The Jets return home for two in a row this weekend, starting by hosting the expansion Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night, looking to avenge a 5-2 loss just 3 weeks ago.

The Jets had a rough night on Wednesday in Denver, losing 3-2 in overtime to the Avalanche.  Josh Morrissey and Bryan Little scored goals for the Jets, and Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves in a losing cause.  Even with that loss, Hellebuyck’s record on the season is now 13-2-3, with a 2.34 GAA and a .926 SV%, both 8th among qualified starters.  The Jets finished the month of November with a record of 9-3-2, which was the 3rd best record in the month, behind only Nashville (10-3-1) and Toronto (10-4-1).  The Jets are 8-2-1 at home this season.

The Golden Knights followed the victory against the Jets on November 10th with a 5 game win streak, but have since lost their last 2 games.  On Tuesday, Radek Faksa scored a natural hat trick, and Ben Bishop made 34 saves as the Dallas Stars beat Vegas 3-0, marking the first time the Knights were shutout this year.  Last night, the Knights lost 4-2 in St Paul against the Wild.  The Knights had a 2-1 lead just 5 minutes into the 3rd period, but the Wild responded with 3 goals in the 3rd for the victory.  Malcolm Subban made 28 saves in the loss last night, while Brayden McNabb and Jonathan Marchessault scored the goals for Vegas.

This is the second of three regular season meetings between these two teams.  On November 10th in Vegas, the Golden Knights rode a good start and a big second period to beat the Jets 5-2.  Adam Lowry and Patrik Laine scored for Winnipeg on that night, while William Karlsson led the way with a pair of goals for the Knights.  Connor Hellebuyck was pulled after giving up 5 goals on 22 shots.

The last time the Jets welcomed a team to Bell MTS Place after they had played in Minnesota the night before, the Jets put 5 goals on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 7-1 win on October 29th.  The Jets lead the league with 33 first period goals this season, and have an .818 winning percentage (9-1-1) when leading after 20 minutes, while the Knights have one of the biggest swings in record when scoring first compared to giving up the first goal.  The Knights are 9-1-0 when they score first, but just 6-7-1 when they give up the first goal.  All these numbers point to the first period being crucial in tonight’s game.

Eric Comrie

 

Maxime Lagace

The Jets have responded well after a loss this season, going 7-1-1 in games following a loss.  The Knights will be fatigued having played a tough game in Minnesota last night.  A quick start for the Jets will lead them to a solid win.  Jets win 6-2.