Jets at Predators
They combined for 231 points during fantastic regular seasons in which they finished with the two best records in the NHL, and Friday begins what promises to be an entertaining Western Conference semifinal when the Nashville Predators host the Winnipeg Jets in the series opener. The Predators finished with 117 points to win the Presidents’ Trophy, one season after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, while the Jets set a franchise record with 114 points.
Nashville finished 3-1-1 against the Jets in the regular season, but each team owns one victory on road ice and the two squads combined for 41 goals in those five games - a testament to the offensive firepower on both rosters considering both teams have Vezina Trophy finalists in Pekka Rinne of the Predators and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck. “Both teams have great goal scorers, great offensive guys,” Nashville forward Kevin Fiala told reporters. “It doesn’t matter if you’re first line or fourth, everybody can score. It’s going to be a really good series, I think.” The Predators finished the regular season with eight players recording 40 or more points, including a pair of defensemen (Roman Josi and P.K. Subban), while the Jets had four players finish with 60-plus points - including the NHL co-leader in assists (Blake Wheeler) and the second-highest goal scorer in the league (Patrik Laine). “Neither team is passive in how they play,” Jets coach Paul Maurice told the media. “Neither team sits back and tries to slow the game down in terms of what they do with the puck. There’s lots of action in these games.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVA, Sportsnet 360
ABOUT THE JETS: As has been the case all season Winnipeg smothered Minnesota in the opening round with waves of offense, getting three points or more from seven players in the five games - led by four goals and an assist from center Mark Scheifele and a pair of goals from Laine along with defenseman Tyler Myers. Hellebuyck did not face tremendous pressure for large stretches of the series, but even though he was pulled from Game 3 he still finished with a .924 save percentage and a 1.93 goals against average. Defenseman Josh Morrissey is back after serving a one-game suspension in the clinching Game 5, and Winnipeg hopes defenseman Toby Enstrom (lower-body) will be available after he missed the opening round.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: One aspect Nashville hopes to improve on from its first-round victory over Colorado is its second line, as Fiala, center Kyle Turris and forward Craig Smith combined for just five points. Forward Austin Watson and center Colton Sissons were fantastic in the first round, combining for seven goals and 14 points, while Rinne shook off a rough performance in Game 3 to stop 140-of-154 shots on goal. Forward Ryan Hartman, a trade-deadline acquisition who scored the game-winning goal against the Jets in his Nashville debut Feb. 27, was a healthy scratch in the Game 6 clincher against Colorado after missing Game 5 with a suspension.
OVERTIME
1. Both teams finished in the top 10 in goals per game (Jets second; Predators tied for seventh) and goals against per game (Nashville second; Winnipeg fifth).
2. Maurice did not express concern about Laine, who missed a couple of practices leading up to the series opener.
3. Josi finished with nine points (eight assists) in the five regular-season games against Winnipeg, while Wheeler and F Kyle Conner led the Jets in the season series with six points apiece.