Nashville Predators @ Winnipeg Jets Preview: Battle for the Basement
Last place in the Central Division is on the line as the Predators wrap up their four-game Canadian road trip with a visit to Winnipeg.
The Stats
Nashville Predators | Winnipeg Jets | |||
Record | 23-23-8 | 23rd | 25-24-5 | 17th |
GF/Game | 2.43 | 23rd | 2.72 | 14th |
GA/Game | 2.91 | 23rd | 2.85 | 19th |
5-on-5 Close SF/60 | 29.7 | 13th | 29.7 | 13th |
5-on-5 Close SA/60 | 27.8 | 8th | 31.6 | 22nd |
Fenwick Close | 49.60 | 17th | 48.80 | 19th |
5-on-5 Close Save % | .908 | 26th | .921 | 19th |
5-on-4 GF/60 | 6.7 | 8th | 4.6 | 25th |
# of PP's/Gm | 3.06 | 27th | 3.33 | 16th |
4-on-5 GA/60 | 7.1 | 25th | 6.3 | 16th |
# of PK's/Gm | 3.07 | 7th | 3.57 | 24th |
Winnipeg Jets
More on tonight's opponent
More on tonight's opponent
With a 6-1 record under new head coach Paul Maurice, the Jets have finally shaken things up after two and a half seasons of mediocre results under Claude Noel. While the roster certainly needs a major transformation as well (there's too many old Atlanta Thrashers left hanging around), there seems to be a realization that the honeymoon may be coming to an end in Winnipeg, and the Jets will actually have to start delivering results.
One guy to keep an eye out for this evening is Mark Scheifele, the team's 1st-round draft pick from 2011 who currently ranks 4th in rookie scoring. He's just one of eight Jets players who have reached double-digits in goals already this season.
Nashville Predators
It's hard to know what to expect out of the Predators these days. A hard-fought victory at Vancouver has been followed up by disappointing losses at Calgary and Edmonton, robbing the team of a chance to make real headway on this trip. This inconsistency is something I talked about yesterday afternoon on WNSR's Afternoon Pressbox with Matt Segal & Jeff Diamond:
One thing to look forward to, however, is the possible NHL debut for Colton Sissons, the 2012 2nd-round pick who has led the Milwaukee Admirals in this his first professional season. He was called up yesterday due to the injury/illness of Matt Cullen & Viktor Stalberg, so if he does dress it will be interesting to see where he lines up. Will it be on the 4th line in limited action, or higher up, with the chance to skate alongside David Legwand or Mike Fisher?
Stay tuned for tonight's 7:00 p.m. start to find out...