Defend the Rush and Breakout Cleanly

The Jets have become one of the best rushing teams this season. Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers lead Winnipeg. Corey Schneider is running minor league stats for all three districts from 2016. Among Sznajder’s posts is a “Score Feature” tab that tracks district posts by time at 5-on-5. The Jets have two players in the top 10 in that stat. Ehlers is third in the 60-point zone and Scheifele is eighth in the metric. The Lightning will need to rely on an aggressive offensive defense to force Winnipeg to throw the puck and make predictions. The Jets aren’t a bad team when it comes to projections, but they are below league average when it comes to off-cycle hitting predictions and Sznajder’s control. Tampa Bay does an excellent job of limiting entry into the area. However, when faced with a tough shot, they get stuck in the defensive zone and try to clear the puck. The Bolts can’t turn the puck over and shouldn’t spend too much time in the defensive zone.

The Lightning have had no trouble scoring goals this season, but one player in particular has been ice cold of late. Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos has scored in just two of his 13 games since December. Stamkos scored four goals in one game, but the rest of the month was quiet for the shooters. DeBlixem needs to find a way to get Stamkos on the board and build his confidence. Stamkos isn’t having his best season on the defensive side of the puck, and he’s also very good at forwards. The Lightning will need more than one captain to make the playoffs.

prediction time

In their last meeting, the Jets defeated the Lightning in overtime in a closely contested game. If the Lightning can accomplish the above three things, they have every chance to beat the Jets. The Jets structure is tough to break, but the Lightning have proven to play well against tough opponents. However, we think the Jets defense will help them win on home ice against the Lightning.