Game 59: Winnipeg Jets vs San Jose Sharks pre-game report

The Jets left Anaheim on Saturday after suffering a disappointing overtime loss to the Ducks in a game where they could ill afford to lose an extra point as they attempt to get back into the playoff picture from well back of the pack. They also had a pair of players dealing with injuries as Vlad Namestnikov was lost week-to-week after colliding with captain Adam Lowry in the 2nd period while Mark Scheifele went knee-on-knee in OT. The top centre for Winnipeg didn’t skate yesterday at practice but his head coach said it was a maintenance day.

The lineup will change slightly for the visitors as Walker Duehr will make his Jets season debut while Haydn Fleury replaces Ville Heinola on the backend.  Fleury has been out since January 6th when he smoked the boards in a game against the Golden Knights.

San Jose is coming off a 5-4 victory over Edmonton on Saturday which could play to Winnipeg’s advantage if they can take advantage of their opponent’s potentially tired legs. The Sharks sit five points up in the standings and has been far more comfortable in its own building at 15-10-3, while Winnipeg has battled inconsistency on the road at 11-15-4. From a special teams perspective the Sharks have the 17th ranked PP and the 21st ranked PK.

Skate news:

No morning skate.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

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

Stanley-DeMelo
Samberg-Salomonsson
Fleury-Schenn

Hellebuyck

Sharks projected lines & D pairs:

Sherwood-Celebrini-Smith
Graf-Wennberg-Kurashev
Eklund-Misa-Toffoli
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Regenda

Orlov-Klingberg
Ferraro-Mukhamadullin
Dickinson-Desharnais

Askarov

Via Sheng Peng of San Jose Sharks Now.

Odds:

The Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks come in with plenty on the line, and the margin between them feels slim. Winnipeg’s structure can make this a patient, methodical game, while San Jose’s confidence on home ice gives them a quiet boost. With urgency high on both benches, a single stretch of sustained pressure could be all it takes to separate them. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.

Up Next:

Puck drop is at 3 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 5:40 PM CST as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.