“We got away with it against four non-playoff teams we won’t against elite teams” Game day 58 Winnipeg Jets @ Dallas Stars

Be sure to check Betway to check out the latest Jets game day odds and bet on the NHL! We’re going to be witnessing the battle for the top wagon in the Central Division. The Winnipeg Jets have already swept three teams in the division: the Minnesota Wild, the St. Louis Blues, and the Arizona Coyotes. If it weren’t for that meddling kid Connor Bedard, the Jets could have swept the Chicago Blackhawks too. However, the one team in the division that has given the Jets the most trouble over the last few seasons is the Dallas Stars, who are also fighting for the top spot with Winnipeg.

The Jets and Stars are tied in points, with the Jets having games in hand, but tonight’s game is a four-point swing for both clubs. The Stars have cooled off a bit and have lost their last two games. Since dominating the Nashville Predators 9-2 on Feb. 15th, they have won two games and are 1-3-3 since Feb. 17th.

The Jets, on the other hand, are 5-1-0 in the same time frame. The Stars did have a tougher schedule but were handily beaten by the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 27th and lost to the Ottawa Senators on the 22nd. The Jets are on a four-game winning streak, but those were all against non-playoff teams.

Rick Bowness pointed that out during morning meetings. “Regardless of who we are playing tonight, we need to clean things up. We’re spending too much unnecessary time in our zone because we’re not getting pucks out off the boards, and we’re turning pucks over at their blue line. We played four non-playoff teams and got away with it. We aren’t going to get away with it against elite teams like Dallas, Carolina, and everything that comes up this month. We need to clean it up.”

The atmosphere for tonight’s game is similar to the game in Vancouver when the Jets played a very responsible game. Go back and watch the raw pre-game interviews for both tonight’s game and the game against the Vancouver Canucks; the guys have a near-militant attitude in the media interviews. These guys are ready for war.

Connor Hellebuyck gets back into the crease for the Jets after taking the night off against the St. Louis Blues. The 30-year-old goaltender is 28-11-3 this season with a .925 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average. Hellebuyck for Hart! In the month of Feb., Hellebuyck is 5-2-0 and has a shutout.

Jake Oettinger has fallen into a bit of a slump over his last five games, going 1-2-2, and has posted a sub .905 save percentage in four of those five games. Against the Jets, Oettinger has a 4-0-1 record, a 2.18 goals-against average, and a .919 save percentage.

This is going to be a battle of the goalies, as these two should be the tandem of goaltenders for Team USA when we get to meaningful international tournaments.

Dallas might look like chumps on paper, but let’s remember they are a very good team who just acquired Chris Tanev; he won’t play tonight. Nils Lundkvist will draw into the lineup, playing on the third pair with Derrick Pouliot. The Jets are running it back with their lines from the last game. It feels like the Jets are running three separate second lines and a top line who can make magic happen.