In order to be a contender for the NHL playoffs, the Winnipeg Jets need to win on the road. The early 4-game road trip in January resulted in a dismal 1-3 road record with losses to Montreal, Toronto and Boston. They were able to squeak in an overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres. Not good enough for coach Claude Noel.
The Jets continued to be streak breakers with a 2-0 shutout against the red hot Ottawa Senators. It was Chris Mason’s 2nd shutout of the season and unfortunately, he wasn’t able to break the 0-7 record for Jet’s back-to-back games record as they lost 5-1 to the New Jersey Devils.
Even with all the injuries throughout the first half of January, coach Claude Noel isn’t using the absence of Dustin Byfuglien, Blake Wheeler and Zach Begosian from several games in as an excuse for the Jets. Byfuglien and Begosian still remain on the injured reserve list while Wheeler made his return after suffering a throat to the puck earlier against the San Jose Sharks.
So far, the Jets are 3-6-0 in January with two wins against the Buffalo Sabres and the road win against the Ottawa Senators. The six losses come from Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadians, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks and two tough losses against the New Jersey Devils, including one at MTS Centre.
All-Star Bright Spot
Injured Winnipeg Jet’s defenseman, Dustin Byfuglien was named as the lone Winnipeg Jet to the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa on Sunday, January 29th. This would be Byfuglien’s second straight all-star appearance. However, with his current lower body injury and no indication from the Jets on a return date, appearing in the All-Star Game could be in jeopardy. Evander Kane and Tobias Enstrom are players that maybe considered to take Byfuglien’s spot on the All-Star roster.
Upcoming Games
The four remaining games in January include the Florida Panthers on Saturday and three aways games against Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.
