The Winnipeg Jets look to snap their five-game losing streak when facing the back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers.
The Winnipeg Jets were narrowly beat in their first game back from the holiday break with the red hot Minnesota Wild edging them out for a 4-3 overtime win. One of the few bright spots of the loss was veteran center Jonathan Toews found the scoresheet with an assist and can hopefully build on the performance towards a better second half of the season.
The top line of forwards again carried the team's offense and continued the Jets longstanding depth scoring issues. They'll look for a better team performance when returning to the ice Monday and hosting the back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. It could provide an opening for the Jets considering the Oilers have had many problems with their backend, tying for the eighth-worst goals against per game average with the Boston Bruins at 3.31 this season.
Lineup Storylines
The Jets lines are expected to stay mostly the same with the one change being a questionable Josh Morrissey, who was listed as day-to-day on Sunday but head coach Scott Arniel noted Morrissey may be able to go for Monday versus Edmonton. It would be a massive loss to Winnipeg's lineup if the star defenseman is unable to go as Morrissey regularly pitches in on some offense with 30 points in 36 games this year and helps out as one of the most reliable defenders on the team as part of the top pairing.
Losing him would be a big blow as the rest of the forward group has been very quiet over Winnipeg's last ten games with the top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi combining for nine goals and the red hot Morgan Barron adding another four goals, while the rest of the forwards have a combined five goals. They'll need to see more out of some ice cold players like Cole Perfetti, who has gone four straight games without a point and now has four points over his last 16 games or Vladislav Namestnikov, who has one point over his last 24 games.
They'll need to wake up offensively if they want to keep things close against an Oilers team that always brings the heat with their red offense and star players in Leon Drasaitl and Connor McDavid. Edmonton is one of the hottest offenses in the league right now with 51 goals over their last 12 games and they rolled through the Jets in their first meeting this season for a 6-2 victory. Winnipeg will look to rebound and prevent their losing streak from extending to six games.
Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
WPG ML (-105) | MIN ML (-115)
WPG +1.5 (-250) | MIN -1.5 (+200)
O/U 6.5 Goals
Winnipeg’s loss to Edmonton earlier this season continued the Oilers’ recent dominance in the matchup, as Edmonton has now won four of the last six meetings between the teams. The Jets have also dropped three straight home games against the Oilers and will be eager to reclaim their home ice edge on Monday.
These two teams tend to produce plenty of offense, with seven or more total goals scored in five of their last nine matchups, and another high scoring affair could be on tap. Edmonton is expected to start struggling goaltender Calvin Pickard and will rely on its red hot offense to compensate for any defensive lapses.
For Winnipeg, the focus will once again be on the top line, particularly center Mark Scheifele, who has thrived against Edmonton. Scheifele has recorded points in nine consecutive games versus the Oilers, totaling 11 points on four goals and seven assists. Another Jet worth watching is Morgan Barron, who has quietly heated up with five points in his last seven games overall and five points in his last eight contests against Edmonton.
On the Oilers’ side, the offense predictably flows through their elite stars, led by Connor McDavid. The superstar has torched Winnipeg over the years, posting 61 points with 12 goals and 49 assists in his last 34 games against the Jets.
Goalie Matchup
Winnipeg: Connor Hellebuyck (Season: 9-8-3 record, 2.55 GAA, .908 SV% | VS EDM: 15-13-3 record, 3.04 GAA, .906 SV% in 31 games)
Edmonton: Calvin Pickard (Season: 3-5-2 record, 3.92 GAA, .861 SV% | VS WPG: 2-3-1 record, 3.74 GAA, .873 SV% in seven games)
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