Can the Flames eliminate the damaged Jets?

The Winnipeg Jets and the Calgary Flames face each other on Thursday night for the fourth time in the Qualifier series. The Flames know that one victory is enough for them, while the Jets have their backs against the wall and can no longer afford defeat. Do we get a a fifht decisive game after tonight or is it Calgary that qualifies for the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Winnipeg Jets: in big trouble because of injuries

Many estimated the chances of the Winnipeg Jets to win the Stanley Cup Qualifier series against the Calgary Flames at 50%. Meanwhile, three games have been played and the Canadian team knows what to do on Thursday night. They will have to win to keep qualifying for the actual Stanley Cup playoffs alive. With Connor Hellebuyck, coach Paul Maurice has one of the best performing goalies in the regular season. With only a good goalie you won't get there and due to some injuries the Jets are in a difficult position at the moment.

During the first game in the series against the Calgary Flames, which they lost 4-1, forwards Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele were injured. As a result, Winnipeg was given even fewer chances for the second game in the Qualifier series, but without this important pair a surprising 3-2 victory followed. They fought hard for eachother in Game 2, but the lack of perhaps the two most important players of the Jets was clear last Tuesday, when Winnipeg went down 6-2 in Game 3.

Calgary Flames: One victory is enough for qualification

The Calgary Flames are not a team that has made it far into the Stanley Cup Play-offs in recent years. This year this might change because of the changed set-up. The Flames will not complain that they hit a damaged Winnipeg in the first round of the Qualifier series. The hockey team is assured of winning the series with a win tonight and during the playoffs (or Qualifiers in this case) you want to waste as little energy as possible. The road to the Stanley Cup Finals is still far away and one of the most important things is to keep the team fit and complete.

Calgary fell behind in all three games in the series, but still managed to fight his way back into the game. It might say something about the resilience of the team. When the Flames will face one of the division leaders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it remains to be seen whether they can overcome these bad starts. Coach Geoff Ward has enough forwards in his squad who can make the difference so he will go into Game 4 with a fair amount of confidence.

Calgary Flames in regulation

The Winnipeg Jets fight without the important pair Scheifele and Laine for what they're worth, but it's going to be an extremely difficult task to stay alive in the Qualifier series against the Calgary Flames. Scheifele and Laine are too important for the team and only an extreme workethic probably won't be enough. Should the Jets fall behind tonight, it is quite likely that the Flames will run away with a win, just like they did last Tuesday. The spirit seems to have disappeared and a defeat would also mean that the team wouldn't have to live in the bubble in Edmonton any longer and could go back to their family.