Game 36: Winnipeg Jets vs Minnesota Wild pre-game report

The Jets are looking to kick off the post-Christmas break with a better effort that we saw before the holidays as they have been on a slide although they showed some fight in their final game erasing a 3-0 deficit before losing in OT.

They take on a Wild team that was also on a slide before the break but one that has established themselves as the third best team in the Central.

Skate news:

As per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press here are the lines and D pairs.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

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

Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Stanley-Schenn
Fleury-Miller

Hellebuyck
Comrie

Wild projected lines & D pairs:

Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Trenin-Yurov-Tarasenko
Foligno-Sturm-Hinostroza

Hughes-Faber
Brodin-Spurgeon
Middleton-Bogosian

Wallstedt

Coach media availability:

Odds:

Oddsmakers have Minnesota installed as favourites in this matchup, and the case is built on the Wild’s stronger season-long profile. Despite hitting a skid prior to the break, Minnesota has solidified itself as the third-best team in the Central and has consistently banked points against divisional opponents. Winnipeg returns from the pause looking to halt a downturn of its own, though a late push in its last outing offered a glimpse of resolve. The Jets will need to channel that urgency from the opening faceoff, but the Wild’s overall consistency and standing in the division give them the edge to set the tone.. 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 8:40 PM CST as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.