Game 31: Montreal Canadiens @ Winnipeg Jets
Start time: 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PM PST
In Canada: Sportsnet (English)
In the Canadiens region: RDS (French)
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, Sportsnet
There were some questions about how a Winnipeg Jets team that remained largely unchanged from the previous season’s iteration would fare after finishing fourth in the Central Division and losing four consecutive games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round of the playoffs. The initial response wasn’t all that encouraging for fans in Manitoba; 10 games into the season, they sat at just a 4-4-2 record, losing two more times in regulation to the Golden Knights in that span.
One of the losses was at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. Back on October 28, the Jets arrived at the Bell Centre to take on a Habs team on a bit of a roll, and the 4-3 shootout win Montreal earned that night moved their record to 5-2-1 at the time. The Canadiens have slipped from that .688 points percentage. The Jets have gone in the opposite direction.
Since its second loss to Las Vegas on November 2, Winnipeg has won 14 games and lost just five. Their only defeat in the previous seven games was in San Jose when Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves in a 2-1 win. Winnipeg now sits second in the Central Division, and ranks sixth in the league with 38 points.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Jets |
|---|---|---|
| 13-13-4 | Record | 18-9-2 |
| 47.0% (24th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 51.0% (14th) |
| 2.70 (27th) | Goals per game | 3.34 (10th) |
| 3.37 (24th) | Goals against per game | 2.59 (6th) |
| 16.7% (24th) | PP% | 17.0% (21st) |
| 72.6% (31st) | PK% | 75.3% (27th) |
| 1-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-0-1 |
Justin Barron scored the Habs’ first goal in the game at the Bell Centre in October, and had two assists in the one game he played at home versus Winnipeg last year. As he heads to Canada Life Centre for the first time, he’s coming off a two-assist game on Saturday night versus the New York Islanders that brings the defenceman’s point total to 10 points in 27 games, a 30-point pace that he’s maintained from last season to this.
As the Canadiens try to sweep the brother battle between Justin and Jets forward Morgan, they can draw upon their play on the road this season. They’ve earned points in eight of the 12 games they’ve played away from the Bell Centre, offering a bit of hope that these road trips that bookend the Christmas break won’t be as disastrous as they usually are.
The Jets sit where they do for a reason, however, so the first of seven consecutive games away from home won’t be an easy one. Winnipeg is good both offensively and defensively, ranking in the top 10 in both categories. But they are playing right now without Kyle Connor, out with an injury sustained in a knee-on-knee collision. With their top goal-scorer out of action, that’s one less threat the Canadiens will be dealing with, though the players still in the lineup have combined for 11 goals in the past two games without him. Mark Scheifele leads the way with 33 points in 29 games, and Josh Morrissey is again among the most productive defencemen a season after finishing fifth in Norris Trophy voting.
Only one of those 11 goals was recorded on the power play, and if the Jets have one weakness this year, it’s their special-teams play. It’s not quite as bad as in Montreal’s case, but their power-play and penalty-kill efficiency aren’t significant;y better, either. This is a game that will likely be decided at five-on-five, and require the Canadiens to play at a high level for all three periods, which has proven difficult all season long.
