Well, here we are. We have officially reached the end of the so-called “First Half”. After tonight’s game with the Ducks, the NHL will take a few days off for the All-Star Game. Both teams are coming off wins, and are looking to start the break on a high note.

The Jets are coming off of their FIRST overtime win of the season after defeating the Sharks 5-4. While it was rather concerning that the Jets surrendered a 3-0 lead, it was nice to see the resiliency to push through and snatch those two points. What the game did bring were some rather drastic line changes. By the end of Tuesday’s game, Jack Roslovic ended up on the top line with Laine and Wheeler, while Kyle Connor dropped down to the 4th line with Matt Hendricks and Marko Dano. Another factor that changed things up was the loss of Dmitry Kulikov in the first period. Kulikov will not play tonight, which will certainly change things. Ben Chiarot will draw in.

The Ducks are fresh off of their 6-3 win over the Rangers, which was nearly the opposite of their game before that; a 6-2 loss to the Sharks. However, the Ducks have been running somewhat hot over the last ten, going 6-3-1. At the Honda Center, they hold a 7-3-1 record in their last ten home games. An issue for the Ducks is the lack of goal scoring. Much like the Jets, the last stretch of games provided a significant struggle in finding twine. In 5 of the last 8 games, the Ducks have scored 2 goals or fewer.

This is the 2nd of 3 games between these two teams, with the Jets winning the first game 4-1 in Anaheim. Nikolaj Ehlers was the difference maker in that game, recording 2 goals and 1 assist. Most games between these two are rather heated, and we should expect nothing less tonight.

In an ever-challenging matchup, both of these teams seemingly know exactly what to do to get under each other’s skin. I expect a fast and chippy game, and a Jets win. I have the Jets winning this game 3-1.