The Jets are probably happy to get out on the road as a group, where they can turn their attention to a pair of Central Division opponents, beginning with the Blues tonight in St. Louis before taking on the Stars in Dallas on Thursday. It also gives Winnipeg an opportunity to get away from some of the noise surrounding Connor Hellebuyck, which has intensified since Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that the goaltender’s suspension will come to an end on Friday. We’ve heard from players and coaches alike that they’re doing their best to tune out the distractions and concentrate on the games in front of them.
As for the actual hockey, the Jets will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak after an overtime loss in Chicago and a regulation defeat to Carolina. They’ll face a Blues team that has also lost two straight, most recently falling 5-2 to Nashville on Saturday. With Josh Morrissey and Vlad Namestnikov both sidelined, Winnipeg will need others to step up as they look to get back in the win column.
While there was some excitement surrounding the recall of Jets prospect Brayden Yager from the AHL, he was an extra at practice yesterday. We’ll have to wait and see whether he makes his season debut for Winnipeg tonight or if the Jets stick with the same lines they used on Monday.
Skate news:
As per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press who is at the rink for morning skate the Jets will indeed use the same lines and D pairs they had yesterday at practice and Stuart Skinner gets the start. Brayden Yager’s season debut will have to wait.
Jets projected lines & D pairs:
Connor-Scheifele-Perfetti
Iafallo-Björck-Vilardi
Rosén-Lowry-Niederreiter
Koepke-Barron-Lambert
Samberg-Pionk
Ferraro-DeMelo
Fleury-Bauer
Skinner
Stevenson
Blues projected lines & D pairs:
Holloway-Thomas-Snuggerud
McMichael-McTavish-Berggren
Neighbours-Dvorsky-Buchnevich
Kaskimaki-Suter-Stenberg
Broberg-Barron
Jiricek-Parayko
Fowler-Carlo
Hofer
Binnington
As per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic who reported these were used in practice on Monday. We will update them based on morning skate.
Coach media availability:
To follow.
Odds:
Winnipeg heads into tonight’s matchup against St. Louis with the Blues holding a slight edge on home ice. The Jets will look to get back in the win column as they begin a two-game road trip against Central Division rivals. With Winnipeg dealing with injuries to key players, a strong start, disciplined defensive play and contributions from throughout the lineup will be important if they hope to leave St. Louis with two points. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.
Up Next:
Puck drop is at 7 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 9:40 PM CT as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login