Game 24: Winnipeg Jets vs Nashville Predators pre-game report

Last game preview I wrote it is not yet do or die time with 60 games remaining in the season but they dropped a tough one in Carolina last night losing 5-1 to the Hurricanes. Now they are lucky in that the entire league is bunched up so despite the fact that Winnipeg has gone 3-8-0 in their last 11 games they are just three points back of a playoff spot with two games in hand.

The big question mark for the visitors tonight will be what sort of lineup adjustments they make ahead of the game. Head coach Scott Arniel said Neal Pionk will not be a player this evening. Will they inject Cole Koepke or Luke Schenn into the roster? Will they break up the top line to help distribute the wealth amongst lines 2-4? We will have to wait to see what happens in warm-up so for now it looks like how it did last night in Raleigh with exception of Eric Comrie getting the net.

The Predators are sitting last in the entire Western Conference although they are just four back of the Jets (with one more game played). They have won their last two games including last night in Chicago where they defeated the Hawks in regulation.

Special teams is in favour of the visitors as Winnipeg has the 6th ranked PP vs Nashville’s 23rd overall power play and when it comes to the penalty kill it also is in the Jets favour as they are listed at 6th overall while Preds are 16th.

Skate news:

No morning skate.

Warm-up news:

As per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press the lines have gone back to what they were before. On the backend Luke Schenn comes in and prospect Elias Salomonsson comes out.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Namestnikov-Toews-Perfetti
Niederreiter-Lowry-Iafallo
Pearson-Barron-Nyquist

Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Schenn
Stanley-Miller

Comrie

Predators projected lines & D pairs:

Stamkos-O’Reilly-Evangelista
Forsberg-Haula-Wood
Bunting-McCarron-Wiesblatt
Schaefer-Svechkov-Jost

Hague-Josi
Skjei-Perbix
Stastney-Blankenburg

Annunen

Based on how they played last night against the Hawks in Chicago according to Predators Radio Broadcaster Max Herz.

Odds:

Winnipeg enters the matchup on a four-game slide, yet the oddsmakers still have the Jets favored over the Predators. Nashville, meanwhile, comes in riding a two-game winning streak and looking to keep that momentum going. The question is whether Winnipeg can tighten up, cut down on the costly errors, and finally reconnect their game, or if the Predators will continue their steady, confident play and extend the Jets’ frustrations. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.

Up Next:

Puck drop is at 6 PM CST. Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action. You can join us on our YouTube channel for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show around 9:40 PM CST as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.