Well, after the Winnipeg Jets dropped a 2-0 game to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night, they remained in second place with the best odds for the upcoming first overall pick in June (a 13.5% chance of 1st overall, a 14.4% chance of the 2nd pick, a 30.7% odds for the 3rd selection, and 41.7% of the time it will end up in 4th). Once again I simulated the lottery via Tankathon and here’s who picked the top 5 this time:
- Vancouver Canucks (25.5% chance)
- Chicago Blackhawks (9.5% chance)
- Winnipeg Jets (30.7% chance)
- St. Louis blues (39.7% chance)
- Calgary flames (24.5% chance)
This time, the top of the draft played much closer to the actual rankings. The last-seeded Canucks finished at the top selection, while the 4th-place Blackhawks jumped to 2nd overall, moving the Jets & Blues down one spot.
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After Winnipeg dropped another game where they had a Deserve to Win rating of 60%+ Money puckour hockey team continues to find new ways to come out on the wrong side of the game. During the Jets’ recent four-game winning streak, the team was able to put pucks through opposing goaltenders or grab rebounds. The club also had a chance to do that last night in Chicago, but none of the skaters could finish the chances. You can’t win many games if you don’t score… and last night was no different.
After boarding a plane immediately after the loss, the True Northers flew back to Manitoba, where the St. Louis Blues were already waiting for them. Another Central Division clash sees two franchises meet in Round 1 of last year’s playoffs, but less than a year later the teams are now battling it out for a top 5 draft pick. Quite a fall for both teams.
The 31st place Jets (19-23-6) enters action on a two-game losing streak, their sixth multi-game skid of the 2025-2026 NHL campaign. Our hockey team has scored 144 goals this year (22nd in the NHL), while 150 (tied for 14th place), which is only 41 goals fewer than last season. Winnipeg would have to hold the opposition to 1.2 goals per game over the remaining 34 games if they wanted to match that.
The Blues (19-22-8) have recently come out on top against some good opponents (CAR/TB), but they were eliminated 5-0 by the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. St. Louis isn’t very good at scoring or stopping goals this season, as their 120 red lights rank them 32nd in the NHL, while their defense is only slightly better (168GA for 29th).
The two rival teams have played just once this season, when Winnipeg was eliminated 1-0 by St. Louis in Missouri on December 17, so that means tonight will be the first of the remaining three games. Today’s match at the Canada Life Center kicks off at 7pm Central and here’s how the two clubs’ stats compare so far, via ESPN‘S comparison numbers of team and goalkeeper:
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The numbers show that the Jets have advantages in almost every category… except in goaltending, where the two clubs have been fairly even, and the penalty department, where the True Northers have spent another 69 minutes in the sin bin. This could end up being a battle of incompetence at the CLC…but at least it should be just as contested if the data is correct.
Since this is a back-to-back situation for Winnipeg, there will be no pre-game skate, so we’ll have to rely on PuckPedias align projections at this point:
WINNIPEG JETS ALIGNING
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ST. LOUIS BLUES LINEUP
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Injuries are rife for both franchises, with St. Louis missing a number of forwards (Robert Thomas, Oskar Sundqvist, Pius Suter& Mathieu Joseph) and Winnipeg’s defense with a number of walking wounded (Neal Pionk, Colin Molenaar& Haydn Fleury), aggravated by rookie Elias Salomonsson picking up a bug that kept him out of the game against the Hawks.
While the Jets & Blues may be without the same number of players, St. Louis is certainly missing the most impactful player of the bunch, as Thomas is their top scorer on the season (33 pts). Winnipeg has 4 players with at least that many points, Mark Scheifele (58 pts), Kyle Connor (56), Gabriel Vilardi (44), & Josh Morrissey (39).
Brayden & Lucas Schenn may play each other again, with both names floating around the trade block and rumored desire to be on the same team… this could be the last time this happens. The clubs will meet again in March and April, but that may be too late as both games take place after the trade deadline.
With so many things going wrong for the True Northers this season, it’s easy to let something good slip through. So I’ll point out one thing I’ve noticed recently… Gabe is having a really good season despite the mess the team is in. Vilardi has even had to drop back to the second line in an attempt to get any offense going from that unit… and yet he’s still having a career season. With 44 points in 48 games, he is on pace for a career-high of 75 points this year. The 26-year-old is also injury-free so far (knock on wood) and should qualify for the best trading piece GM Kevin Cheveldayoff ever brought to Manitoba.
Still nothing Illegal bend about today’s match…..so I’ll end it here. If I notice any updates on who the Winnipeg Jets will dress tonight, I will post it in the comments section. Expected Erik Comrie to get the start in net against the Blues… he had a four-game stretch with save percentages of .800% or worse, but posted an impressive .958% against the Los Angeles Kings in his last outing.
Go Winnipeg Jets!!!!!
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AFTER-GAME INFO
Score overview: (courtesy of ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
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Game Statistics: (courtesy of MoneyPuck)
Expected goals (all):
Expected goals (5on5):
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BOJA’S THOUGHTS AFTER THE GAME:
Post-match details must be added to the article by 11pm. Enjoy your day!!
#Louis #Blues #Winnipeg #Jets