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The measuring-stick mantra can occasionally be overused during an 82-game schedule, but in this case the shoe definitely fits.
Just ask Winnipeg Jets defenceman Nate Schmidt, who weighed in on the subject Friday afternoon ahead of this marquee matchup against the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars.
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“You have to know,” said Schmidt. “It’s like in college football, when all of a sudden you have a team that’s 12-0 but they don’t play anybody, and then they get into the college football playoff and they get absolutely waxed.
“You have to know what you can put your faith in as a group. If you get punched in the mouth, what are we going to do? If you don’t ever get punched in the mouth, you don’t really understand how you’re going to react to it.”
Now, the Jets have faced more than their fair share of quality opponents while putting together an impressive stretch of just one regulation loss in the past nine games (6-1-2) but the Stars and Colorado Avalanche are the gold standard in the Central right now, so it’s up to the Jets to show they can stay in the race for top spot rather than remain in the large group of teams bunched up in the murky middle in the Western Conference.
Here’s what you need to know prior to puck drop:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
KEN SAYS: Jets left-winger Kyle Connor notched his fifth career hat trick in Thursday’s 6-3 win over the visiting Nashville Predators to move him among the league leaders with 11 goals — just two behind Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Linemate Mark Scheifele is coming off a four-assist evening and is tied with Connor for the team lead in points (16), while Alex Iafallo has six points in his past two outings and 12 on the season as the Jets’ top line has found its stride. Scheifele has 21 goals and 42 points in 38 career games against the Stars.
The Jets now have scored at least one power-play goal in each of the past four games, but they’re up against the top penalty-killing unit in the NHL today. The Stars have one of the most prolific top lines in hockey, with Roope Hintz (11 points) playing between Jason Robertson (10 points) and Joe Pavelski (12 points), boast a bona fide Norris Trophy candidate in Miro Heiskanen and a Vezina candidate in Jake Oettinger.
This goalie battle is a doozy, with Connor Hellebuyck returning to the net for Winnipeg (his 11th starting assignment in 14 games). Keep an eye on Stars forward Tyler Seguin, who has 28 goals and 53 points in 46 career games against the Jets during his career.
MIKE SAYS: It’s a Super Sports Saturday in Winnipeg, with a juicy Central Division battle serving as the appetizer before the main course — the CFL’s West Division Final between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions — across town at IG Field.
Facing the Stars will be one of the toughest tests of the young season for the Jets, and a strong performance would go a long way in boosting their status as a legitimate contender.
There are currently just seven NHL teams with more points than Winnipeg (16). The Jets have played five games so far against those clubs, going just 1–3-1 (Vegas Golden Knights twice, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Florida Panthers). Dallas will be the sixth in that department. To put it another way, Winnipeg is 6-1-1 against teams it’s currently either tied with or below in the standings.
The Jets’ struggling special teams are showing signs of waking up. They’ve scored at least one power-play goal in four consecutive contests and are a perfect six-for-six on the penalty kill over the last two outings.
I’ll be watching Hellebuyck closely. He’s still trying to find his consistent “A-game.” A downtown matinee — which he’s said in the past he loves — against one of the league heavyweights would be a great time for it to happen.
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