The Jets hit the ice for practice yesterday as they prepare to face a young Sharks team loaded with talent — a matchup that’s no longer an easy two points on the bingo card. According to radio colour analyst Mitchell Clinton, things appear to have stabilized for Winnipeg on the health front, with everyone skating. Cole Perfetti & Dylan Samberg remained in non-contact jerseys on Thursday, which wasn’t unexpected.
Perhaps the biggest question mark is whether goalie Eric Comrie will make his fourth appearance of the season. There’s also the question of whether Luke Schenn will return to the lineup or if Colin Miller will get another game for Winnipeg.
The Jets’ power play has cooled off recently, dropping from the Top 3 down to 10th in the NHL. The penalty kill, however, has remained steady, holding strong in the Top 5 at 4th overall. The Sharks counter with the 13th best PP and the 25th ranked PK.
San Jose is coming off a big 6-1 win over Seattle and enters tonight’s contest riding a four-game point streak (2-0-2).
Skate news:
But maybe I should written “wasn’t unexpected but could change at any moment”. As per radio colour analyst Mitchell Clinton, who is in San Jose, Perfetti was wearing a regular jersey for morning skate with Samberg remaining in the non-contact uniform.
When it comes to lineup changes according to Mitch there were two changes. Nikita Chibrikov draws in for Brad Lambert while Luke Schenn returns for Colin Miller.
Lastly he indicated that Gustav Nyquist, in a yellow, non-contact uniform, joined skate late.
Jets projected lines & D pairs:
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Namestnikov-Toews-Iafallo
Niederreiter-Lowry-Chibrikov
Koepke-Ford-Pearson
Morrissey-DeMelo
Stanley-Pionk
Fleury-Schenn
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Sharks projected lines & D pairs:
Smith-Celebrini-Toffoli
Gaudette-Wennberg-Kurashev
Skinner-Misa*-Cardwell
Goodrow-Dellandrea-Graf
Orlov-Liljegren
Ferraro-Klingberg
Dickinson-Mukhamadullin
Askarov/Nedeljkovic
As per Sharks beat writer Sheng Peng this was how they were configured in their win against the Kraken although worth noting he reported that Michael Misa was placed on IR.
Players media availability:
Coach media availability:
Topics:
1) Nikita Chibrikov’s return to the lineup.
2) Sharks transition (:52)
3) Dylan DeMelo and Josh Morrissey’s D partnership (1:23)
Odds:
Tonight, the Jets take on the Sharks as clear favorites, with the betting market giving them a significant edge. After a strong start to the season, the Jets look poised to continue their momentum, leveraging their depth, speed, and offensive firepower. The Sharks, while hungry for an upset, will face a tough challenge trying to slow down a Jets team that’s firing on all cylinders. Expect a fast-paced, high-stakes matchup as Winnipeg aims to assert their dominance in San Jose. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.
Up Next:
Puck drop is at 9 PM CST. Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action. You can join us on our YouTube channel for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show around 11:40 PM CST as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.
