Game 75: Pair Of Winning Streaks Are On The Line

Graphic: NHL YouTube

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks(38-24-12) continue their road trip against the Winnipeg Jets(44-19-10). The game starts at 5:00 PM PT and will be on Prime Ticket locally and AM 830.

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Anaheim Outlook:

The Ducks are on a four-game winning streak after defeating the Calgary Flames 4-0. Anaheim faces a big test in the Winnipeg Jets, who are the second-best team in the Central Division. The Ducks will be without Josh Manson, but he did practice today. According to Randy Carlyle, he could be available for the game against Edmonton. Ryan Getzlaf will miss tonight’s game with flu-like symptoms.

Keys To The Game

The Ducks shut out the Flames in their last game, but the Ducks forecheck was non-existent for most of the game. Gibson has continued his stellar play and the defense has been on point lately, but it would be nice to see the offense sustain some pressure tonight against the Jets.

Anaheim’s Projected Lineup:

Offense
Rickard Rakell – Adam Henrique   – Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie – Derek Grant – Ondrej Kase
Jason Chimera – Antoine Vermette – Chris Kelly

Defense
Cam Fowler  – Brandon Montour
Hampus Lindholm – Marcus Pettersson
Francois Beauchemin  – Korbinian Holzer

In Net
John Gibson 29-17-6, GAA 2.46, SV% .925 (Confirmed)

Winnipeg Outlook:

The Jets are currently in second place in the Central Division with 98 points. They are trying to catch Nashville for the number one seed, but they are eight points behind them with just nine games to go. Winnipeg has gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Patrik Laine is back in tonight even though he blocked a shot with his foot against Los Angeles this past Tuesday.

Keys To The Game

The Jets offense has been on fire lately as they have scored 12 goals in just their last three games. Winnipeg is 4th in the league in scoring averaging 3.29 goals per game. They also have the 4th best overall power play in the league at 23.3% efficiency. They will look to work the puck in deep and try to draw penalties against the Ducks in this contest.

Winnipeg Projected Lineup:

Offense
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Nikolaj Ehlers – Paul Stastny – Patrik Laine
Mathieu Perreault – Andrew Copp – Bryan Little
Brandon Tanev – Adam Lowry – Joel Armia

Defense
Josh Morrissey – Tyler Myers
Toby Enstrom – Dustin Byfuglien
Joseph Morrow – Ben Chiarot

In Net
Connor Hellebuyck 37-11-9, GAA 2.34, SV% .925 (Confirmed)

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March 23rd, 2018