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NASHVILLE — Welcome to Music City, where the Winnipeg Jets have a chance to wrap up what’s already been a successful three-game road trip on a high note.
After sweeping the state of Florida — a 3-2 victory on Wednesday over Tampa Bay and a 3-0 triumph over the Florida Panthers on Friday — the visitors are now riding a season-high five-game winning streak and enter play tied for second in the Central Division with the Dallas Stars, only two points back of the first-place Colorado Avalanche.
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This is the second meeting of the year between the Jets and Predators, with Winnipeg beating Nashville 6-3 back on Nov. 9 at Canada Life Centre. Kyle Connor led the way with a hat trick in that contest.
Laurent Brossoit vs. Juuse Saros was the goalie match-up that night, and we’ll get an encore tonight as Connor Hellebuyck, coming off his 33-save shutout of the Panthers, gets some well-deserved extra rest.
It looks like the highly anticipated return of Jets forward Gabe Vilardi from his sprained MCL (knee) will have to wait at least one more game, perhaps on Tuesday night when the Jets open a four-game homestand against the Stars.
Here’s some additional information to get you set for puck drop:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Winnipeg is coming off what was, in my eyes, their best all-around performance of the young season. The attention to defensive detail and commitment to doing all the little things well was on full display Friday, and I was impressed at how comfortable they looked playing in a tight-checking game, especially against a red-hot opponent. There was no cheating for offence, the way we’ve often seen in the past, and they simply were content to stick to the script and wait for Florida to make a mistake, then pounce. It was quite a welcome back for head coach Rick Bowness, and the kind of game that can become a blueprint going forward.
I like the move to give Brossoit his fifth start of the year. There’s no sense wearing out Hellebuyck, who has played 15 of the first 19 games, especially with Dallas on deck. Although Brossoit is 2-1-1 this year, he has yet to record what is deemed a “quality start” based on NHL metrics. Is tonight the night?
Nashville is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde club. It followed up four straight losses, including ones at home to Arizona and Anaheim, with four straight victories. The latest, on Friday, was an 8-3 shellacking of the St. Louis Blues, so no doubt the Preds are feeling pretty good about the state of their offensive game coming into this one.
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILESThe Winnipeg Jets will face off against the Nashville Predators for the second time this month, this time at Bridgestone Arena.
KEN SAYS: As the Jets look to keep this streak rolling, they’re facing a team that hasn’t forgotten the 6-3 defeat in Winnipeg, one that featured the fifth career hat trick from Kyle Connor, who had a four-point game along with linemate Mark Scheifele.
The Jets definitely executed their template to near perfection in Friday’s tidy 3-0 win over the Panthers, as Mike noted above. It’s difficult to put extended winning streaks together in the NHL and this heater has only allowed the Jets to stay in the three-way chase for top spot in the Central Division. The teams around them are also playing well, so they will continue to try and keep up the pace.
With so much talk about where Vilardi will best slot in once he returns, it’s important to note that Vladislav Namestnikov is riding a six-game point streak (producing one goal and seven points) and has collected at least a point in seven of the past nine games. Namestnikov has done an excellent job since sliding into the second-line centre role.
The Predators have a fun team to watch and should look a lot different on defence, since both Ryan McDonagh and Luke Schenn weren’t dressed on Nov. 9. Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg have found instant chemistry and are leading the way offensively, combining for 21 goals and 42 points through 19 games. It’s too bad Winnipegger Cody Glass is out of the lineup with an upper-body injury as he will miss a second game against his hometown team. The Predators do have Manitoba Junior Hockey League graduate Cole Smith in the lineup on the fourth line. Smith spent two seasons with the Steinbach Pistons before joining the University of North Dakota and is set to play his 98th NHL game with the Predators.
The atmosphere at Bridgestone Arena is among the best in the NHL, especially for a rivalry game like this one. It should be a highly-entertaining tilt on a fun sports day in Music City, where the Tennessee Titans faced the Carolina Panthers in NFL action on Sunday afternoon.
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