JGD 3: TAKE DOWN THE KING(S)

The Jets season is only two games old and the team has already played their worst and their best. After pummeling the Arizona Coyotes (am I the only one who likes the name change?) in their season debut, it seemed as if they used up all of their offense during last night’s tilt with the San Jose Sharks.

The Jets will take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings tonight, and the Jets actually find themselves ahead of the Kings in the standings. The Kings are going through an obvious Stanley Cup hangover, and they have played more games than any other NHL team in the last three years. The Jets will want to get as many wins as they can early on and taking advantage of a team that is slumping despite their superiority will be a testament to their fortunes at the end of the season.

Lines provided by Daily Faceoff

It doesn’t appear that there will be any lineup changes for the Jets heading into the Staples Centre. The Jets will be hoping this group plays a lot more like the 3rd period version as opposed to the 1st period version. For those who need a refreshment, the Jets managed just three shots in the first period while seeing the Sharks put 15 pucks at Ondrej Pavalec, who is off to a decent start. In the third period however, the Jets outshot the Sharks 14-zip. That’s zip. Zip against the hungry, big-toothed Sharks. I hate sharks.

The Jets will be hoping that Galiardi can step up into a top nine role in Evander Kane’s absence. The more I hear about Kane’s injury the more frightened and concerned I am for the Jets. Even though he can be a handful for the media, the kid can flat out play and his absence is crucial for the Jets.

No reason to change this group .Trouba and Stuart have actually looked like a decent pairing, and Bogosian/Enstrom together is a solid pairing. We know the Jets don’t quite have the best defensive group but they utilize what they have decently. 

The final pairing is the most interesting. Adam Pardy, in my honest opinion, is not an NHL defenceman. Kevin McCartney suggested that Keaton Ellerby will be in the final pairing, leaving Pardy, Postma, and Clitsome to work for the other spot. Hell, i’m sure Brenden Kichton and Will O’Neill could get some time in the big league and take that spot. It’s anybody’s guess.

The Kings are a championship team with a championship roster. The group is still intact, and That 70’s Line is bound to get their gears. I was shocked to see Andy Andreoff on the top line, but I guess he’s filling in for Justin Williams. Not a bad set of linemates to see during a young NHL career.

I’ll be honest and say I haven’t watched enough NHL hockey so far to get an honest look at this team. The Kings defense is a well-oiled machine. Even with the absence of Jake Muzzin, the Kings have a good filler in Brayden McNabb, who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at last year’s trade deadline.

It’s only a matter of time before this group is shutting down opposing team’ offense en route to another lengthy playoff race.

Game Day Prediction: The Kings can’t stay bad for long, and even though they may not be prepared to play at their highest level, the should still be able to build off their last game and finally muscle out a win over the Jets. Ondrej Pavalec has looked pretty good so far, and that is a huge compliment for me. This one goes down to the wire, but the Kings get their first win of the season with a 3-2 victory.

Obvious Prediction: That 70’s Line shows us all that they weren’t just a fluke last year, combining for 7 points, including two goals from the veteran of the group, Jeff Carter.

Not So Obvious Prediction: With a theme of non-fighters dropping the gloves lately (hello NUGE!) Mathieu Perreault decides to drop the gloves with Matt Nieto to earn the respect of the Winnipeg faithful, hoping it will jumpstart his offensive production that will propel the remainder of his season.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!