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In the words of Bon Jovi, “Whoa, we’re halfway there.”
Indeed, the Winnipeg Jets will officially hit the 41-game mark tonight as they host the Chicago Blackhawks, who limp into town as the second-worst team in the league and without injured rookie sensation Connor Bedard.
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The Jets are certainly not living on a prayer these days, as they have soared to the top of the NHL standings with seven consecutive wins (tying a franchise record). The team is on an 11-0-2 run in the last 13 outings and is 15-1-2 over the past 18. The Jets have also held opponents to three goals or fewer in 30 games in a row, the second-longest streak in the modern era.
Much of the focus today was on what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff had to say about his club in a nearly 40-minute, mid-season media availability. But there’s still a game to be played, with Jets back-up Laurent Brossoit facing Petr Mrazek in net.
The Jets do have one lineup question, as forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby missed morning skate owing to illness. He’s a game-time decision. If the speedy winger can’t go, Winnipeg would go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen, with blue-liner Logan Stanley drawing in.
Here’s some other information to get you set for puck drop:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Hard to believe, but the Jets weren’t very happy with their play on Tuesday night despite a relatively stress-free 5-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yes, the bar is that high these days around here. We’ll see what they look like tonight against what is, to be frank, an AHL-level roster.
To the Blackhawks’ credit, they’ve been very competitive in the two games since Bedard went down — beating the Calgary Flames 4-3 at home, then giving the red-hot Edmonton Oilers everything they could handle in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday night. The Jets have faced the Blackhawks twice this year, including a 2-1 overtime loss on Dec. 27 that is one of the rare blemishes on their recent record.
Winnipeg’s depth keeps coming through, as the team now has 10 skaters with at least seven goals this season (along with three others who have either five or six). Spreading the wealth that way makes them very difficult to defend — especially when lighting the lamp more than once or twice against them has become a Herculean task, as of late.
And to think, leading goal-scorer Kyle Connor (17) has missed more than a month of action but is expected to return in the next couple weeks.
Kyle Connor is expected to make his return to the roster in the next few weeks after injury put him out for more than a month. (David Zalubowski / The Canadian Press files)
KEN SAYS: There’s certainly not as much juice as there would have been had Bedard been available. He’s the only player on the Blackhawks current roster that has actually scored against the Jets this season, with all three goals in the two previous meetings.
What will Cole Perfetti do for an encore after producing the first two-goal game of his NHL career?
It’s a good question. Perfetti, who added an assist for a three-point night Tuesday (giving him 29 points in 40 games), is back in his offensive rhythm and he’s up to 14 goals (leaving him in a three-way tie for second on the Jets with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers). He’s on pace to be well north of 25 as the Jets hit the midway point.
A wild stat about the Jets seven-game winning streak is that seven different players supplied a game-winning goal during that span: Brenden Dillon, Perfetti, Nate Schmidt, Gabriel Vilardi, Ehlers, Dominic Toninato and Nino Niederreiter.
Brossoit will get his 11th start of the season and much like his goalie partner, Connor Hellebuyck, is riding a remarkable hot streak. Since Dec. 1, Brossoit is rocking a .952 save percentage in those five games while posting a record of 4-1. Mrazek played great against the Jets last month, making 37 saves in the 2-1 Blackhawks win, so Brossoit will need to be sharp.
For the Blackhawks, Jason Dickinson is having an excellent season and is second on the team with 14 goals in 41 games, which leaves him one behind Bedard. Dickinson played for Jets head coach Rick Bowness in Dallas and, given his ability to play centre or wing, might be on the radar for many clubs — including the Jets — as the NHL trade deadline approaches.
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