TLDR: Winnipeg traded the best goalie in the world 3 weeks ago and has somehow come out of it on a heater. On Thursday the Jets find out whether that holds up on the road against a Dallas team that has been missing its best defenseman.
Winnipeg has won 4 straight since moving on from the Connor Hellebuyck saga, with trade return Dawson Mercer already scoring twice against his old team, but 3 of those wins came at home and the last road trip ended in a 7-0 loss at Carolina. Dallas has the better record at 10-5-2 but has been ordinary lately and is waiting on Miro Heiskanen, who's day-to-day with an upper-body injury, while Matt Duchene is out long-term. Whether Heiskanen plays is the biggest unknown going into Thursday.
The Jets have won 4 straight. Their best win came last time out: a 4-2 win over New Jersey in the first meeting since the Connor Hellebuyck trade, with Hellebuyck watching from the Devils' bench. Dawson Mercer scored twice against the team that traded him, Kyle Connor added 2, and Winnipeg's power play went 2-for-the-night while New Jersey's got nothing. That trade sent Hellebuyck to the Devils on Oct. 23 for Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command, Nico Daws and 2 picks, and the Jets called the end of the saga a 'relief'. Since then they've played like a team with a weight off its back.
Dallas comes in with the better record at 10-5-2, and the bigger worry. Miro Heiskanen took a hit along the boards from Washington's Justin Sourdif in the 6-5 win over the Capitals, left early in the 2nd period and hasn't been listed as anything but day-to-day since. He sat out for the first time all season in the 2-1 loss at Columbus, and he was doubtful for San Jose. Before the injury he was playing 24:53 a night with 3 goals and 8 assists in 15 games. That's a lot of minutes for Glen Gulutzan to spread around, and Trey Taylor was the call-up waiting to fill in.
The Stars are also still without Matt Duchene, who's out about 3 months after core surgery, so the forward depth is thinner than usual too. They've gone 3-2 in their last 5 and won their last game, a 4-3 grinder over San Jose. Nothing about it has been dominant. A 2-5 home loss to Montreal and a 1-2 loss in Columbus sit right next to the wins.
Be careful reading too much into Winnipeg's streak. 3 of those 4 wins came at home, against Vancouver, Tampa Bay and New Jersey. The last road game before that was a 7-0 beating in Carolina, and the American Airlines Center is a much tougher building than the ones they've been beating people in. The Jets are 8-8-3, which is still a .500 club. The offense has put up 19 goals during the streak, so the question Thursday is whether that holds up away from home against a Dallas team that's used to controlling games.
The injury lists are uneven. Winnipeg's are bodies on IR, including Bjugstad, who showed up from New Jersey already hurt with a pectoral injury, plus Vladislav Namestnikov and Elias Salomonsson. Dallas has Heiskanen's status hanging over the whole game. If he's back, the Stars have their top pair and their transition game back. If he isn't, a hot Jets forward group gets a Dallas blue line playing without its anchor. Puck drops at 7:00 PM CT.
