I wonder how they got there without an airport to fly to?
Just the facts
When: Tonight, 8 PM
Where: Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB
How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Opposing perspective: Arctic Ice Hockey
Know your enemy
- 20-9-0, 40PTS, T-1st in the Central Division
- Kyle Connor: 15G-18A-33PTS; Mark Scheifele: 14G-17A-31PTS; Josh Morrissey: 2G-24A-26PTS
- Connor Hellebuyck: 17-5-0, 2.14 GAA, .925 save percentage
Game notes
- With the vibes trending in the right direction, the Bruins are hitting the road for a five-game swing through central/western Canada plus AmazonLand. A solid trip may begin to change the narrative around this team as we head towards Christmas.
- The Jets are good, having spent most of the season at or near the top of the NHL standings. However, they’ve hit a bit of a wall of late, going 4-6-0 in their last ten. They lost to Columbus, 4-1 at home, in their last time out.
- Connor Hellebuyck is continuing his mission to play just about every minute of every game every season, as the Jets are one of a few NHL teams eschewing the idea of a goalie platoon — though to be fair, he has “only” started 22 of 29 thus far. Light work.
- Winnipeg has been good at home this season, posting a 9-3-0 mark at Canada Life Centre.
- The Jets are one of just three NHL teams that hasn’t lost a game in OT or the shootout thus far this season. Oddly enough, all three are in the Central Division (Winnipeg, Dallas, Colorado).
- Winnipeg continues to reap the benefits of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, which is going down as one of the more lopsided deals in recent memory. Dubois, who has since been dumped on Washington by the Kings, was traded from Los Angeles to Winnipeg in summer 2023. In return, the Jets got Gabriel Vilardi (11 goals in 29 games this season), Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a draft pick. While Dubois has shown signs of turning it around in DC, it was a great deal by the Jets.
- This is another one of those “I don’t know if it’s true but it feels true” things: I feel like Mark Scheifele always scores against the Bruins, and he’s been hot lately: he has five points in his last five games.
- It would behoove the Bruins to stay out of the box tonight, as Winnipeg boasts the league’s third-most efficient power play (29.1%).
- Former Bruin Colin Miller, who has bounced around a bit since leaving the Buffalo Sabres, has 2G-5A-7PTS totals in 25 games with the Jets.
See ya tonight!