Jets-Knights preview: Unlikely series easy to like
They are by no means historic rivals, but the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights have already made lots of history. When they meet starting Saturday night in Winnipeg in the Western Conference final, it will be a matchup between a team that missed the playoffs last year and one that didn’t even play. The Jets are doing what no version of the club has ever done before, while the Golden Knights are doing the exact opposite of what’s expected of expansion teams. The Jets give Canadian hockey fans hope of ending a Stanley Cup drought since Montreal went all the way in 1993. The Knights — largely made up of players deemed expendable last June — are playing for every kid picked last in the schoolyard. They might be the most likeable teams in the NHL, and one of them will play for the Stanley Cup. Here’s a closer look at how they match up:
THE JETS …
Finished second in Central Division at 52-20-10 … Eliminated Minnesota in five, Nashville in seven ... This is the furthest any Jets team has ever made it ... Winnipeg’s goal differential of plus-8 is second in the playoffs to plus-10 for Vegas.
OFFENCE: Centre Mark Scheifele scored seven times in Nashville, establishing an NHL record for road goals in a series. He has 11 goals in all, leading the playoffs … Second-line centre Paul Stastny is also producing, with six goals, eight assists … Patrik Laine, on the other hand, has one goal in his last 10 playoff games … The Jets are 8 for 32 on the power play (25 per cent).
DEFENCE: Blue-liners have contributed 10 goals and 15 assists, led by Dustin Byfuglien’s four goals, nine assists … Byfuglien’s 18 penalty minutes are the most among surviving players … The Jets have allowed eight power-play goals on 31 chances, a penalty-kill rate of 74.2 per cent. GOALTENDING: The Jets have a Vezina candidate in Connor Hellebuyck (2.25 GAA, .927 save percentage). EDGE: Jets in six
THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS …
Finished first in Pacific Division at 5124-7 … Won season series with Jets, 2-1-0 … Swept the Kings, then beat the Sharks in six … Are the third NHL team to win two rounds of the playoffs in their inaugural season, joining the 1917-18 Toronto Arenas and 1967-68 St. Louis Blues … Their combination of shooting (7.69) and save percentages (96.51) is a playoff-best 104.2.
OFFENCE: Jonathan Marchessault (four goals, seven assists) and Reilly Smith (one goal, 10 assists) lead the attack … Regular-season scoring leader William Karlsson has four goals, six assists … Trade deadline pickup Tomas Tatar has no points in four games and has been a healthy scratch … Three of Alex Tuch’s four goals have come on the power play … The Knights are 7 for 40 on the power play (17.5 per cent).
DEFENCE: The blue line has contributed seven goals and eight assists in 10 games … Five defencemen, led by Nate Schmidt (25:36), average more than 20 minutes a game … Deryk Engelland leads with nine blocked shots in 45 minutes of penalty-kill time. He has blocked 24 shots overall, second on team to Brayden McNabb’s 31 … McNabb’s average of 4.9 hits is tops among surviving teams.
GOALTENDING: The Knights have a Cup champion in Marc-André Fleury, who leads all playoff goalies with a paltry 1.53 GAA and incredible .951 save percentage.