JGD 6: Jets travel to Dallas to face injury riddled Stars

Winnipeg 

• The Jets lineup tonight is, for a lack of a better term, different. Kyle Connor draws out after a sluggish game against the Oilers and Chris Thorburn replaces his spot in the lineup. Mark Stuart returns to the back-end and Paul Postma will sit in the press-box tonight.
• The Kyle Connor scratch is kind of puzzling. Growing pains are going to be expected with the 19 year-old forward and struggling a bit for the first five games doesn’t warrant a scratch if you ask me. But then again, this may not be as much of a negative on Connor’s game, rather an attempt to get Thorburn back in the lineup. Paul Maurice has made it apparent he wants to get veterans Chris Thorburn and Mark Stuart in the lineup every so often. Apparently that loyalty takes a front seat over letting prized youngster Kyle Connor play out of his slump. Then again, this scratch isn’t as bad as when the Jets scratched Joel Armia for Chris Thorburn. 
• Dont expert much from the Jets fourth line tonight. The team’s third unit tonight is the team’s usual fourth line and tonight a line of Thorburn-Burmistrov-Tanev likely wont get more than a handful of shifts. 
• The goalie rotation continues in Winnipeg and it likely will continue this way for the immediate future. Neither Hellebuyck or Hutchinson has proved they can be the team’s undisputed starter and until one does it’ll be an even split of games. 

Dallas

• Does the Stars lineup for tonights game look a little bit weird? That’s what happens when you have Jason Spezza ( game time decision) ,Cody Eakin, Ales Hemsky, Jiri Hudler, Patrick Sharp and Matthias Janmark sidelined with injury.  
• The Stars defense and goaltending has not improved since last season. Dallas’ is allowing 3.20 goals per game ( 10th most in the league) thus far in to the season. That number will have to decrease if the Stars want to make it farther in to the playoffs than they have the last couple of years. 
• Look out for Brett Ritchie tonight. Ritchie will skate on the team’s second line tonight and the 22 year-old right wing could flourish with the opportunity the team’s injuries will give him. 

Prediction