Game Day Set-Up: Jets @ Rangers

When: Saturday, November 1, 2014

Time: 6:00 p.m. CST

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

Records: Winnipeg Jets (4-5-1), New York Rangers (5-4-0)

Television/Radio: SN, MSG / TSN 1290 Radio

On the Horizon: Sunday, November 2nd on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks (8:00 p.m. CST).

Last Game: 2-1 loss (SO) to the New Jersey Devils

Top Scorers:

Winnipeg Jets: Bryan Little (5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points), Tobias Enstrom (0 goals, 8 assists, 8 points), Andrew Ladd (4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points), Blake Wheeler (4 goals, 2 assists, 6 points), Zach Bogosian (0 goals, 4 assists, 4 points)

New York Rangers: Rick Nash (9 goals, 2 assists, 11 points), Derick Brassard (4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points), Martin St.Louis (1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points), Chris Kreider (2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points), Anthony Duclair (1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points)

Game Day Notes:

– This is the third game of a four game road trip for the Jets. The Jets final game of the road trip is tomorrow against the Chicago Blackhawks (8:00 p.m. CST).

– According to Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun, Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec will make his 9th straight start in net for the Jets tonight. Pavelec was excellent on Thursday night, stopping 27 of 28 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils. Pavelec’s stat line on the season: 4-4-1, 2.34 Goals Against Average, .908 Save Percentage.

– According to Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record newspaper, Rangers Centre Derek Stepan may soon be ready to return from injury. Stepan has not played a regular season game yet this year. Stepan broke his leg back on September 24th. Stepan had 17 goals and 40 assists in 82 games last year.

– 22-year-old rookie forward Kevin Hayes will play for the Rangers tonight. He was a healthy scratch last game. Hayes has one goal and one assist in 6 games this year.

– Rangers Top Face-off Guy: Derick Brassard (55.5%, 20th in NHL)

– Jets Top Face-off Guy: Jim Slater (59.0%, 6th in NHL)

– Who’s Under the Microscope for New York: Henrik Lundqvist. The 32-year-old Swedish netminder has been fairly average to start the season. Lundqvist has a save percentage of .891 and a Goals Against Average of 3.25, numbers which are way below his career average. Lundqvist has allowed 10 goals in his last three starts. The 2012 Vezina Trophy Winner is still one of the best goaltenders in the league. Expect those numbers to get better throughout the season.

– Who’s Under the Microscope for Winnipeg: Jacob Trouba. The 20-year-old second year defenseman has registered just one point in 10 games but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t played well. Trouba averages 22-23 minutes per game, plays in all situations and has been the team’s best defenseman on many nights.

Special Teams Breakdown:

– New York Rangers PP (8.7%, 27th in NHL), New York Rangers PK (66.7%, 30th in NHL)

– Winnipeg PP (8.8%, 25th in NHL), Winnipeg PK (85.0%, 10th in NHL)

Projected Winnipeg Jets Line Combinations:

Evander Kane- Mark Scheifele- Blake Wheeler
Andrew Ladd- Bryan Little- Michael Frolik
Mathieu Perreault- Adam Lowry -Dustin Byfuglien
TJ Galiardi- Jim Slater- Chris Thorburn

Tobias Enstrom- Zach Bogosian
Mark Stuart- Jacob Trouba
Grant Clitsome- Paul Postma

Ondrej Pavelec
Michael Hutchinson

Healthy Scratches: Patrice Cormier, Matt Halischuk, Adam Pardy

Projected New York Rangers Line Combinations:

Rick Nash- Derick Brassard- Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider- Martin St.Louis- Anthony Duclair
Carl Hagelin- Dominic Moore- Lee Stempniak
Kevin Hayes- Chris Mueller- Tanner Glass

Ryan McDonagh- Kevin Klein
Marc Staal- Dan Girardi
Matt Hunwick- Michael Kostka

Henrik Lundqvist
Cam Talbot

Healthy Scratches: Jesper Fast, Ryan Malone

Injury Report:

New York Rangers: John Moore (suspension), Dan Boyle (hand),  Derek Stepan (leg)

Winnipeg Jets:  Anthony Peluso (upper body, IR)