BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues travel to the Winnipeg Jets looking to break a six-game road skid. Winnipeg is 5-7-2 against the Central Division and 19-23-6 overall. The Jets have a 5-11-5 record in games decided by a goal.

Matthews, Laughton, and the rest of the Maple Leafs embraced both sides of the atmosphere in Winnipeg on Saturday night.

A respected NHL GM forecasts a dramatic turnaround, believing the Jets' recent surge and returning health signal a playoff bound finish.

The Winnipeg Jets enter 2026 on the other end of the NHL standings from where they were beginning 2025. Not only are the 2024-25 Presidents' Trophy winners not in a playoff spot, but the Jets are last in the Central Division, the Western Conference and the entire NHL.

23 seconds after that, Auston Matthews was left alone in the slot and he beat Connor Hellebuyck to cut in to the Jets lead at 9:22. The Jets carried a 2-1 lead into third period and early into the final frame, Nino Niederreiter scored his first goal since November 29 as he converted on a rebound in front of Hildeby to make it 3-1.

“Some days you feel outnumbered and, holy moly, you’re in it,” DeMelo said. “But it’s all a blessing. It’s an amazing ride. All of the snuggles, all of the cries, all of the diaper changes, all of the laughs, it’s all worth it in the end.” Eric Comrie remembers calling his wife, Haley, from the road when their daughter, Capri, was a baby.

New York is 15-9 when it is underdogs of +104 or longer on the moneyline. The win probability for the Islanders, implied from the moneyline, is 49.0%. In 48.9% of New York's previous games this season (22/45), the teams combined to score more than Tuesday's over/under of 5.5 goals.

Our Jets vs. Blackhawks predictions expect Kyle Connor to find his teammates in the Windy City. The Winnipeg Jets head to the Windy City this evening for a matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.