JGD 5: The Jets And Oilers Take It Outside

All eyes of the hockey world will be on Winnipeg this afternoon but due to more than just the novelty of an outdoor game in Winnipeg.

Connor McDavid and the Oilers have had a fantastic start to the season and have triggered memories of the 80’s Oilers we saw a glimpse of yesterday. Patrik Laine made his statement to a national TV audience on Wednesday and the young Jets are quickly becoming the cardiac kids of the NHL.

This is gonna be fun!

The important thing here to know is that Chris Thorburn may draw in to the lineup today as Paul Maurice and the coaching staff have been agonizing over the conflict of playing the guys who give you the best chance to win a game that does count for two points in the standings as opposed to playing long time vets who have deserved a chance to play in a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Also Drew Stafford as a top-six forward is still a bit of a concern and we continue to hope Kyle Connor starts to light it up soon so he can take that spot until Bryan Little comes back.

Again much like Thor, Mark Stuart may be put into the lineup today but unlike Thor we know who goes out in his place and honestly at this point is there much difference between Chiarot and Stuart? Chiarot has had poor moments in a game that even Mark Stuart was never guilty of, but on the other hand we’re almost certain Chiarot won’t put himself out of position to make a big hit that has no actual effect on the game. Either way this group is in tough against an Oilers team that loves to use it’s speed to pressure the defense.

Hellebuyck likely gets the start today as the goalie rotation continues. His numbers aren’t the greatest at the moment. 1-1-0 with an .863 save percentage. The Jets are going to need one of these two to start stepping up and putting in a great game-saving performance given how the defense in front of them has been.

EDMONTON (4-1-0)

That first line is something else for the Oilers and may be the most dangerous line in the NHL right now – mostly thanks to 97. The issue for the Oilers is that the other three lines have been spotty production wise at best and they need some consistency in a big way. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has yet to register a goal this season which has been a concern.

Much like the Jets defense, the top pairing is good and will be leaned on heavily, but after that it gets sketchy. The Jets can exploit this group with speed and puck movement, but if they try to get into a physical back-and-forth with them, the odds start to favor the Oilers.

Cam Talbot (4-1-0 & .904 Save %) will get the start today for Edmonton. He dominated the Jets in his two appearances against them last season and is coming off a strong start against the Blues on Thursday. A win today would cap off a pretty special week for him as he also became the father of a set of twins on Wednesday.

Game Prediction: It’s hard to say that this is “just another game” for the Oilers, but I imagine they’ll come in with a bit more focus than the Jets will. They’ll use that to jump to an early lead and take the win 5 – 2.

Obvious Prediction: The Jets are going to fall behind early again and make a crazy push late in the game much like they have the first four games.

Not So Obvious Prediction: We’re going to keep predicting a first goal for Kyle Connor until it actually happens, the kid is due. Unfortunately so is “Nuge” who also get his first of the season and the GWG.