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Detroit getting into the right form

After an unconvincing start, the Red Wings are playing as is expected from them while Jets are still underperforming

Even though they are a tricky opponent in the NHL and the fact that can beat anyone due to their on and off performances, the Winnipeg Jets are a pretty poor team which is witnessed in their standings. They are the penultimate team in the Western Conference and so far have 5 wins in 15 games, while they currently have a run of 3 consecutive defeats.

The latest defeat came against the reigning champions Chicago who demolished the Jets by 5-1 in Canada. It was an especially painful defeat for Winnipeg to extend the losing run as they suffered two heavy defeats in Denver and St. Louis. And, as in the games against Avs and Blues, they didn't get too many chances and the team from the Windy City deservedly won.

- I think you could see some frustration in the way that we managed that game. I think that in a matter of couple of minutes, the game changed drastically, and certainly when that happens there's a lot of emotion that comes into yourself that is not good emotion, and that is what starts to get to you and is tough.We made mistakes before it got to our goalies so I'm not going to sit here and blame our goalies as they saved us on many occasions in previous games - "I think you could see some frustration in the way that we managed that game," Jets coach Claude Noel said. "I think that in a matter of couple of minutes, the game changed drastically, and certainly when that happens there's a lot of emotion that comes into yourself that is not good emotion, and that is what starts to get to you and is tough.""We made mistakes before it got to our goalies," Noel added, "so I'm not going to sit here and blame our goalies. There is no rocket-science way to play when you play a team that can hurt you - said the Jets coach Claude Noel after the defeat as he refused to blame Pavelec for this defeat, even though it was largely his fault.

They are coming into this match against Detroit with a desire to end their losing run. Noel is having some injury problems as he is missing four players. That is definitely an additional problem for the Canadian team, but their general performance, goalie frustration, the lack of motivation, and giving up early in "big" games are a far bigger problem for the Manitoba team.

Detroit are finally performing according to the expectations. They got their second win in a row away at Edmonton Oilers where they won by 5-0. They played a great game and used all chances they got. They allowed Edmonton to take only 14 shots on goal and you can see the defensive effort in place. The result could even have been bigger, considering they had five powerplays and only used it once. Since this was a back-to-back game, the fatigue was visible even though the result doesn't reflect it.

- I was quite nervous. I was quite tired at the start, I wanted to play a bit stronger but it didn't seem to work. I didn't spend too much continuous time on the ice and I was on the bench every now and then to recharge and it turned out OK. They did a great job and they used me only when necessary - said forward Helm about his performance and the organization of this game. 

Wingers' coach Mike Babcock did not hide his excitement:

- We did a great job, we were up to the challenge. We said we wouldn't repeat what happened against Calgary when we only played great for 40 minutes; we were great for the entire game and we were successful in controlling every segment of the game. 

The last time they played against the Jets was in 2011 and they won by 7-1. Tonight they will not be able to count on goalie Gustavsson, defenseman Ericsson, while forward Franzen is in doubt. In case they control the game and keep possession like against the Oilers, the points should not be a problem. 

My first idea was to go for Detroit's end result, but going for an under for the Jets at 2.02 is an even better choice. It is a very simple matter a Jets haven't scored over 2 in their last 5 games while Detroit have conceded over 2 only against Calgary in their last 4 games. The Wings have started playing well and not only are they scoring, they are playing great defense. They limited Edmonton to only 14 shots in the last game which speaks just how powerful they are. Howard will probably be the goalie as he is in great shape and it doesn't seem that he will concede over two goals. The bet has a huge value and it is worth taking.