NHL: Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes all take to the rink

We have another bumper-packed week of NHL action to look forward to and there are some big clashes. Let’s preview:

•  Winnipeg Jets v Edmonton Oilers
• Boston Bruins v Washington Capitals
• Carolina Hurricanes v Nashville Predators. 

Winnipeg Jets winning streak comes to abrupt halt after Ottawa Senators defeat

The Jets were going from strength to strength. After blitzing their way past the Montreal Canadiens 5-0 last weekend to chalk three wins on the bounce, the Jets crashed to a 4-2 defeat against the Ottawa Senators. For large chunks of the season, the Jets have been fabulous.

Although their progress was checked by the Senators, the Jets have an impressive record in the Scotia North. At the time of writing, the Jets are second with a 25-14-3 record. However, they would like to have eaten more into the Toronto Mapleleafs’ six-point cushion at the top of the table. Nevertheless, the Jets are expected to bounce back strongly against the Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers make late swoop for Dmitry Kulikov

The Oilers have been busy recently, and they conducted some late business when they snapped up Dmitry Kulikov from the New Jersey Devils as a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Defenceman Kulikov comes with lots of experience, and he has recorded two assists in 38 games this term.

Oilers have to sort out defensive problems

The swoop for Kulikov was perfect timing from the Oilers. At the time of writing, the Oilers have conceded 120 goals, which is more than the Jets and the Mapleleafs. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Oilers general manager Ken Holland, who simply said: “I think about the playoffs, you have to be able to defend.” Kulikov is an answer to their problems. 

Boston Bruins have New York Islanders test before Washington Capitals challenge

Before they take on the Washington Capitals, the Boston Bruins have back-to-back matches to contend with against the New York Islanders. Currently, the Bruins sit fourth in the MassMutual East division, with a 21-12-6 record and have amassed 48 points. Injuries have been piling up recently, and that has included defenceman Matt Grzelcyk.

The Capitals have been in free-scoring mode. After being on the right side of a 4-3 thriller last weekend, the Capitals routed the Bruins 8-1, and their record currently stands at 27-11-4. With their blowout victory over the Bruins earlier this week, they will be confident of tearing them to shreds once again on Sunday.

Carolina Hurricanes ready to put Detroit Red Wings struggles behind them

It has been a rather testing few days for the Carolina Hurricanes. In their back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings, they came out worse off, as they lost both matches 5-4 and 3-1 respectively. But currently, they are well-placed in the Discover Central division as they boast a 27-10-4 record, and they are locked on 58 points with Tampa Bay Lightning.

And the Hurricanes have a good head-to-head record against Saturday evening’s opponents, the Nashville Predators. The two franchises have faced each other 35 times on the rink, and the Hurricanes have come out on top on 19 occasions while the Predators have tasted 12 wins. We could well be in for a cracker here in another big weekend of fast NHL action.

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