Red Wings look to cool Jets
Winnipeg is tops in West, while Detroit continues to drop in East
University of Michigan Wolverines alums Jacob Trouba and Dylan Larkin are expected to see plenty of each other on Tuesday when the Winnipeg Jets venture into Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to battle the Red Wings.
Winnipeg’s Trouba and his defence partner Josh Morrissey will likely be tasked with limiting the production of Larkin, who leads the Red Wings with 23 points in 27 games during his third NHL season.
The Jets come into the game soaring, riding a 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday that gave them their second straight victory. Winnipeg leads the Central Division with a 17-6-4 record.
Detroit, meanwhile, is nursing its wounded pride after a 10-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
The Wings have lost seven straight and sit fifth in the Atlantic Division at 10-12-5.
Here are five things to watch for on Tuesday night:
1 Wheels keep turning
With a four-point night against the Ottawa Senators, Jets captain Blake Wheeler moved into fourth in NHL scoring with seven goals and 35 points. The right-winger was also named NHL first star of the week after producing two goals and 10 points in four games as the Jets went 3-0-1.
2 Happy homecoming
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck picked up his first shutout of the season on Sunday and recorded his 15th victory, which moved him into a tie for second place in the NHL going into Monday’s action. Hellebuyck grew up in Commerce, Michigan so you can be sure he’ll be looking to build on his strong start to the campaign in what’s essentially a home game for him.
3 Power play on fire
For the second time in as many games and the third time this season, the Jets scored three power play markers in a contest. They’ve scored 10 goals on the man-advantage during the past six games and moved into second place in the NHL. Simply put, the Jets power play is a major weapon for them these days.
4 Byfuglien finds form
After chipping in only one assist in his previous 11 games, Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien had his first multi-point effort (two assists) since Nov. 4 in Sunday’s 5-0 victory. Byfuglien also had four shots on goal and seven shot attempts, so it seems like only a matter of time before he snaps his 25-game goal drought to start this season.
5 R is for Rebound
The Red Wings are coming off consecutive losses to the Montreal Canadiens, including a 10-1 blowout defeat. But as poorly as it’s gone for the Red Wings during this threegame losing skid, they’re still within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. They’ll be looking for a bounce-back effort against a Jets team that’s 7-4-3 on the road so far.