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The Jets continue their 3 game road trip tonight on the road against the Boston Bruins. After a 4-1 win in Montreal on Tuesday, the Jets enter this East coast matchup with a 4 game win streak, the 2nd longest active streak in the NHL (behind the Islanders who have won 5 straight). Despite a slow start on Tuesday, the top line ended up generating most of the offence on the night. Kyle Connor scored twice, and Mark Scheifele and Rasmus Kupari added goals of their own. The Bruins are 0-1 this week, losing big time (7-2) on the road against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
With the win in Montreal, the Jets have tied the Capitals with 73 points, sharing the league lead at the top of the standings. The Jets are the 1st team to 35 wins, and their goal differential is now a league best +59. The Bruins are another team in the Eastern conference currently battling for 1 of 2 wildcard spots with several other teams. At 14th overall in the league standings, the 25-21-6 Bruins have had mixed results through 52 games, but the organization remains optimistic about their playoff chances.
The Jets and Bruins usually only meet a couple times a season, so you don’t get to see this matchup very often. The Bruins are 7-3-0 against the Jets in their last 10 matchups, but on December 10th, 2024, their most recent head-to-head, the Jets won 8-1 in Winnipeg. The Jets 1st line were the 3 stars for that game, so you can bet that they will be looking to repeat that kind of performance tonight. In terms of lineup changes, Morgan Barron was placed on the injured reserve yesterday, so expect recently called up Parker Ford (potential NHL debut), or Brad Lambert to slot in on the 4th line. As for the latest update on Adam Lowry, head coach Scott Arniel said that he doesn’t expect Lowry to be back until after the 4 Nations face-off break.
The expected starting goalies for tonight’s matchup are Connor Hellebuyck and Jeremy Swayman. Hellebuyck continues to lead the league in wins (31), goals against average (2.00) and is tied in 1st with a .927 save percentage. Eric Comrie will get a few more starts before the 4 Nations face-off break, but for now it’s not a bad idea to keep Hellebuyck in goal. Swayman has had a down year so far for the Bruins, currently holding a 16-7-4 record with a 3.03 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. Both Bruins goalies are below a .900 save percentage, and the usually strong defensive play of the Bruins the past few seasons just hasn’t been there so far in most games.
Tonight’s puck drop is set for shortly after 6:00 pm CT. The Jets are looking for their 5th straight win, which would temporarily put them back at the top of the league standings, before an exciting matchup against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Both Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele will be looking for their 30th goal of the season, and with 3 more goals Scheifele will pass Ilya Kovalchuk for most goals all-time in Jets franchise history. Tonight’s game promises to be an exciting one, and make sure to check back here post game for an instant reaction and recap on all of the action.
Jets Projected Lineup
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Niederreiter-Kupari-Appleton
Ford-Gustafsson-Iafallo
Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Niederreiter-Kupari-Appleton
Ford-Gustafsson-Iafallo
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Fleury-Stanley
Samberg-Pionk
Fleury-Stanley
Hellebuyck/Comrie