JGD 1: Jets host Hurricanes in Home Opener

• It’ll be really interesting to see how Josh Morrissey’s game will benefit from playing alongside Dustin Byfuglien on the team’s top pair. Morrissey could play close to 25 minutes a game on the top pair with ‘Big Buff’. 
• The Jets have four solid lines tonight. You read that correctly, four. And for once, the team’s fourth line is more than capable of playing over 3 minutes a game. 
• Jets twitter is rejoicing today. Mark Stuart and Chris Thorburn are healthy scratch’s and Ondrej Pavelec was re-assigned to the Moose, the Jets are a new and improved hockey team heading in to their sixth season.
• While I’m not the biggest Mark Stuart fan, I do have to say having Ben Chiarot in the lineup over him isn’t an improvement by leaps and bounds. 
• The Connor-Perreault-Laine line has the potential to be really exciting but I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul Maurice eased the kids in to the lineup with third line minutes in their debuts. 
• It’ll be interesting to see what Shawn Matthias looks like in a Jets uniform. Matthias got banged up in training camp and Jets fans didn’t get a good look at the Jets free-agent acquisition. 

• The Canes third line looks really intriguing tonight, it’ll be interesting to see if that line is matched up against the Jets youthful third line. 
• Viktor Rask could be one of the most underrated youngsters in the league. Last season Rask recorded 21 goals and 48 points in 80 games. The 23 year old centre looks to skate down the middle on the Hurricanes first line to start out the year. But that could be subject to change if Elias Lindholm moves up the ranks.
• It’s a battle of the Fins tonight between Carolina forward Sebastian Aho and Jets forward Patrik Laine making their NHL debuts against each other. 
• Teuvo Teravainen makes his debut for the Hurricanes after being shipped to Carolina in a cap-crunch move by the Chicago Blackhawks. Teravainen saw plenty of sheltered minutes with the Hawks while playing behind plenty of star power in the Windy City. He’ll have ample opportunity to thrive in North Carolina, a change of scenery was needed for the 22 year old forward. 
• Cam Ward gets the start and he’ll be in a battle all year with Eddie Lack for the team’s starting reigns. 

Predictions