Game 44: Winnipeg Jets vs New Jersey Devils pre-game report

While the joy in joyland slightly increased for the Jets after they ended their 11-game winless streak with a win in their last game they streak speaks for itself. They did improve their play against the Kings in their 5-1 defeat which was all the more impressive given it was the second game of a back-to-back. But now the question is consistency. Can they bring the same game to this afternoon’s contest.

Yesterday at practice it was reported by Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press that Morgan Barron was in a yellow, non-contact while Neal Pionk wore a regular one after both players missed the game against Los Angeles. We will have to wait and see if warm-up skate reveals any lineup changes (aside from the expected return of Connor Hellebuyck after Eric Comrie had the net on Friday).

Things are not going particularly swimmingly for their opponent as the Devils have lost three straight games in regulation, have a 3-6-1 record in their last ten contests and sit six points back of the second wild card spot.

From a special teams perspective New Jersey hold the 14th ranked PP in the NHL while their PK is listed as 24th. Winnipeg’s power play remains 19th while their penalty kill has slipped to 22nd.

Skate news:

No morning skate.

Warm-up skate:

Neal Pionk was on the ice as warm-up began here in Winnipeg. No Luke Schenn. Also Morgan Barron did not participate.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo
Perfetti – Toews – Vilardi
Niederreiter – Lowry – Namestnikov
Koepke – Zhilkin – Pearson

Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Pionk
Stanley – Miller

Hellebuyck

Devils projected lines & D pairs:

Hughes-Hischier-Bratt
Meier-Mercer-Dadonov
Gritsyuk-Glass-Brown
Palat-Glendening-Cotter

Hughes-Pesce
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic
Dillon-Nemec

Allen

Odds:

This matchup comes with an uneasy sense of balance. Winnipeg finally steadied itself with a much-needed win, but the overall form remains uneven, while New Jersey arrives reeling after three straight losses and still searching for consistency. The Jets hold the slight edge on paper and situationally, yet their recent volatility keeps the door open for a Devils response fueled by urgency. With both teams showing cracks and neither in a true rhythm, this one projects as a competitive, grind-it-out game rather than a clear statement from either side. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.

Up Next:

Puck drop is at 1 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 3:40 PM CST as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.