Winnipeg Jets gear up for long road trip starting in Philadelphia against Flyers -NHL Match Preview
Winnipeg has not impressed the National Hockey League (NHL) and its followers ever since the 2011-2012 regular season kicked off, but as the Jets will now be entering a lengthy, seven-game road trip starting in Philadelphia, they hope to inaugurate it with
a win against the Flyers when both teams meet on Thursday, October 27, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Hoping for a much better run, Winnipeg Jets head coach, Claude Noel, is trying new things during their practice sessions which just might be what they need at the moment.
"We wanted to be better in practice", Noel told the team's website. "I haven't liked the way we've practiced for a while. We've been trying to get the work ethic going and I thought today was good, we had a good pace today, the players were attentive. It
was good".
Trying new things does not only mean that Winnipeg will be executing the same game plan against each team they meet throughout their seven-game trip, but each and every strategy will be different based on the opponent.
Philadelphia’s veteran goalie, Ilya Bryzgalov, which they acquired during the offseason in one of the biggest signings of the free agency he rejected the idea of staying with his team, Phoenix Coyotes, had a tough time during their last matchup against Montreal,
in which they were nearly shutout, 5-1.
Terming it as the adjustment phase Bryzgalov is going through in order to get used to the defenders playing in front of him, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman, Kimmo Timonen, assured the media that it is just a matter of time till they are all in sync with
each other.
"We want to be on the same page because it's one of those things that happens so quick on the ice, we want to make sure to tell Bryz whether to play or leave it or over or whatever it is", Timonen told CSNPhilly.com.
Rookie player, Alexander Burmistrov, has been a top contributor for the Winnipeg team by having recorded seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in the past eight matchups, The 20-year-old Russian centre who was drafted as the eighth overall during round-one of
the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by Atlanta Thrashers, Burmistrov remains crucial to making plays for the Canadian team.
Compared to Winnipeg’s offensive line-up, Philadelphia has been much stronger in all aspects. They have Jaromir Jagr, who has three goals in the past two games, Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell, both which have picked up multiple points in single games so
far.
Giroux alone has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists), which makes the situation for Winnipeg even harder. One aspect which might play in Winnipeg’s favour is the absence of Philadelphia captain, Chris Pronger, who went out in their last matchup after being hit
in the eye and has been sidelined indefinitely.
Philadelphia has also been given many turnovers and penalties in their recent contests, which could also be used to the Jets advantage. Scoring early goals will be crucial to whichever team can first because later on it will affect how they will need to
maintain it afterwards, which is always easier to do.
Thursday nights highly anticipated matchup is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM ET, which will certainly have Winnipeg and Philadelphia fans on the edge of their seats rooting for their respective teams to win.
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