Game 56: Winnipeg Jets vs Montreal Canadiens pre-game report

The Jets are back in Winnipeg for one game after four on the road which saw them go 2-1-1 including an exciting 4-3 OT loss in their last game on Monday night in Dallas. They will welcome the Habs to town for tonight before the team takes off for parts unknown for a few weeks during the Olympic break. Similarly, Montreal is also coming off a 4-3 OT loss two days back which they suffered at the hands of the Wild in St. Paul.

Unlike the home team the visitors are battling for top spot in their respective division. They’ve been solid on the road securing points in 22 of 28 games while inside CLC the Jets have points in 17 of 27 games (12-10-5).

Similar to the last game the Jets played their opponent has an excellent power play (7th overall). Where this opponent differs is they have a brutal penalty kill (27th) which could be an area to be exploited in the game.

Skate news:

No changes for the Jets today.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

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

Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Salomonsson
Stanley-Schenn

Hellebuyck

Canadiens projected lines & D pairs:

Caufield – Suzuki – Dach
Slafkovsky – Kapanen – Demidov
Anderson – Danault – Gallagher
Veleno – Evans – Bolduc

Hutson – Dobson
Matheson – Guhle
Struble – Carrier

Montembeault

Players media availability:

Coach media availability:

Odds:

The outlook is finely balanced, with neither side holding a clear edge on paper. Winnipeg’s return home offers a chance to dictate stretches, while Montreal brings the composure of a team comfortable in tight games. It shapes up as a competitive matchup where small details are likely to decide the outcome. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.

Up Next:

Join us at 12 noon for a Special Edition of Illegal Curve Hockey live from Cityplace as we reflect on all things Jets. It’s also a special day for us as it is the 17th anniversary of Illegal Curve first hitting the airwaves in Manitoba back on Red River Radio.

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.

David Minuk

Working hard on a daily basis to provide the latest Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose news for our readers and listeners. I also appear on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show every Saturday on our YouTube channel as well as the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show after every single Jets game. And I occasionally jump in the play-by-play booth at Canada Life to provide colour analysis during Manitoba Moose games.