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Jets and Avs: Preview of Tonight’s Central Matchup |
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Tonight, the Winnipeg Jets face off against a division rival at 7:00pm. The Jets and Avalanche are tied for wins this year, but sit at fourth and second respectively in the division. This is their first of four contests this season. For Jets fans, it has already been a whirlwind of a year. There have been highs that have come hand-in-hand with several lows. Some of the commonly discussed topics include Byfuglien’s injury and the uncertainty revolving around it, Hellebuyck’s phenomenal start, Wheeler’s subpar performance, the addition of Pionk, Sbisa and Bitetto among others to the blue line and Heinola’s return to Finland. It’s safe to say that this year has been anything but boring for media coverage. Each game is a new challenge for this team and for fans. What is to be expected from this one?
The Colorado Avalanche began this season with high hopes. Their star-studded lineup has, since then, been depleted with the loss of Landeskog and Rantanen, who ruefully sit on the injured reserve. That being said, losing two of their three top forwards hasn’t had the effect that some might have expected. Their current top line, a combination of Calvert, MacKinnon and Donskoi, has a whopping xG% of 72.7%. Their top defensive pairing, Ryan Graves and third-star-of-the-week Cale Makar have an xG% of 63.6%. Expected goals, of course, aren’t the only statistic to look at, but it is quite alarming that this team is 13th in the league in xG% and the Jets sit dead last.
The Winnipeg Jets are a 10-7-1 team, though many would say that this isn’t deserved. Some credit the success to our offensive talent covering for our lacking defensive core while others bow down to Connor Hellebuyck, who has been showing us elite play for several games now. We can expect a close matchup tonight if Hellebuyck continues his stellar performance and our top forwards find the chemistry they need to generate chances and put quality shots on net.
The Jets have struggled to get into good areas to score on a regular basis, which can explain why their xG% is so low. Many fans are relieved that the coach has finally split up allstars Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, who were struggling to produce first line numbers playing together, regardless of whether they were with Connor, Laine or someone else. Assuming there are no lineup changes tonight, they will each centre lines one and two respectively, which seemed to work last game.
Nonetheless, tonight has the potential to be an exciting game for both of these teams. As Nik Ehlers said in an interview earlier today, divisional games tend to be ‘more of a grinding [game]’. Every point matters, but something about winning some for yourself while taking away from a divisional rival makes it taste a little sweeter. Viewers can look forward to a fast, physical game tonight and if both teams come out performing the way they can, it’ll be a close contest.
By Alyssa Houde
Blogger • 
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