It’s a weekend full of Winnipeg Jets hockey as the team gears up to take on the second half of their Florida back-to-back, hoping to earn another win as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight (March 12). The Jets have been struggling as of late, going 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. This stretch is sure to be no easy feat as after the team plays tonight, they will then take on the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins.
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The Lightning will also be playing two games in a row, coming off a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. With only 16 games remaining in the regular season for the Jets, the odds are still in their favour when it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but nothing is for certain just yet. Let’s get into what you can expect for tonight’s game.
Winnipeg Jets Projected Lines
Forwards
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Nino Niederreiter
Nikolaj Ehlers – Vladislav Namestnikov – Blake Wheeler
Morgan Barron – Kevin Stenlund – Mason Appleton
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby – David Gustafsson – Saku Maenalanen
Defenseman
Brenden Dillon – Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg – Dylan DeMelo
Logan Stanley – Nate Schmidt
Starting Goalie
David Rittich
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines
Forwards
Brandon Hagel – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Ross Colton – Anthony Cirelli – Alex Killorn
Michael Eyssimont – Nicholas Paul – Tanner Jeannot
Patrick Maroon – Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (Game-time decision) – Corey Perry
Defenseman
Victor Hedman – Nick Perbix
Mikhail Sergachev – Zach Bogosian
Ian Cole – Erik Cernak
Starting Goalie
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Standout Storylines
Jets’ Playoff Destiny Questionable With 16 Games Remaining
As of March 8, TSN reported that the Jets have about a 74 percent chance of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but to keep that up they need to continue winning games – something they have been struggling to do. The Jets have won two of their last nine games, including last night’s overtime win.
The team does have Connor Hellebucyk to rely on in goal who currently ranks sixth in the league in wins and is tied for sixth in save percentage. Having a steady goalie is always a good thing, but he can’t be the only piece on the team that is consistently reliable.
The Jets also have their star players living up to their potential like Josh Morrissey who is having the best season of his…
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