Well, the first day of my holidays ended up in my sleeping in until 10 am and then it took a bit longer before I realized that the Jets played this AFTERNOON. So here is the preview I threw together at the last second….I apologize for the late posting, but I guess I am already in leisure mode. lol
The Winnipeg Jets (24-10-1) are coming off one of their better performances in December when they shut out the Minnesota Wild 5-0 on Saturday evening. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck (2.07/.927%) wasn’t overly busy, but did make some big stops on route to his 4th shut out of the 2024-25 campaign. The powerplay was excellent for the Jets as they picked up a pair of goals, while Cole Perfetti had himself a game by sniping a goal and adding a couple assists.
The Toronto Maple Leafs (21-11-2) also last saw action on Saturday, when they dropped a 6-3 contest to the New York Islanders. The Buds are missing their starting goaltender, Anthony Stolarz (2.15/.927%), who is having an excellent season and it also appears their top forward, Auston Matthews, will miss the clash against the Jets this afternoon.
The Winnipeg Jets currently have the most points in the NHL (49), giving them the #1 seed in the National Hockey League, but the Toronto Maple Leafs are not that far behind with 44 pts (6th place). The Jets’ 128 goals scored this year give them a large advantage over the Leafs’ 106 goals. The True Northers are also strong defensively, sitting with 87 goals against (3rd least in NHL), while the Maple Leafs’ 93 goals allowed puts them in a tie for 8th.
The two franchises have met once this season, when Toronto handed Winnipeg their first loss of the season (6-4 victory), ending the Jets’ 8 game winning streak to start off the season.
I was a bit worried that today’s game would only be available on Prime since it is a Monday, but according to my TV guide the contest is being aired on TSN3 at 1 pm Central. So that is a bonus.
Here is how PuckPedia is predicting Toronto & Winnipeg’s coaches to line up their players this afternoon:
Winnipeg has had a lot of players contribute offensively, with Kyle Connor (43 pts), Mark Scheifele (38), Josh Morrissey (31), Gabriel Vilardi (28), Nikolaj Ehlers (27), and Neal Pionk (26) all getting their names’ on the scoresheet consistently.
Toronto’s key scorers this season include Mitch Marner (45 pts), William Nylander (38), John Tavares (32), and Auston Matthews (23).
Alright, lets move on to a look at how the franchises’ season stats look when you compare them head-to-head and ESPN’s review of the masked men:
I don’t see a whole lot of differences in the teams’ stats above, so the numbers are saying this afternoon’s game should be a fairly even one. I was a bit surprised to hear that the Jets have beaten the Minnesota Wild 8 straight games after Winnipeg’s most recent victory, but the opposite is true for today’s clash, as the Leafs have beaten our Jets in 6 straight contests. You have to go all the way back to December 2021 to find a Winnipeg win.
So, will the Winnipeg Jets be able to take advantage of key pieces missing from the Toronto Maple Leafs?? Or will the Buds continue to dominate the True Northers by handing them another loss?
I couldn’t find a complete team photo to give the BOJA Boost to for the game, but the Preview picture above will hopefully help Scott Arniel out-coach his opponent while also providing a boost to 10 or 12 of the Jets. Here is hoping the Boost is powerful enough to cover the entire team!!
While there is only a couple hours left before puck drop, I hope some AIH members will have a chance to provide their prognostications in the comment section.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Jolly Diwali, etc. Wishing the best to all of you over the holiday season & the upcoming New Year.
Go Winnipeg!!!!!
