The Jets start what will no doubt be a tough road trip tonight in Nashville as they take on division rival and defending Western Conference champions, the Nashville Predators.

The New Jersey Devils were a test that the Jets took and ended up passing with near flying colours on Saturday. It was very encouraging to see a team with the talent level that New Jersey has and probably better skating ability than what Winnipeg has, and the Jets not just hanging around in the game with them, and not just blowing up offensively in the second period, but then keeping their foot down in the third period and not giving the Devils any real chance to climb back into the game. It capped off a very successful week at home and has the Jets on a four game winning streak.

The Preds have been on quite the roll themselves having won six of their last seven games which included a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche this past Saturday. The Preds have been racking up these wins despite being one of the most penalized teams in the league – in fact they lead the NHL in average penalty minutes per game with 15.1 .. The Penguins and Oilers are second on that list at 12.4 which means the Preds on average take two extra penalties more than the next closest teams. (The Jets, by the way, are middle of the pack at 9.8 minutes per game) Thankfully for Nashville, they’ve had a strong penalty kill that ranks in the NHL’s top ten at 83.7 percent. The Preds can put the puck in the net with the best of them and most nights have the goaltending to carry them through to wins, they just need to work on staying disciplined.

This is the first of five meetings between the two clubs, with Winnipeg in Nashville for three of the games while the Preds visit Winnipeg for the other two. Last season the Jets posted a 2-1-1 record against the eventual West champs, but gained those two wins at home. They lost 5-1 on Nov 25, 2016 in Nashville and then dropped a 5-4 overtime loss in March. In All four games, Connor Hellebuyck was the starting goalie and for his career he has a 4-2-1 record with a .925 save percentage.

The Preds are super tough at home and even though they have had a constant parade to the box, things have worked out for them so far. The Jets power play is going to be a big factor tonight and it should come through with a couple of goals as they get off on the right foot on the road: Jets win 5-3.