JGD 68: The tank rolls on as Jets hosting Avs

The Winnipeg Jets host a Gabriel Landeskog-less Colorado Avalanche at MTS in a game of two teams that really should not be in the playoffs, but one is due to the messes that are the Pacific Division and the Minnesota Wild.

Let’s join hands and give a moment of silence to the season that was the 2015-2016 Jets. It’s been a tough year for the 27-35-5 Jets. There was so much promise at the start, and now the only promise is the youth for future years.

The Jets top line really only have two top-line players, and one complementary middle-six player. The Jets second line should really be a third line. Then the Jets have two fourth lines. Go team depth! The tank is on!!

Scheifele leds the Jets in goals with 21, while Blake Wheeler leads the team with 59 points.

Despite the ugliness that is the Jets’ forward group, the defense is not that bad. Toby Enstrom – Dustin Byfuglien are a bonafide top pair and there are quite a few second pairs worse than the Jacob Trouba – Tyler Myers duo. Ben Chiarot is a slight upgrade on Mark Stuart, and Paul Postma is the ulitmate “does your eye-test suck” test (hint: he doesn’t… well for a 3rd pair defender).

The Jets goaltending has been comically bad, and not in the ha-ha comedy, but the Shakesperian tragic comedy variant. Pavelec carries a 902 save percentage this season and a 907 career. Hutchinson meanwhile has not been much better with a 904 save percentage this season, although he has a better career at 912.

These are the Avs the Jets will be facing. In net will be Semyon Varlamov.

Game Day Prediction: Jets lose, because that’s what they have been doing.

Obvious Prediction: Jets win, because they never do what I expect of them.

Not So Obvious Prediction: Ondrej Pavelec stops all the pucks and is given a 5 year extension along with Mark Stuart.