It all comes down to this: game 82 of the Jets 2024-25 regular season is tonight at Canada Life Centre against the Anaheim Ducks. While the stakes for this game are low, it’s a final chance for the Jets to get ready before the playoffs begin this weekend. The Ducks enter tonight’s game on a 3 game losing streak, losing to the Minnesota Wild in overtime last night after the Wild tied the game at 2 with 22 seconds left. That goal was significant for the Jets, because the Jets would have been matched up with the Wild in the 1st round of the playoffs, but instead they will now be playing the St. Louis Blues in round 1. The Jets lost 4-1 to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, and with their spot in the playoffs secured, they’ll just be looking to end their season with a win in front of their fans.

The Jets sit at 114 points on the season, and have secured 1st place in the NHL league standings with their franchise’s 1st Presidents’ Trophy. The Ducks took a small step forward this season coming out of a rebuild, as they will finish either 24th or 25th in the league standings, currently at 79 points. In their last 10 matchups, the Jets have an 8-1-1 record against the Ducks. The 2 losses were their most recent matchups, as the Ducks have beat the Jets in 2 close games this season, 3-2 and 4-3. Special teams will play a big role in this game, as the Jets number 1 powerplay goes up against the Ducks 32nd ranked powerplay at only 11.9%.

The expected (but currently unconfirmed) starting goalies for tonight’s game are Lukas Dostal and Eric Comrie. Dostal emerged as the number 1 goalie for the Ducks this season after John Gibson suffered a few injuries. Dostal is 23-23-6 with a 3.17 GAA, a .902 SV% and 1 shutout. The Ducks “goalie of the future” has looked confident in goal this year, and may become the Ducks full-time starter next season if Gibson is dealt in the off-season. Comrie will make his 21st appearance of the season, as the Jets will rest Connor Hellebuyck before game 1 of the playoffs. Despite his 9-10-1 record, Comrie has been a serviceable backup this season, posting a 2.39 GAA, a .914 SV% and 2 shutouts. Both goalies will be looking to end their campaigns with a strong performance.

Game 82 of the regular season (when nothing is on the line) usually brings out a much different lineup than that of opening night. Gabriel Vilardi skated for the 1st time since his injury yesterday, but remains “day-to-day”, with game 1 of the playoffs a possibility. Dylan Samberg was also skating, appearing to be fine after leaving last game following a blocked shot. The injury update around Nikolaj Ehlers wasn’t as kind, as he’s now confirmed out “week-to-week” after re-aggravating a previous injury when he collided with a linesman in the game against the Blackhawks. While the lineup tonight won’t look exactly like the one for game 1 of the playoffs, head coach Scott Arniel will be using tonight’s game to help him make some final decisions before finalizing the Jets playoff lineup.

Puck drop for tonight’s regular season finale will be slightly after 6 pm CT. Canada Life Centre will be celebrating Jets fans throughout the night as teams traditionally do on their regular season home finale. The Winnipeg Whiteout will return on Saturday or Sunday (for game 1 against the Blues), but tonight the crowd should still be loud as they celebrate the most successful regular season in Jets 2.0 history. In terms of the game itself, the only thing to watch for is to see how the Jets use this game as a final tune up before the playoffs. With almost every round 1 matchup confirmed, it’s a good time to sit back and watch some quality hockey games before the playoffs begin. Check back here after the game for a post-game recap on the Jets regular season finale.