The opponent for Friday night's game, the Winnipeg Jets, has an interesting franchise history behind them.
First, they started as a small franchise called the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999. The team didn't have much success, only winning one division championship and making one playoff appearance (both in 2006-07). Imagine playing 11 seasons in one location and only mustering one playoff appearance. Somewhere, Howard Lincoln is getting hard at this thought (Seattle Mariner fans will understand).
Then, they were bought by True North Sports and Entertainment and moved to Winnipeg, becoming the Jets. It caused a great realignment in the NHL, where Mike Ilitch bugged Gary Bettman like he was in a car ride, asking, "Are we there yet?"
Eventually, the Commissioner caved and moved the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets to the Eastern Conference. However, that move was partially responsible for bringing the Vegas Golden Knights to the NHL sphere. Now, there was a team in Las Vegas, where Bill Foley and company pounced on the opportunity.
Six Stanley Cup playoff appearances, two Western Conference championships, one Jack Eichel, and one Stanley Cup later, you have an established franchise in the league. Of course, this wouldn't have been possible without the reincarnated Jets returning to Manitoba. Therefore, it's time to see how the two teams fare for Friday's game. Who has the upper hand in the all-time series?
The Vegas Golden Knights have an all-time record of 9-6-2 against the Winnipeg Jets
The Vegas Golden Knights have dominated the regular season matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. They've gone 9-6-2 all-time against the franchise, including a current six-game winning streak. They're also 8-2 all-time in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with both seasons (2017-18 and 2022-23) leading to Stanley Cup Final appearances.
There have been three instances where the Golden Knights suffered their largest defeat against the Jets (four goals). These occurred on March 6, 2020 (4-0), March 15, 2022 (7-3), and March 22, 2022 (4-0). All these losses happened in Winnipeg, which means the Golden Knights should probably refrain from playing in Manitoba come March.
The largest margin of victory came on March 21, 2019 (5-0) at T-Mobile Arena. William Karlsson and Reilly Smith scored two goals each, leading the Golden Knights to victory. "Misfit" power was the theme here, where the duo took control of the game early.
Despite the winning record against the Jets, the Golden Knights are being outscored in the series, 59-58. Of course, that goes back to the losses, where they were outscored 34-18. Will we see the pendulum swing the other way and the Golden Knights finally break through in the goal column? Stay tuned.
In the meantime, seeing one of the most memorable teams from the 1980s-1990s come back is a good nostalgia kick. Players like Teemu Selanne were gracing the ice, giving Jets fans fond memories before they relocated to Phoenix. Now? Names like Connor Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor (double Connor!) are doing that in Manitoba. It's something Golden Knights fans will watch come Friday.