Minnesota Wild: Know Your Rivals – Winnipeg Jets

The Minnesota Wild as always faces a steep challenge to emerge from the Central Division. What about their rivals?

We’re looking at each of the teams in the Central Division in the hopes of gauging how much more or less of a threat they now are to the Minnesota Wild.

One of the now perennial big guns of the division are the Winnipeg Jets. They, as a team, now look set to make the playoffs for the considerable future.

In fact, they’re one of the teams that are consistently among those discussed as a shot at making the Stanley Cup Final.

When Do We Face Them:

vs Winnipeg (Friday, November 23 @ 3PM)
@ Winnipeg (Saturday, December 29 @ 3PM)
vs Winnipeg (Thursday, January 10 @ 7PM)
@ Winnipeg (Tuesday, February 26 @ 7PM)
vs Winnipeg (Tuesday, April 2 @ 7PM)

How We Match Up With Them

On a first impression, you’d say that losing Paul Stastny would be a blow to any team. However, it speaks volumes to the depth of the Winnipeg Jets that they had a youngster that looks more than ready to step up in Jack Roslovic.

The scary challenge that the Minnesota Wild will have to face is defending a team that includes Blake Wheeler, coming off a 91 point year, Patrick Laine, coming off a 70 point sophomore season and another three young forwards all having seasons of 55 points or more.

Against the Winnipeg Jets is where the Minnesota Wild’s defensive core will need to stand strong and they’ll be heavily reliant on strong two-way play from their forward lines.

Winnipeg also have strength at the back, not least of all ‘Big Buff’ Dustin Byfuglien, a player more than happy to dish out a bone-crunching hit or two.

Hopefully Jordan Greenway will be happy to hit big in return, being possibly the only Wild player with anywhere near similar size!

Last year, they were among the best five teams in the league for average goals against, a stat-line that isn’t going to be lost on any forward group taking them on.

Everyone, not least the Minnesota Wild, will know the challenge they face, but equally if the competitive juices get going, everyone will want to face up to it and be the team to shake them up!

Should Connor Hellebuyck not perform as well having signed a new deal and not being under the pressure of a contract year; suddenly that target of their defense becomes slightly more achievable.

I’d be hoping that Mikko Koivu is at his two-way best and can get under the skin of his fellow countryman, Laine when the Jets are in town.

Likewise, if Zach Parise and Jason Zucker can highlight their speed, maybe, just maybe they can avoid being dropped by Byfuglien!

All in all, the Winnipeg Jets are truly a very strong outfit and will be a big challenge for the Minnesota Wild every time we play them. That’s the plain and simple of it.