Seeking redemption after a shutout loss on Thursday to the Seattle Kraken, the Jets face a struggling Flames squad, aiming for their second win this week.
The Winnipeg Jets suffered a surprising 3-0 shutout loss on Thursday at the hands of the Seattle Kraken. It was just their third loss to the Kraken in franchise history and the Jets will look to rebound in a more favorable matchup in the second leg of their home back-to-back against the last-place Calgary Flames on Friday.
While the Jets just had their five-game winning streak snapped, the Flames have been on one of their toughest skids in recent memory with seven straight losses. Not to mention, their superstar goaltender and Calder finalist last season Dustin Wolf may be slowly losing confidence as the 24-year-old has lost all but one of his seven starts so far this season. A response game is coming from this group at some point with the Jets hoping it's not Friday. This past Monday, the Flames hosted the Jets with that game appearing to be a bounce back spot for them but Winnipeg was able to edge out a narrow 2-1 victory in the spot.
Lineup Storylines
All of the Jets had an off night Thursday as they were unable to manage a single goal against the Kraken. They will look for a much better game on Friday with one player looking to hopefully solidify a starting job with his efforts and that's rookie winger Brad Lambert.
The 21-year-old winger has played two games so far this season and hasn't made the impact he's wanted with a -2 rating and just two shots on net. He played more minutes in Thursday's game at 10:14 after being limited in his season debut to 7:43 due to so many penalties in the game that required extra time for the special teams which Lambert is not apart of. The hope for the young Finnish winger is that he can finally take advantage of his playing time in what should be a favorable matchup and find the scoresheet for the first time this season.
On Calgary's side, they also have a young rookie they're looking to get more out of with defenseman Zayne Parekh. The 19-year-old was expected to be a Calder contender after being selected ninth overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. However, since then he's carved out a full time job but hasn't done much with it, tallying no points and a -3 rating in roughly 12 to 17 minutes of ice-time. Parekh made his debut last season and scored, creating a buzz around the rookie that set sky high expectations but they haven't been fully met just yet. He could turn things around as he is playing a fairly meaningful role on the team as part of the second power play unit.
Winnipeg is a tough customer for almost any team with their defense ranking as the best in the league for two straight seasons, meaning if Parekh can find a way to pierce through the defense for a clutch first point of the season, it would go a long way in his case to remain in his role and give the coaching staff for hope in him.
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Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
WPG ML (-150) | CGY ML (+125)
WPG -1.5 (+155) | CGY +1.5 (-189)
O/U 6.0 Goals
Winnipeg has come out on top in four of its last five meetings with Calgary, reversing an earlier trend where the Flames dominated by winning five of the previous seven contests. Now, the two clubs find themselves heading in opposite directions with the Jets remain in the mix as Stanley Cup contenders, while the Flames appear to be closer to battling for draft lottery position. The one constant that’s typically defined this matchup, however, has been offense.
Monday’s game was a surprising exception, producing only three total goals despite the history between these teams. Prior to that, five of their last six clashes had seen totals reach at least six goals and in Calgary, each of the last three had featured eight or more.
So when fans expecting another shootout were treated instead to a low-scoring affair, it came as a shock. That could easily change on Friday. Winnipeg will turn to its dependable backup, Eric Comrie, while Calgary is expected to start Dustin Wolf, a talented young netminder who hasn’t received much defensive support so far this season. We could see another tight defensive battle if both blue lines stay sharp or, if either goaltender falters, this matchup could quickly revert to the high-octane, goal-filled style that’s become its trademark.
The Jets have the horses to compete in this game as the top line duo of Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor were both held off the scoresheet Thursday, a very rare sight for one of the best one-two punches in the entire sport. Connor will be the one looking to take the most advantage with 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points over his last 22 games versus the Flames.
Goalie Matchup
Winnipeg: Eric Comrie (Season: 1-0-0 record, 2.00 GAA, .943 SV% | VS CGY: 3-1-0 record, 2.53 GAA, .913 SV% in Four Games)
Calgary: Dustin Wolf (Season: 1-5-1 record, 3.61 GAA, .875 SV% | VS WPG: 1-3-0 record, 2.81 GAA, .924 SV% in Four Games)
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