The Winnipeg Jets (1st in NHL) will be playing their 41st contest of the 2024-25 campaign this Saturday when they face off against the Detroit Red Wings (25th in NHL) at the Canada Life Centre. That will mark the halfway point of the season with the real test of the NHL playoffs still quite far off in the distance.
The Jets (27-11-2) created a decent amount of goal scoring chances in their last game against the Anaheim Ducks, but a rare off night by starter Connor Hellebuyck led to an OT loss. The Red Wings (16-18-4) ignored the holiday spirit this year and fired head coach Derek Lalonde on Boxing Day, bringing in Todd McLellan as the new bench boss. Since then, the Wings have gone 3-1-0 including three straight victories over the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, & Columbus Blue Jackets.
Winnipeg is dealing with a bunch of injuries, as Dylan Samberg, Haydn Fleury, & Mason Appleton are still on the shelf. Detroit doesn’t have that problem at this point in the season, as the coaching staff has the full slew of the roster to pick their starting lineup from.
Here is how PuckPedia is predicting the two franchises to line up their players this evening:
Three players will be skating against their former teams when the puck drops at 6 pm this evening, including the Jets’ Eric Comrie (3 games played w/ DET) and the Wings’ Andrew Copp (467 games w/ WPG) & Ben Chiarot (305 games w/ WPG).
Here are the two franchises’ top offensive performers in 2024-25….
Winnipeg Jets:
Kyle Connor (52 pts), Mark Scheifele (45), Gabriel Vilardi (36), Josh Morrissey (36), Nikolaj Ehlers (32), Neal Pionk (27), Cole Perfetti (23), Adam Lowry (22), Nino Niederreiter (21), & Vladislav Namestnikov (19).
Detroit Red Wings:
Lucas Raymond (38 pts), Dylan Larkin (31), Alex DeBrincat (31), Moritz Seider (21), Patrick Kane (19), & JT Compher (19).
Okay, all that is left is to review the comparison of this season’s stats and ESPN’s look at the potential starting goalies for tonight.
Alright, the stats say this is another game the Winnipeg Jets should be able to win. The True Northers score more goals, allow less, and have better goaltending options to select from. On special teams, both Winnipeg & Detroit have deadly powerplays, but the Jets have the edge in killing off penalties.
But as we saw last game against the Ducks, the numbers don’t always correctly predict the outcome of NHL games. So lets hear it in the comment section….do the Jets end their 2 game losing streak or will the Wings extend their winning ways to 4 games? Will Hellbuyck have a bounce back performance?
Enjoy the chilly weekend in the Peg everyone….try to stay warm!!
Go Winnipeg!!!!
