Game 74: Winnipeg Jets vs Chicago Blackhawks pre-game report

The Jets held an optional practice on Monday in Chicago where we really just learned that the trio of injured players  (Vlad Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter and Colin Miller) were skating in yellow, non-contact. We also learned that Morgan Barron remained back in Winnipeg as he works his way back from being placed in concussion protocol.

The only game that was played last night which impacted the race for the final wild card spot saw San Jose defeat St. Louis in regulation which meant the Sharks move one point up on the Jets (with a game in hand) while the Blues remain a point back (with the same number of games remaining).

But as the players like to say the only thing that matters for the Jets is tonight’s game against the Hawks in the Windy City where they absolutely need two points. The good news for the visitors is that the home team has lost three straight games.

Skate news:

As per radio colour analyst of the Jets on 680 CJOB, Mitchell Clinton no changes for the Jets from the lineup they used to beat the Avs.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Perfetti-Lowry-Vilardi
Koepke-Toews-Lambert
Rosén-Zhilkin-Ford

Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Bryson-Salomonsson

Hellebuyck

Blackhawks projected lines & D pairs:

Greene-Bedard-Lardis
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Mikheyev
Donato-Nazar-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Lafferty-Slaggert

Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Korchinski-Del Mastro

Knight

The lines and D pairs are updated via Scott Powers who covers the Hawks for The Athletic.

Players media availability:

To follow.

Coach media availability:

To follow.

Odds:

The Jets road trip continues with a key opportunity to bank two points against a slumping Blackhawks side. Winnipeg comes in as a slight favourite on the odds, but with the playoff race tightening, they’ll need a focused effort to take advantage and avoid letting critical points slip away. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.

Up Next:

Puck drop is at 7:30 PM CT. 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 10:10 PM CT 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.

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