It will be the second time in three nights that the Winnipeg Jets and the Washington Capitals line up to dance.
The first game was a fun and interesting match. The Jets came out strong and were the better team for the first ten minutes or so. The Capitals were still too much for them however and ended up taking a two to zero lead, eventually extending that lead to 3-0.
That was a lead that proved to be too difficult for the Capitals to hold on to though. The Jets eventually would tie things up at three, thanks to some bad Caps decisions and maybe some luck as well. With no winner in the overtime the game would have to be decided in a shootout where the good guys would walk out winners.
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Now it’s time for round two. The Capitals took the first game, will Winnipeg take the second? How will this game play out? Will there be more hostilities? Will tempers flare more easily with these teams playing two games in a row against each other?
There’s only one way to find out and that’s watch the game on Thursday night. For now lets just take a look at a couple of things that might have an impact on the game up in Winnipeg.
February Struggles
Winnipeg started the second month of the year very well. In the first ten games of the month the Jets were 7-2-1. However, the Jets have lost five of their last eight, four of those in regulation, and have lost three in a row.
The Capitals are experiencing some hardships this month as well. So far this month, with one game to go, the Caps are 4-6-1. Unlike the Jets though, the Capitals are on a two game winning streak.
Players To Watch For
I like looking at the last five games for both teams to look at who may be going into games on a bit of a run. For the Jets, they have four players who have five points or more in their last five games.
Mark Scheifele – 4 Goals, 9 Points, 40% shooting percentage
Nikolaj Ehlers – 3 Goals, 7 Points
Blake Wheeler – 3 Goals, 6 Points
Patrick Laine – 2 Goals, 5 Points
The Capitals only have two guys with five or more points in their last five games.
T.J. Oshie – 3 Goals, 5 Points
Nicklas Backstrom – 5 Assists, 5 Points
Someone to watch out for may be Jakub Vrana. He had gone cold recently, but in his last five games he has two goals and four points. Maybe he’s starting to get going in the goal scoring department again?
There should be goals
In Winnipeg’s last five games they have scored 17 goals, that’s the third most in the NHL in that time span. They have also given up 13 goals during the same time frame. We know the Capitals can score goals, but their defense hasn’t been great most of this season. Washington hasn’t held their opponents below three goals since the 13th vs the Colorado Avalanche.
Both Winnipeg and Washington rank in the middle of the pack in terms of goals against this season. The Jets have allowed 193 goals this season which ranks 16th, the Capitals have allowed 191 which is just above the Jets ranking 15th.
Special Teams Could Be Huge
The Jets special teams have been, well, pretty special the last little while. In their last five games their power play is clicking at 28%. Their penalty kill has been even better at 100%, they have not given up a power play goal since the 11th vs the New York Rangers. They’re 16/16 since then. The power play is 4/14 in their last five games.
The Capitals have been OK on special teams in their last five games. The power play is going at what they have been averaging for a long time now. They are 2/12 or 16.7% their last five games. The penalty kill is going at 83.3%, they’ve gone 10/12 the last five games.
Struggling Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck has been terrific for the Jets this season. Recently his stats don’t look too terrific though. In his last three games Hellebuyck has allowed 9 goals on 89 shots against. That’s a .899 save percentage and a 3.02 goals against average. He also has a .762 high danger save percentage and a -1.58 goals saved above average.
Ilya Samsonov will be manning the pipes in Winnipeg. He started the season incredibly well but has hit a skid recently, just like Hellebuyck. Before January 31st Samsonov was rocking a .927 save percentage and a 2.06 GAA, as well as a 10.28 GSAA.
Since then the young Russian netminder has allowed 15 goals on 111 shots. He has a .865 save percentage and a 4.13 GAA. His .750 high danger save percentage is also paired with his -2.73 GSAA. Samsonov will obviously be looking to get back on track up in Canada.
Date: February 27, 2020
Time: 8 p.m. eastern
Where: Bell MTS Place
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Washington
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
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