The Jets take on a Dallas Stars team entering Winnipeg on a franchise record 12-game road point streak.
The Winnipeg Jets face a major test on Tuesday as they look to snap their recent struggles against the hottest team in the NHL, the Dallas Stars. Winnipeg will benefit from home ice, but Dallas arrives riding a franchise record 12-game road point streak.
This will be the clubs second meeting of the season after a tight 5–4 Stars win on opening night. The Jets were missing several key players in that game. Tuesday’s matchup will be the 62nd all-time meeting between the teams, with Dallas historically holding a 34-22-5 advantage.
Lineup Storylines
In an effort to spark an ice cold offense, Jets head coach Scott Arniel is making a bold and potentially divisive decision. Winnipeg’s top line, which has produced 20 of the team’s 39 goals over the last 16 games, is being split up in search of more balanced scoring.
Veteran winger Alex Iafallo will join the top unit after registering four points in his last 16 games. Gabe Vilardi moves to the second line where he will skate with captain Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter. Much of the Jets forward group has been mired in slumps, including high profile free agent signing Jonathan Toews, who drops to the fourth line with Morgan Barron and Cole Koepke.
The move is understandable given Toews has only one goal and one assist during the Jets' 16 game skid. However, taking him off key face offs may raise eyebrows since he leads the team with a 62.8 percent success rate, one of the best marks in the league.
It is possible Barron shifts to the wing to keep Toews in the dot, but for now the veteran center finds himself in a bottom six role. Cole Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov are also sliding down the lineup thanks to recent droughts. Namestnikov is scoreless in his last 16 games. Perfetti has managed two goals in 14 games since returning from injury.
The Jets will need scoring from any source they can find because they are expected to face red hot goaltender Jake Oettinger. The Dallas netminder is 8-1-0 with a 1.87 goals against average and a .929 save percentage over his last nine starts. He has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL during that stretch. Dallas may also get a boost on defense with Thomas Harley traveling with the team. He could return either Tuesday in Winnipeg or Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.
Winnipeg’s challenge does not stop in the crease. Dallas continues to surge offensively thanks to Jason Robertson, who has 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points in his last 19 games and is emerging as one of the league’s hottest players. After Robertson, opponents must contend with another star scorer in Mikko Rantanen on the second line. He enters Tuesday on a six game point streak with 11 points over that span.
It is a tall order for the Jets, but a timely home win against one of the NHL’s toughest opponents could be exactly what they need to shift momentum back in their favor.
Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
WPG ML (+115) | DAL ML (-139)
WPG +1.5 (-208) | DAL -1.5 (+170)
O/U 6.0 Goals
The Jets have surprisingly had the upper hand on the Stars in recent regular-season play, winning four of the last six meetings. Dallas stopped Winnipeg’s momentum with a win earlier this season. The Stars have also performed well on the road in this matchup, taking three of their last five games in Winnipeg.
These teams usually play low-scoring, defense-first games, and the 5–4 result earlier this season ended a run of eight straight matchups with five or fewer total goals. Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor will look to make an impact again, as he has been on a hot streak in this matchup with four goals and four assists across his last five games against Dallas.
For the Stars, Robertson recorded two points in the season opener against Winnipeg but had points in only one of the previous five meetings. Mikko Rantanen is another player to watch with 24 points in his last 24 games against Winnipeg. He is currently on a six-game point streak and should benefit from the return of Matt Duchene, who is appearing in his second game since recovering from a concussion.
Goalie Matchup
Winnipeg: Eric Comrie Expected (Season: 6-6-1 record, 3.08 GAA, .898 SV% | VS DAL: 1-1-0 record, 6.24 GAA, .829 SV% in two games)
Dallas: Jake Oettinger (Season: 14-4-2 record, 2.49 GAA, .909 SV% | VS WPG: 7-4-1 record, 2.69 GAA, .900 SV% in 12 games)
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