Well, the year 2025 is nearing its end and the Winnipeg Jets will be happy to see it in their rearview mirror. The True Northers are currently on a five-game losing streak and have gone 3-10-4 since November 21. The level of the Jets’ play on the ice has improved recently, but that has only led to the club picking up a few loser points in their most recent games.
Winnipeg (15-17-4) is tied for the second-worst record in the NHL before action kicks off Monday, while Edmonton (19-14-6) has overcome another slow start to the season to claw its way back to the playoffs. The Oilers recently tried to solve their goaltending woes by trading for Tristan Jarrybut the masked man has suffered an injury, so the coaching staff will have to choose between Calvin Pickard or Connor Ingram for tonight’s game.
Tonight’s pivotal matchup at 6:30 PM between Winnipeg and Edmonton will feature franchises with the following stats, via ESPN‘S comparison numbers of team and goalkeeper:
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The Oilers tend to score a little more than the Jets, but they also allow the opponent to score a little more. The biggest thing that stood out to me is Edmonton’s insane power play conversion rate, so Winnipeg needs to avoid the sin bin when the visitors take advantage of 35% of their man advantages.
The word is that defender Josh Morrissey suffered an injury late in the Wild game and did not participate in practice yesterday. The coaching staff has indicated that Josh is considered day-to-day, but with no pre-game skate scheduled today… we’ll have to wait until closer to puck drop to see if he’ll be on the ice tonight.
Here’s how PuckPedia currently predicts which players will line up:
WINNIPEG JETS ALIGNING
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EDMONTON OILERS IN LINE
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Both clubs have 4 players with at least 30 points this season:
Edmonton: Connor McDavid (68 points), Leon Draisaitl (56), Evan Bouchard (37) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (32).
Winnipeg: Mark Scheifele (45 points), Kyle Connor (45), Gabriel Vilardi (33) and Josh Morrissey (30).
Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!
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AFTER-GAME INFO
Score overview: (courtesy of ESPN)
FINAL SCORE: Edmonton Oil Companies 3 Winnipeg Jets 1
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Game Statistics: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)
Expected goals (all): EDM 4.72 WPG 4.60
Expected goals (5on5): WPG 2.99 EDM 2.69
The Scheifele line led the way in ice time and achieved more than 16 minutes of 5 on 5 playing time. They had more shots on net, but the Oilers had better scoring opportunities when they were on the ice. The next two units won the xG battle between 5:35 and 9:21.
After 5 minutes together, Arniel pulled the plug from the socket Hepple–Substitutes–Perfect trio and the wingers did better in 3.5 minutes Ropes as a pivot point. The final unit had only 2:21 of ice time, but once against Vladdy’s poor play, another forward line was brought down.
A solid stat line for Winnipeg’s 3 defensive combinations, with all coming out on top in the xGs, Corsi and Fenwick categories. Both 5-on-5 goals in the match came during irregular combinations for the defenders, with Samberg–Stanley get the plus for it Lowry’s purpose and Morrissey–Stanley allowing Edmonton to score.
Hellebuyck ended its streak of negative GSAE ratings, but was still outplayed Pickardas the hometown tender was nearly unbeatable with a .976 save percentage on 42 shots.
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BOJA’S thoughts after the game:
The Winnipeg Jets were the better team in the first period as they controlled the puck and kept the high-powered Edmonton Oilers offense at bay. The inability to capitalize on their strong play ultimately cost the True Northers a slugfest as a stumped play went by Logan Stanley allowed the visitor to take the lead in the 2nd. A power play goal on a rebound from former Jet Jack Roslovic extended the Oilers’ lead, but then Morgan Barron & Adam Lowry combined to give fans hope that they can end their long losing streak. Yet it was not the intention, as an empty netter Connor Hellebuyck on the bench sealed the win for Edmonton.
The Jets continue to play decent hockey… but their goal scoring woes have extended the skid to 6 games (losing in 9 of the last 10 games). One last game before 2026 is just around the corner… with a visit to the top 5 Detroit Red Wings on tap for New Year’s Eve.
#Edmonton #Oilers #Winnipeg #Jets