Game #55 - vs Winnipeg Jets

2011-12 Game 55

Winnipeg Jets (26-24-6, 58 points) at Pittsburgh Penguins (30-19-5, 65 points)

Now that's a nice looking card.  It's not $250 nice, but still nice none the less.

Why does it matter?

Smoke and mirrors.  That's the only way I can come up with the fact that the Jets are anywhere near the playoffs.  Their road record is terrible and their offense is worse.  They are middling to average on just about everything else.

This, of course, means the Pens will have quite a game on their hands on Saturday afternoon.

What has been happening lately?

• Pens - 1-2-1 over their past four games.  The Pens need to get things going again.
• Jets - Like the guy in pickup basketball that has the shooting motion that looks like a train wreck, the Jets pulled one our of you-know-where and made a shot won a game on the road against the Caps on Thursday.

Questions to be answered

• How will Staal do in his return to the lineup?  Even better, what does that do to the lineup?  Do the Pens have too many centers again?  In practice, Jeffrey was skating on the wing.
• Can the Pens keep the power play going?  The afternoon games last weekend resulted in a 3-6 performance on the power play and a shutout on the PK.
• Can someone slow down Alex Burmistrov?  He has three points in two games against the Pens.

Keys to the game

• Keep it close.  The Jets have won by more than one goal just twice since the start of 2012.
• Remember Christmas.  The Pens played the Jets on December 23rd, out shooting them 39-19 and winning 4-1.
• Stay healthy.  There isn't another injured forward who is ready to jump back into the lineup yet, so no one else can get hurt.