DETROIT - There will be a real state of Michigan flavor Friday night when the highly touted Winnipeg Jets take on the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena (7:30 p.m. face-off).
Four Jets were born in Michigan and three of them played college hockey at the University of Michigan.
Up next: Winnipeg Jets
Talent-laden Jets have a real shot at capturing the Stanley Cup
© Dave Reginek/Detroit Red Wings
By
Arthur J. Regner @ArthurJRegner / DetroitRedWings.com
Defenseman Jacob Trouba (Rochester), center Andrew Copp (Ann Arbor) and left wing Kyle Connor (Shelby Township) were all Wolverines, while star goalie Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce) played his college hockey for the UMass Lowell River Hawks.
The Michiganders are significant contributors to a Winnipeg club many believe could be the first Canadian-based NHL franchise to hoist the Stanley Cup since 1993, when Montreal defeated the Los Angeles Kings.
The skinny:
The Jets (52-20-10, 114 points) had a historic 2017-18 season, making it to the Western Conference final, only to be ousted by the Cinderella Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Their 114 points was the second most in the NHL and in the Central Division, trailing only the Nashville Predators, their divisional rival who had a league-best 117 points. Winnipeg averaged 3.33 goals per game, which ranked second in the NHL. Their 2.63 goals-against average was fifth best in the league and on special teams, their 23.4-percent conversion rate on the power play was fifth in the NHL. Their 81.1-percent success rate on the penalty kill was tied for seventh in the league. In one-goal games, the Jets were 22-4-10 for a winning percentage of .750. So far this season, the Jets are 6-3-1, good for 13 points, which is one point behind Colorado and Nashville in the Central Division.
The last time:
On March 2, 2018 in Winnipeg, the Jets downed the Red Wings, 4-3. Patrik Laine scored the game-winning goal at 12:17 of the second period to give the Jets a 4-2 lead. Nikolaj Ehlers and Josh Morrissey picked up the assists. Seven different Red Wings scratched the scoresheet in the game, with Niklas Kronwall leading the Detroit attack with a goal and an assist.
The forward corps:
Winnipeg is as deep and talented as any collection of forwards in the NHL. They are young, fast, big, tenacious and offensively gifted. Their top line of center Mark Scheifele, right wing Blake Wheeler and left wing Connor is one of the NHL's premier trios. And their second line of center Bryan Little, left wing Ehlers and goal-scoring machine Laine, is also a formidable combination. In this young season, Scheifele (5-5-10), Connor (4-5-9) and Wheeler (2-7-9) lead the Jets in scoring.
The blue line:
As impressive as the Jets are up front, their blue line is also brimming with high-end talent. Dustin Byfuglien (8-37-45) is the catalyst on the back end. The towering 6-foot-5, 260-pound rearguard is a multi-talented player - he can play rough and tumble, but possesses an offensive flair that can impact a game. Along with Trouba, Morrissey and 6-foot-8, 229-pound behemoth Tyler Myers, the Winnipeg blueb line is in two words - very good. In the early going, Morrissey (1-6-7), Trouba (1-6-7) and Byfuglien (1-4-5) have paced the Jets' scoring attack from the back end.
The net:
Hellebuyck's 44-11-9 record last season with a 2.36 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and six shutouts placed him in the running for the Vezina Trophy. His emergence as one of the NHL's elite goaltenders catapulted a solid Winnipeg team into the NHL's upper echelon. In eight games this season, he's 4-3-1 with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Unproven Laurent Brossoit is the backup netminder. Heading into this season, Brossoit had appeared in 30 NHL games with Edmonton and Winnipeg. He's 9-13-2, with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Brossoit has played in two games this season and is 2-0-0, with a goals-against average of 2.00 and a save percentage of .955.
The burning question:
After compiling the second-best record in the NHL last season and making it to the Western Conference final, how will the Jets respond - will they be motivated to make a run at the Cup or will they believe that they've arrived and underachieve?
The series:
Including games when they were the Atlanta Thrashers, Friday will be the 25th meeting between the Red Wings and the Thrashers/Jets. Detroit leads the series, 14-8-0-2, with a home record of 8-3-0-2 and a road mark of 6-5-0-0.
