The @Winnipeg Jets have one more game at home against the @Los Angeles Kings before they embark on a four game road trip. A win tonight will give them a 4-2-0 homestand which wasn’t exactly the best outcome that everyone had hoped for, but 4-2 is certainly better than an even .500 record which given the quality of opponents the Jets have had to face in this six game stretch, would be a strong argument for being sellers at the Deadline.

 

Not only is this the last home game of the Jets current six game homestand, but it’s also the last home game for Winnipeg before the February 24 Trade Deadline and it’s very possible that this is the last time we see a player or two as a Jet at BMTSP. We still have no idea which players – if any – will be dealt away as speculation and armchair GMs have thrown out names from @Nikolaj Ehlers and @Kyle Connor to @Jack Roslovic and @Gabriel Bourque as potential trade bait for the Jets.

Or, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could just stand pat this time around which wouldn’t be the worst idea either.

So is tonight the last night we’ll see the Jets as we know them? Tonight’s game as well as the three games over the weekend will likely play a big part in determining all that.

 

Call them the Moose Line, call them the 2015 Line (the year they were all drafted by the Jets), call them the ELC (entry level contract) Line, there was no denying there was some chemistry between @Jack Roslovic, @Jansen Harkins, and @Mason Appleton. They accounted for two of the three goals the Jets scored on Sunday night against the Chicago Blackhawks and going forward could be a very valuable third line.

Jansen Harkins especially has been a bit of a revelation in his brief time with the Jets. His status as a top tier prospect for the Jets took a bit of a hit during his rookie year with the Moose in 2017-18, but he became a steady and dependable forward the following season and after a strong start with the Moose this season where he ended up earning an AHL All-Star Game nod, he was called up mid-season by the Jets and has proven himself to be one of the better bottom six forwards with the big club.

Anyway the offensive support from the Jets third line was very much welcome given the struggles the top six have had trying to get going.

 

The Kings have had a brutal offensive attack all season and it got worse last night with the trading of @Tyler Toffoli who was the Kings’ leading goal scorer. The Kings as a club have the lowest shooting percentage in the league while having one of the highest shot rates in the NHL which does suggest that on a good night the Kings could be a dangerous club to deal with, but if the Jets can keep the Kings pressure to the outside and not allow them to get shots in close on @Connor Hellebuyck, they should be in good shape defensively.

 

We keep saying this, but if they Jets are serious about a playoff run, then tonight is virtually a must win against a far lesser opponent. The homestand hasn’t been a disaster, but it hasn’t been as successful as many had hoped it would be, but a win tonight will at least keep hope alive. Jets get that – barely – with a 3-2 win.