CHICAGO – Another day, another Central Division opponent for the Winnipeg Jets.
After disposing of the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, the Jets (4-1-1) face off with the Chicago Blackhawks (2-5-0) tonight at United Center in the first of four meetings between the two clubs.
Winnipeg has two wins in two games against divisional opponents so far this season, a trend they’d love to continue tonight.
A big part of accomplishing that feat will be staying sound defensively. The Jets limited the Wild to just eight shots in the final 40 minutes of play on Tuesday night.
“I think we came right into training camp this year and we’re like, we need to close faster, put more pressure, and be a defensively strong team at first,” said Cole Koepke after the optional skate on Wednesday. “From there, you’ll kind of wear teams down and offence will come from the defensive zone. I really liked what I’ve seen from everyone, starting from the back end up with how the structure we have. I think when we play that way, it’s pretty obvious that we’re a hard team to play against.”
The other positive for the Jets in the victory was their ability to bounce back. In fact, Koepke’s line might be an example of doing just that.
In Winnipeg’s first regulation loss of the season (back on Friday against Anaheim), Koepke’s line was on the ice for three goals against. Over the next two practice days, the Jets focused on defending against the rush, and were able to limit Minnesota in that capacity as a result. In addition, Koepke’s line outscored their opposition 1-0 at five-on-five and generated more high-danger chances (two) than they gave up (one) according to Natural Stat Trick.
“We wanted to go out there and just find our game, be good defensively and try and create up the rush,” said Koepke. “We got a few chances, so it was nice to be rewarded for it.”
The Jets earned a record of 3-1-0 against Chicago last season, with two of those victories coming in overtime. Today’s morning skate will be the best indication of whether head coach Scott Arniel wants to make any changes to the Jets line-up, or if he keeps the same group together in an effort to win its second game in a row.
As for Chicago, they’re coming off a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Connor Bedard, who was named captain and signed a five-year extension on July 18, 2026 played in his first game after having off-season shoulder surgery.
The Blackhawks didn’t exactly ease the 21-year-old into the line-up either, as he 2024 Calder Trophy winner played 21:04 – which led all forwards in the game – registered an assist, and took 14 face-offs, winning six.
“They have a lot of skill,” Isak Rosen said of Chicago. “It’s a young team. If we can play like the last 40 (Tuesday) that’s good for us. That’s what we’re going to try and do.”
Tonight’s tilt is the third game on a seven-game home stand for the Blackhawks, which will see Dallas, Montreal, Florida, and Los Angeles come through the Windy City before Chicago hits the road at the end of the month.
It’s a chance for the Blackhawks to gain ground in the Central Division, but the Jets will do everything they can to prevent that from happening.
Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT.