The day has finally arrived! Mark Scheifele is returning for tonight’s game against the Blues. While any recovery from injury is appreciated right now, this addition is especially nice. However, the injury bug hasn’t nearly found it’s way out, as the Jets currently have 7 out with injury (Hendricks, Hutchinson, Lowry, Mason, Matthias, Tanev, and Trouba). What’s impressive is that the Jets have gone 11-2-3 in Scheifele’s absence, and are currently riding an 8 game point streak with a bunch of those players hitting the injury list at some point during that time. That seems good. Is that good?

The Jets are coming off of a 4-3 win over Arizona on Tuesday that left a lot to be desired. They look to show a bit more spunk as they take on the Blues tonight. Along with that win over Arizona, the Jets have collected points in 8 straight games. The lines change yet again due to injury, with us now seeing a youthful boost on that 4th line with Dano, Petan, and Roslovic. Another notable change is the injection of Mark Scheifele on the top line between Laine and Wheeler. I sense many goals from that line in the not-so-distant future.

The Blues are fresh off of a 6-1 victory over the Avalanche last night in St. Louis, and like almost all of the other Central Division teams, have been hot over the last few weeks. Going 7-3-0 in their last ten, they have continued to keep pace in the so called “ThunderDome” that is the Central Division. Leading scorer Brayden Schenn is coming off a two-goal game, and could be heating up again after starting the season on very hot run.

These two last played in a back-to-back, home-and-home series (there were many hyphens used then, I know). Those two games were split, with the Blues winning the first one by a 2-0 score, thanks in large part to a 48 save shutout from Carter Hutton. The Jets flipped the script and shut out the Blues the next night 4-0. Will the 3rd game between these two teams yield another shutout? Or will we finally see both teams score some goals.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about the lineup tonight, and I think that’s the case for many of us. The skill on display is ridiculous, and hey, that top-line looks really, really nice. With all the offense on display, I don’t think there will be a shutout in this one. Jets win this one 5-3.