JGD9: Sabres Shuffle Into Winnipeg For Afternoon Date With Jets

Last season the Winnipeg Jets didn’t win three games in a row until the very end of the 2015-16 campaign when they were already well out of playoff contention and it had looked like at the time that three wins in a row would hurt their chances at a high draft pick. (Thankfully as we all know the lotto balls bounced the Jets way in what some would say was good karma for a Jets team that didn’t outright tank the final string of games)

Today the Jets have – one would hope – a pretty chance to win their third game in a row early on in the season and start building some real momentum going into November.

(Lines courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com)

Expect lines to stay pretty much the same as they were against Colorado on Friday although we’re not certain if it will be Thorburn in the lineup of Marko Dano getting his first game of the season since his call-up on Friday. Hellebuyck should get the start today even with Hutch coming off the 37 save shutout in Denver.

(Lines courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com)

Robin Lehner will get the start today even though it was Anders Nilsson who posted a 33 save shutout against the Florida Panthers in a 3-0 Sabres win the day before. Lehner has been fighting an illness the last week and a half or so. The win against the Panthers snapped a four game winless streak the Sabres had been on. Offensively this team is missing Evander Kane and Jack Eichel big time as they are second last in the league in goals for with 17. The Sabres top line of Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo and Matt Moulson lead the way offensively but after that there isn’t much to expect goal scoring wise. Rasmus Ristolainen leads the team in points with 7 (all assists)

Game Prediction: The Sabres are in the second half of a back-to-back on the road, are a little beat up and playing a goalie who hasn’t seen game action in a while. This isn’t so much a ‘prediction’ as it is a statement: The Jets will come out quick and bury the Sabres early on the way to a 5-1 win.

Obvious Prediction: This game doesn’t have the hype that it would if say Drew Stafford or Evander Kane were playing. That said, the best player from that well known trade *is* playing and it doesn’t take a #OneManArmia to figure out who that player is…

Not So Obvious Prediction: Jets fans will not know what to do with their feelings once they win three in a row. Are we allowed to feel this overly positive about the team this early on in the season?