JGD 33: Jets Look to Make it Two in a Row Tonight in Edmonton
8 years ago
After a great 60-minute effort against the New York Rangers, where they came out with a 5-2 win, the Jets look to make it two wins in a row tonight as they head off to face another struggling team, the Edmonton Oilers.
This will be the first of three meetings between the Jets and Oilers this season.
Just a week ago, the Oilers were one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They were riding a six-game winning streak while beating some very good teams, including the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers.
Since then, they have lost three straight while being outscored 13-3 in the process.
That’s the Oilers we all know and love.
Still, even with the savior of the franchise Connor McDavid out, the Oilers have become a much improved team from last year. They have plenty of weapons that could basically score at will if the Jets decide to fall asleep for even a second.
For the Jets, it’s the first of a mini two-game road trip to Alberta. To get wins are important, but honestly, the Jets need to focus on playing another 60-minute effort again like they did against the Rangers. Start building that consistency in their game, and the wins will take care of themselves.
LINEUPS
Lineups courtesy of Daily Faceoff.
Winnipeg Jets (15-15-2)
No lineup changes up front for the Jets.
Bryan Little is coming of a two-goal, 3 point performance against the New York Rangers.
In the month of December (7 games), Mark Scheifele leads the Jets in scoring with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists). Matthieu Perreault and Blake Wheeler are right behind him with 8 points each (both 1 goal, 7 assists).
No lineup changes on the defensive pairings either.
Byfuglien and Myers both had goals last game against the Rangers.
Every time I look at that 5-7 pair, I cringe.
Hellebuyck is likely to get the start tonight against Edmonton. Hellebuyck had a strong game against the Rangers, stopping 26 of 28 for his fifth win of the year.
That means we could see Hutchinson tomorrow night in Calgary. However, if Hellebuyck has a strong game tonight, don’t be surprised if Maruice sticks with Hellebuyck tomorrow as well. Usually you wouldn’t start the same goalie on a back-to-back, but with the Christmas break coming up, it couldn’t hurt.
Edmonton Oilers (14-18-2)
Leon Draisaitl has arguably been the Oilers best player since being inserted into the lineup. In 24 games this season, he has 9 goals and 19 assists for 28 points and has a plus-10 rating.
The individual most benefiting from Draisitl would be Taylor Hall. Hall has 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in 34 games this season.
Jordan Eberle has also regained his scoring form as of late. In the month of December (9 games), he has five goals and three assists.
Mark Fayne returns to the lineup tonight after a short stint in the AHL.
The Oilers are pretty banged up on the back end. They’ve been without their captain Andrew Ference for most of the season. They’ve recently suffered injuries to Oscar Klefbom and Brandon Davidson.
They’ve struggled to get offensive production from their defensemen this season. Andrej Sekera is thier leading scorer on defense with 4 goals and 9 assists on the season.
Cam Talbot is the confirmed starter for the Oilers tonight.
Talbot has only played twice so far in December, splitting the two games. He stood on his head in a game against the Boston Bruins, stopping 47 of 49 for the win. Then, had a not so great game a few days later against the Chicago Blackhawks, stopping 33 of 37 in the loss.
In his defense, when you get shelled for 37 shots, especially against the Blackhawks, you’re more than likely going to let a few in.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Courtesy of publish.oilersnation.com
The Oilers have won six straight home games and are 8-2-1 on home ice since October 29th. They haven’t won this often when having last change since 2007/2008 when they were 23-17-1.The Oilers have won six straight home games and are 8-2-1 on home ice since October 29th. They haven’t won this often when having last change since 2007/2008 when they were 23-17-1.The last five seasons they’ve been dreadful on home ice.Fifteen wins in 41 home games last year.A paltry 13 home wins in 2014.Nine wins in 24 games during the lockout.Fourteen wins in 2012.A measly 12 home wins in 2010/2011.During the past decade only two western conference teams have made the playoffs by winning fewer than half their home games: The 2008/2009 Anaheim Ducks were 20-18-3 and the 2005/2006 Oilers were 20-15-6. Both finished eighth in the Western Conference.At the beginning of the season the Oilers had to improve every facet of their games, and winning on home ice was one of them. The Oilers have outscored their opponents 40-30 in their last eleven home games, and after starting the season 1-3 at home, they seem to have learned how to win in Rexall.They are far from perfect, or course, but before this team becomes a playoff team they need to improve certain areas of their overall game, and a big one is making Rexall Place a more difficult place for opponents.Five of their last six home wins came against playoff teams, so they aren’t just beating fellow bottom feeders.Rarely do good teams lose three games in a row. The OIlers are not a good team yet, but if they want to become an average team they must avoid losing streaks of four or more games.
PREDICTIONS
Game Day Prediction: The Oilers have won six straight at home. Won’t be an easy one by any means, but I think the Jets put an end to that streak tonight. Jets win 4-3.
Obvious Prediction: The Oilers will look to expose that Stuart and Chariot combination as much as possible.
Not so Obvious Prediction: The Jets will put 40 shots on Tablot tonight.
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