I've come out of game thread retirement to make sure you know that it's a 4 p.m. drop against the Jets today, presumably to accommodate a Canadian telecaster in some way, because that's why we've had Sunday night games against the Oilers start at 8 instead of 6.
The Jets are in sixth right now but gaining altitude as their goaltending platoon solidifies. Connor Hellebuyck is their goalie of the future and has allowed three goals in as many games, all wins. The Jets won 2-1 in overtime at home against the Caps yesterday, so our hope is to catch them on tired legs and pick up a much-needed two points. Unfortunately, Hellebuyck going yesterday means Michael Hutchinson will probably go today, and Hutch has been damn near automatic against the Hawks. To wit:
October 29th: 45/46, win February 6th: 20/22, overtime loss January 16th: 31/33, win December 23rd: 38/39, win November 2nd: 33/33, win, obviously
For a grand total of 167/173, a .965 save percentage, which has to make the dread Semyon Varlamov look like Red Light Racicot in comparison. Good god.
Scoring for the Jets is pretty evenly distributed, at least compared to the Hawks. Blake Wheeler is point-per-game, Bryan Little has 10 and 12, Ladd has 8 and 10. Schiefele, Perreault, DROOOOO Stafford are all doing well enough. Nikolaj Ehlers seems to have cooled off a bit after a Calderesque start to the year, and Adam Lowry has been disappointing.
Bryan Bickell is back up from Rockford, hopefully having learned his lesson. One would think that this would pave the way for IceHogs Captain Brandon Mashinter to return to his troops, but no, apparently the Q-proofing didn't quite take, because Viktor Tikhonov was placed on waivers instead, where he was promptly claimed by the Coyotes, the team that drafted him to begin with and then squandered his career by making him play for Wayne Gretzky. I hope Panarin learned English. I hope Bickell learned not to fall down. Mashinter can't learn anything.
It's hard to adjust points percentages now with this bullshit overtime that isn't quite a tie but isn't quite a legitimate hockey period, so I won't do that anymore, but just rest assured that taking two points and keeping Winnipeg from getting any will be very important today and in the next game, because this one-line team could easily pass our one-line team. It's a bit awkward for me as a Jets sympathizer, though, because actually, I won't mind at all if they get the points. My hope is that Chicago and Winnipeg both get in with Nashville getting bumped. Fuck Nashville.
Jets are 7th in the league in goals scored at 2.777, Hawks are 10th at 2.730 Jets are 28th in goals allowed at 3 even, Hawks are 17th at 2.615 Jets are 27th on the power play at 16.1%, Hawks are 4th at 22.4% Jets are 21st on the kill at 78.8%, Hawks are 20th at 79.7%
gjg?
_________________ Molly Lambert wrote: The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.
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