Canada
The Winnipeg Jets face a hot Los Angeles Kings in tough NHL matchup
A struggling Jets team must keep winning to stay ahead in the playoff race
The Winnipeg Jets are playing one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now in the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have been running hot since the All Star Break and will definitely be a handful for the Jets to beat. The Jets have been more cold than hot since Christmas and the narrative really is beaten to death.
The fact is the Jets have to make sure they keep winning to stay ahead of the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames. Good news to them is that both those teams have been struggling to string together wins as well. Sometimes life just works out for teams. If they are in the playoffs early in the season, they are likely to stay there for most of the year.
The Kings’ steady rise back to the top
The Kings have been on the way up for the last couple of years after they had to enter a retool following some retirements and players getting older. They have done a good job of assembling their team which is still led by Anze Kopitar.
They traded Jonathan Quick away at the deadline which was truly the end of an era. The Kings have been backstopped primarily by Phoenix Copley I think (NHL data doesn’t tell me exactly). They are been getting good enough goaltending to win.
Credit: https://www.arcticicehockey.com/2023/3/25/23656322/preview-and-gdt-winnipeg-jets-vs-los-angeles-kings-nikolaj-ehlers-dylan-samberg-connor-hellebuyck
