Fjällby, Samberg, and Capobianco
Where to Catch the Game
TV: TSN3 (Jets), MSGSN (Rangers)
Radio: 680 CJOB (Jets), 98.7 WEPN (Rangers)
Livestream: FuboTV, TSN.ca, TSN APP, MSG GO, NHL.tv
Want your voice heard? Join the Jets White Out team!
After tonight’s game, the Jets will begin a three-game road trip starting Monday night. The Jets will play the Dallas Stars Monday, the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday, and the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Who do you predict is going to win this game between the Jets and Rangers? Leave your comments below!
Former Winnipeg Jets Defenseman Plays Role in Canadiens Win
The Winnipeg Jets placed Johnathan Kovacevic on waivers last weekend and he was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens. He played a role in their first win.