On the road again: game day Winnipeg Jets vs. Nashville Predators

There’s hockey in Nashville tonight on Saturday night as both the Jets and Predators enter tonight’s game in the second half of a back-to-back. The Jets look to end their four-game losing streak, while the Predators are currently on a two-game winning streak. The 12-11-0 Winnipeg Jets enter Game 3 of their current 5-game road trip, hosting the Central Division’s last-place 8-12-4 Predators tonight at Bridgestone Arena. The Winnipeg Jets own the season series between these two teams 1-0, following a 4-1 win in Winnipeg by the Jets on October 18.

The injury report for the Jets currently has three names. The timetable for Hellebuyck’s return is now approximately 3-5 weeks. Haydn Fleury remains in the concussion protocol. Fleury should be able to return soon, even if it will be as the Jets 7th/8th defenseman now that the Jets defense is at full health. Neal Pionk remains out with a lower-body injury. His return is currently unknown, but is expected to happen soon.

The Predators injury report was nearly empty, but two new names were added this week. Cole Smith has remained off the injured reserve roster since November 7. Zachary L’Heureux and Jonathan Marchessault are the other two names listed on the ESPN Predators injury report. L’Heureux is expected to be out for about a month, while Marchessault is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Jets projected lineup

Connor–Scheifele–Vilardi

Pearson – Substitutes – Perfetti

Niederreiter – Lowry – Iafallo

Barron–Toews–Nyquist

Morrissey-DeMelo

Samberg-Salomonsson

Stanley Miller

Comrie

Militia

The unconfirmed starting goalkeeper is Eric Comrie, who will most likely make his 9th start of the season. With Thomas Milic making his NHL debut last night, this is a chance for Comrie to end his own three-game losing streak. After Comrie’s last loss, he now has a record of 4-4-0 with a GAA of 3.02 and an SV% of .897. The rest of the Jets lineup remains unchanged as they continue to look to build chemistry with these newly formed combinations.

Predators projected lineup

Stamkos – O’Reilly – Evangelista

Forsberg – Haula – Wood

Bunting – McCarron – Wiesblatt

Schaefer–Svechkov–Jost

Haag – Joseph

Skjei-Perbix

Stastney-Blakenburg

I admit

saros

The Predators lineup on paper features a mix of young(ish) prospects and veterans who could be on the trade block if the Predators can’t turn their season around. Looking at the Predators’ player stats through 24 games, each line has contributed somewhat, with Ryan O’Reilly leading the way with 18 points. Five other Predators skaters have more than 10 points, one of which isn’t Steven Stamkos, who struggled with just 9 points in 24 games this season. Justus Annunen is the unconfirmed starting goalkeeper. Annunen has had a rough start to his season, boasting a 1-3-1 record with a 3.89 GAA and an .850 SV%. Saros starts the majority of games for the Predators, so tonight’s match will be a big test for Annunen, with the rest of the team playing last night.

Jets player to watch: Mark Scheifele

There haven’t been many forwards on fire for the Jets lately, but one of them is Mark Scheifele. Despite struggling to score, the Jets’ top line has carried the offense lately, including Scheifele’s consistent play. Scheifele now leads the Jets with 13 goals, and is tied with Kyle Connor for the team lead in assists with 17. Scheifele’s 30 points in 23 games puts him right on the pace he was on for most of last season. If the Jets want to end their losing streak, it will take a full team effort, but look for Scheifele and the top line to continue generating scoring opportunities when they are on the ice.

Predators player to watch: Roman Josi

Despite only playing 12 games this season, Josi has made his impact felt since returning to the Predators lineup. In those 12 games, the Predators Captain has scored 2 goals and added 5 assists for 7 points. Josi averages over 23 minutes of ice time, so you’ll see him in a variety of situations tonight. With a few new elite defenders emerging in the league in recent seasons, Josi has flown a bit under the radar, but make no mistake, he is still a consistent, premier defender who can do it all.

The Puck Drop in Nashville takes place just after 6pm CT. Jets fans will hopefully be able to celebrate a win tonight as the Jets look to finally end their current four-game losing streak. Tonight’s game may start a little slow as both teams were playing last night, but there is always some excitement when these two Central Division opponents face off. Stay tuned here to Jets Nation for a recap of the action as the Jets look to improve to 13-11-0 on the season.

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