PREVIEW: Red Wings host Jets for New Year’s Eve Game, presented by Planet Fitness, on Wednesday
Manning the crease for the Jets, Connor Hellebuyck has gone winless in his last six starts and overall, is 9-9-3 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 21 games. The native of Commerce, Mich., had been sidelined from Nov. 15 – Dec. 15 after undergoing knee surgery on Nov. 22.
“Any team on any given day in this League can win, and we know that,” Bernard-Docker said. “Winnipeg is a big, strong team. We’re going to have to be pretty good around our net. They have some big forwards who like to play a power game. Obviously, they’ve got a great goalie. We’re going to have to be sharp. Even though they’re maybe not doing as well as they’d like to be, it’s any team’s game on any given night.”
Wednesday’s game also marks the first time that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) with the Jets, will face off as NHL opponents. The pair of forwards played nearly 15 full seasons (2007-23) together with the Chicago Blackhawks, helping the franchise win three Stanley Cup championships (2010, 2013, 2015).
“It’ll be fun to play him for the first time ever in the NHL,” Kane said about Toews. “Obviously, we’ve played against each other in international competition, but this will be totally different.”
