Up front, the Jets and Golden Knights have similar depth at forward. The Jets' lines are all very balanced and it seems like they have developed some chemistry. The 1st line can take over a game by themselves. PLD is a playoff player that can dominate a game and Scheifele has been a lot better ever since the move to the wing. Kyle Connor is a wild card. He had a down year compared to last year, but he has been hot lately with 3 goals and 2 assists since the lineup changes. The 2nd line has an absurd xG% at 64.5%. Namestnikov has great hockey IQ, and he helps a lot in his own zone below the goal line. Wheeler is washed but seems to be playing well on this line. And Ehlers. He is a dynamic game-changer. When he is on his game, he is the best player on the ice. The 3rd line has been my favourite line since the March 31st lineup shuffle. The addition of Niederreiter to a great duo of Lowry and Appleton has unlocked the offensive upside in them. They work hard in the offensive zone, winning puck battles along the boards, working the puck to the front of the net, and just putting the puck on the net as much as possible. The 4th line is a wild card. Barron has shown flashes, especially in the past few weeks, and maybe he could unlock some offence in Stenlund and Mäenalanen. If they can’t produce offence, it isn’t the end of the world because they are great PKers, which is very valuable. All in all, the forwards are similarly matched but I give the slight advantage to the Jets because they have more star power and because of how much I like the 3rd line.
DEFENSE: Advantage – Golden Knights
Now the back end. This is where the Golden Knights have a rather large advantage. They have 2 pairs that could be top pairs on the Jets. Pietrangelo is still an elite #1 dman, and Theodore is one of the most underrated players in the league. If you take away one of them then I think it is closely matched but having 2 top-pair dmen gives them the advantage. It is not like the Jets’ D core is bad. Morrissey-DeMelo is very good in the ozone. Both are having career seasons offensively and DeMelo is still an elite defender. Dillon-Pionk is a wildcard. Both are physical but we haven’t seen the physicality from Pionk since the Canadian division year. If Pionk can unlock that then this will be a very tough pair to play against. And the bottom pair; this pair is a really good shutdown pair. Schmidt was brought in to provide offence, which he can occasionally, but this year he has brought this elite shutdown ability to the team. Samberg has been great in his rookie season. If he can keep it up in the playoffs, then he will make out just fine. The defence, along with the goaltending, could be the deciding factor in this series. If Vegas can shut down the Jets' forwards and help Brossiot out by limiting the high-danger chances, they will probably win the series. Overall, the Golden Knights have the advantage on the back end. They could be the deciding factor in the series.
GOALTENDING: Advantage - Jets
Vegas' goaltending is a problem and will be a problem in the playoffs. Brossiot has a career 27 minutes of playoff action and a 0-1-2 against the Jets. Brossiot spent most of the season in the AHL and had a mid-record in Henderson. I know he has great numbers in the NHL this year, but it is in a very limited sample. Brossiot has a very short leash. If he struggles out of the gate, they will quickly turn to Jonathan Quick. Quick is washed, but crazier things have happened. He has the experience with 2 cups and a playoff MVP and is one of the best goalies of his generation, but I can’t see him coming in and stealing the show. If Logan Thompson mysteriously becomes healthy then this could be a different story, but even then, he has no experience. For the Jets, Hellebuyck has shown he can steal games and series. He has a career .921SV% and 2.46GAA in the playoffs. He is an X-Factor in the playoffs, and he wants revenge for what happened back in 2018. So, the Jets win in that category by a lot.
Final Prediction: Jets in 6
The Jets will win games 1, 3, 4, and 6 to take the series in 6 games. Quick will be the starter for game 2 after Brossiot struggles. Hellebuyck and the forwards will be the deciding factor in the series. The Golden Knights won't be able to beat Hellebuyck, and the Jets forwards will take advantage of the weak Vegas goaltending.
Or if helle can't bail them out too. Without helle playing his game the whole ship falls apart
Helle on a bad day allows 2 stinkers. If the forwards score 4, those extra goals dont go in. Helle on a good day allows 0 or 1 and the Jets squeak out a 2-1 game
Im confident in Hellebuyck if the Forwards show up, even if he doesnt play great
I respect you sticking by your team, but your team has no control over this series... Vegas plays like a team and Stone comes back at 90%, Vegas in 5... If not, Jets in 7 is my prediction
I agree with your analysis. I like those games to win as well
My only worry is that the Jets forwards start playing like its March again and thats like a 5 game series win for VGK
Quoting: Howie
Or if helle can't bail them out too. Without helle playing his game the whole ship falls apart
Well... the forwards played like the first 45 games of the season and Helle bailed them out on a few slot chances, but overall one of the best games this team has played in their existence. The team defence gave Helle a somewhat easy game, and they just dominated Vegas for the full 60 minutes. If they can keep this up then they can beat any team in the playoffs. That was sheer domination by the Jets last night.
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
Jetman a aimé ceci.
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