The slumping Jets return home Friday needing a win over Buffalo to halt their slide and revive their fading playoff push.
On Friday, the Winnipeg Jets close out the week with a must-win game on the scheduele as they return home to take on the Buffalo Sabres. The Jets have dropped ten of their last 14 games with any win going a long way for the team's momentum.
They came close when Eric Comrie played a standout game Wednesday versus the Montreal Canadiens but secondary scoring continued to be the achilles heel of this team as only the top line of forwards was able to find the scoresheet in a 3-2 shootout loss. They’ll be looking to rebound after the Sabres stunned the Jets with a 5–1 blowout on Monday in Buffalo. This time the Jets will have their hometown Winnipeg crowd, and they’ll need that energy to get back into the playoff race.
Lineup Storylines
In the Jets recent loss to the Sabres, the only line that was able to produce for Winnipeg was the top line and this has become a common theme in recent weeks as the team has begun to free fall in the standings. Over the Jets last seven games, the top line has accounted for 11 of the team's 15 goals, which is a number that desperately has to change yet they can't find solutions. Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel has tried several different looks to the lineup with nothing materializing as a lethal offensive unit.
A prolonged slump on the second line has been at the center of the concern. Veteran Jonathan Toews, once regarded as a reliable two-way presence, has registered only one assist in his last ten games and carries a team-worst -12 rating while his winger, Vladislav Namestnikov, has produced just one assist in his last 14 outings. That has left Cole Perfetti attempting to shoulder the offensive load on his own, and he has struggled to generate consistent production with only four points in 12 games since returning from injury. The unit has been unable to replace the impact of Nikolaj Ehlers as the Jets continue to feel the loss of the winger who previously served as the driving force of the line and helped relieve pressure from Perfetti.
Winnipeg’s third line is also searching for stability with captain Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter maintaining their defensive reliability, but the group has not found the scoring rhythm it once had when Mason Appleton was on the wing. Since his departure, the line has been working to establish chemistry with Alex Iafallo, but results have been limited.
The fourth line has not provided much relief either with center Morgan Barron going ice cold after opening the season with five points in his first four games. He now has only one point over his last 16 with not much help from his linemate in Gustav Nyquist. The 36-year-old veteran winger has severely struggled, collecting a single point in nine games since his return from injury and remaining without a goal through 20 games, marking the longest season-opening drought of his career.
This lack of depth scoring has to change as they'll be taking on a Buffalo team that was able to spread their scoring across all three lines during a convincing win on Monday. They chased Jets goaltender Eric Comrie after scoring three times on their first 14 shots with rookie Thomas Milic entering in relief and immediately faced similar pressure.
The Sabres continue to find contributions throughout their lineup, with Josh Norris and Tage Thompson leading the top line while Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn provide secondary scoring on the second unit. Alex Tuch and Josh Doan extend things further into the lineup with additional support from the third line. Winnipeg did show improvement defensively in Wednesday’s narrow loss to Montreal but they will need a spark when returning home for this matchup to finally halt their offensive slide.
Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
WPG ML (-133) | BUF ML (+110)
WPG -1.5 (+170) | BUF +1.5 (-208)
O/U 6.5 Goals
The Sabres have topped the Jets in two straight contest with each team holding three wins each over their last six contests. A very surprising stat to some is that Buffalo has also come away with wins in six of their last nine trips to Winnipeg, which could serve them well going into this road matchup with confidence. These two play very close games with six or fewer goals in 11 of their last 13 matchups, which could mean we'll get an unexpected defensive showdown.
Comrie has very poor numbers in his two career apperances versus Buffalo but is coming off his best performance of the season Wednesday when making several desperation saves, totaling 29 stops on the night. He'll clash against projected starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who has regularly stopped the Jets offense in the past and is red hot with three wins and a 2.01 goals against average with a .916 save percentage over his last four starts entering Friday.
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Goalie Matchup
Winnipeg: Eric Comrie Expected (Season: 5-5-1 record, 2.99 GAA, .897 SV% | VS BUF: 0-2-0 record, 5.36 GAA, .767 SV% in two games)
Buffalo: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Season: 4-3-1 record, 2.51 GAA, .898 SV% | VS WPG: 2-2-1 record, 2.38 GAA, .920 SV% in five games)
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