The Winnipeg Jets face the Detroit Red Wings with both teams heading in opposite directions halfway through the season. The Jets have a 26-13-1 record and with five wins in a row have leaped into second place in the Central Division. The Red Wings have a 16-15-7 record and with three losses in a row have fallen to sixth place in the Atlantic Division. The jets look to remain near the top of the Western Conference while the Red Wings look to climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Jets are having a great season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.30 goals per game including 11 goals in the last two games. Kyle Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Mark Scheifele have scored 62 goals and 68 assists to lead the top two lines but the entire offense has been great as well. Blake Wheeler, Adam Lowry, and Cole Perfetti have combined for 22 goals and 47 assists while defenseman Josh Morrissey has added seven goals and 39 assists from the point to put the offense over the top.
The offense has been great but the defense has carried the Jets, allowing only 2.58 goals per game with only 11 goals in the last five games. Josh Morrissey and Dylan DeMelo have combined for 5.6 defensive point shares and 104 blocked shots while Neal Pionk, Brenden Dillon, and Nate Schmidt have combined for 5.9 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Connor Hellebuyc k has been great this year with a .928 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average on 964 shots.