There are only four games remaining in the regular season for the Winnipeg Jets and the team is barely hanging onto the second playoff wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 89 points. In the third spot is the Calgary Flames with the same point total and the Nashville Predators are just behind with 88 points.
Related: Would the Jets Making the Playoffs Actually Be a Good Thing?
Tonight, the Jets will face the Predators who will be eagerly fighting for a win in this one. It’s not just about winning this game, but a matter of being one step closer to qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.
Winnipeg Jets Projected Lines
Forwards
Kyle Connor – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Mark Scheifele
Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton
Nikolaj Ehlers – Vladislav Namestnikov – Blake Wheeler
Saku Maenalanen – Kevin Stenlund – Morgan Barron
Defenseman
Dylan DeMelo – Josh Morrissey
Neal Pionk – Brenden Dillon
Nate Schmidt – Dylan Samberg
Starting Goalie
Connor Hellebuyck
Nashville Predators Projected Lines
Forwards
Kiefer Sherwood – Tommy Novak – Luke Evangelista
Yakov Trenin – Colton Sissons – Rasmus Asplund
Egor Afanasyev – Cody Glass – Philip Tomasino
Zach Sanford – Mark Jankowski – Michael McCarron
Defenseman
Dante Fabbro – Ryan McDonagh
Cal Foote – Spencer Stastney
Tyson Barrie – Jake Livingstone
Starting Goalie
Juuse Saros
Standout Storylines
Jets Lose 3-1 to Flames, Still Hold Second Wild-Card Spot
On Wednesday (April 5), the Jets faced the Flames, their wild-card rival, and were not able to earn a win. Losing 3-1, the team does still have one more game than the Flames left in the season, so there’s still a chance they can hold onto that wild-card spot.
The Jets were on a three-game winning streak heading into Wednesday night, which unfortunately came to a halt. There was some good that came out of this game though, with Kyle Connor appearing to get his feet back under him extending his goal-scoring streak to three games. Nikolaj Ehlers also now has three goals and two assists under his belt in the Jets’ past three games.
Pierre-Luc Dubois touched on the loss to the Flames’ saying, “We would have loved to win it and that is the objective. But we are still ahead of them. We still have one game in hand. We could be in a worse position right now, but we’ve got to look forward to the next game.”
Heading into the Flames game, Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey reflected on where his team was at this time last year saying, “A year ago, we were kind of counting the days until the season was over, so, although you’d like to sort of have that cushion into the playoff and have these games not maybe mean as much, these are the big ones and it’s certainly an exciting time as a player. I feel like we have that energy in the locker room now the way we’re playing and sort of that mojo as a team that I think we had for a lot of the season. So, it’s a fun time of the year to play important games.”
While it’s easy for Jets fans to get caught up in the moment, it is true — the Jets have improved from last season. Will they be able to play well enough to make it to the playoffs, though? That we will have to see.
Predators Shutout Hurricanes, Fighting for Jets’ Wild-Card Spot
Just like the Jets, the Predators are fighting for their place in the playoffs. On Thursday (April 6), the Predators moved one step closer to where they want to be, shutting out the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-0, now only one point behind the Jets and Flames for the second wild-card spot.
While the scoresheet shows a 3-0 win, the game told a different story. The Hurricanes actually had two goals called back — one scored by Michael McCarron, which was turned over for goalie interference, and another by Brent Burns, which was called back for offsides.
Mark Jankowski of the Predators talked about his team’s determination in these desperate times saying, “We know the position we’re in, and we take our guys against anyone. We’re not backing down. We see who’s across the ice there, and we’re not backing down from anyone. We believe in this group, no matter who we’re playing against.”
The Predators recently had some NHL newbies join the roster and their hard work seems to be paying off. This game was Spencer Stastney’s fourth NHL game and he ended up earning his first NHL career assist, followed by another one for good measure. This matchup was also Jake Livingstone’s NHL debut, after signing a one-year, entry-level contract with the Predators on March 29. Livingstone became the sixth player on the Predators’ roster to debut in the NHL this season alongside Juuso Parssinen, Yaroslav Askarov, Luke Evangelista, Egor Afanasyev and Stastney.
On joining the team during this crucial time of the season Livingstone said, “It was huge. I want to help this team and be a part of this playoff push and hopefully we can get it done on the road here. These next two games are huge. So obviously it’s exciting to be put into that situation. It’s meaningful hockey, not just your first game, but it’s also a chance to get close to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so everybody wants to do that.”
Predators’ goalie Juuse Saros was solid in net as he earned his second shutout of the season and the 20th of his NHL career. The Predators and the Jets are more desperate than ever to win their final four games of the season, it’s just a matter of who wants it more.
Players to Watch
Connor Hellebuyck
Every successful team needs a reliable goaltender and Hellebuyck has been just that for the Jets all season. However, with the team grinding through these last few games, will he be able to stay on his A-game? Hellebuyck has started in net for 10 games in a row now, and is tied with Saros of the Predators for the most starts in the league with 61.
The Michigan-native needs to be at the top of his game come puck drop, especially since he’s facing Saros, who is also having an excellent season. Saros has the same save percentage (SV%) as Hellebuyck with .918. Keep an eye on Hellebuyck to see if he remains the focused and agile version of himself we’re used to in this goalie showdown.
Tommy Novak
Another player to be on the lookout for during this game is Tommy Novak. The centreman has earned seven points in his last five games, including a four-point performance against the St. Louis Blues on April 1 (three assists, one goal), and a three-point game against the Vegas Golden Knights on April 4 (one assist, two goals).
Novak ranks third on the Predators’ roster in assists this season with 24, and fourth in points (41) and goals (17) in 47 games. The 25-year-old could definitely make an impact on the ice in this one.
While the playoffs haven’t started yet, this might as well be treated like a playoff game for both of these teams. Every win matters for the Predators and the Jets at this point of the season. Tune in tonight (April 8) at 7 p.m. EST to see if the Jets can maintain the upper-hand in the race to the playoffs, or if they find themselves losing ground on the road to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
