Winnipeg Jets Look to Shut Down Tormented Pittsburgh Penguins Friday

The Winnipeg Jets look to piece together piece together another lengthy winning streak when traveling to Pittsburgh Friday to take on the Penguins. The Jets are coming off a sizeable 6-3 win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers while the Penguins have lost four of their last five games.

The largest hole in the Penguins team right now is the backend as they allow the most goals per game with a 3.86 average. No team in the league is worse as they struggle to fend off opposing offences as they also allow the third-most shots per game with a 32.9 average that should provide the Jets with plenty of chances to get on the board.

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The Jets struggled to score in their two straight losses to the Lightning and Panthers as they scored just one goal across both games. They rebounded gracefully in their rematch versus the Panthers and scored six goals for a relatively stress-free 6-3 rout. This matchup has started to lean more in the direction of Winnipeg as of late as they've topped Pittsburgh in three of their last four matchups but in their last 16 contests, the Penguins have walked away with 11 victories.

Winnipeg will look to continue their recent winning ways versus the Penguins and that will need to start from the crease with Connor Hellebuyck getting the start. The reigning Vezina trophy winner has been dominant this season with a 2.20 goals against average and his numbers only get slightly worse as he reps a 2.38 average in 13 career games versus the Penguins but the only downside is he won just four of the 13 matchups.

Penguins confirmed starter Tristan Jarry is looking for anything positive Friday as he's started the season off with a 1-2-1 record and a 4.72 goals against average. It is the worst career start for the 29-year-old Surrey native, who was widely talked about in early discussions for Team Canada's roster at next year's Four Nations tournament.

Many are unaware of just how impressive Jarry's history is against Winnipeg, boasting a 5-1-0 record, a 1.16 goals-against average, and a .960 save percentage in six career matchups versus the Jets. He may have the start he is looking for to regain his confidence which means this should be a low-scoring affair. These two teams have totalled fewer than six goals in six of their last seven matchups, which may make things more difficult for second line forward Cole Perfetti to get out of his four-game point drought.

His history versus the Penguins isn't anything to ride home about but he has landed two or more shots in five of his six career games against them and even managed a breakout game with three assists in one of their matchups earlier this year.

It should make for an exciting standalone Friday matchup with all the hockey world watching. Catch the game on Sportsnet at 6:00 PM MT, or catch the live broadcast on Power 97, the FM home of the Winnipeg Jets. If you are in the Pittsburgh area, tickets are reasonable for Jets versus the Pens with the lowest pair being sold at roughly $30USD.