Can the Ducks finish their road trip with a win in Winnipeg?

Tonight there are nine matches on the slate in the NHL. There'll be a couple of early games, but we're focussing on the last game of Tuesday night between the Anaheim Ducks and the Winnipeg Jets.

Demoralizing loss in Vegas

The Anaheim Ducks started the new season pretty well. They won six of the first eight games and there was a good atmosphere around the team. Since last week, they lost 4 of the last 5 games and now the Ducks are standing fifth in the Pacific Division with a 7-6 record. Surprisingly, not a single match of them has yet been decided by overtime.

Last Sunday the Ducks played in Vegas against the Golden Knights. They lost that game 5-2 and it was worrying that goalie John Gibson faced nearly 50 shots that night. He recently didn't play his best games for Anaheim 'cause he gave up 5 goals or more in 2 of his last 3 starts. Defenseman Josh Manson is on injury reserve since last week and this could be a huge blow for the Ducks.

Jets won the NHL Heritage Classic

The Winnipeg Jets had probably hoped for a better start during the early season. They've split the twelve games they've played and are fourth in the Central division. The Jets have have had difficulty putting the puck in the net, scoring just 32 times during 12 games, an average of 2.66 goals for per game.

Connor Hellebuyck has been outstanding during the first month of the season. He has as a goals against average of 2.22 in a save percentage of .933. So it's safe to say that the 26-year-old goaltender has kept the Jets in games as of late. Sooner or later, their attack will blossom again and then they'll be a serious contender in the strong Central Division

Jets win low-scoring game

The Jets were dominant during most of their recent games, but several times they forgot to reward themselves. Both teams are having a hard time scoring goals so we can expect a low-scoring game, especially if Gibson and Hellebuyck are able to reach their normal level. Fact is that gibson made a lesser impression during his last few games and the absence of Defender Josh Manson may be underestimated. In the end I expect the Jets to be the more dominant team and notch the win.