The Winnipeg Jets will play their 46th game of the season Tuesday night, and despite the fact that they can now essentially cruise to the playoffs, this meeting is no run-of-the-mill affair.
The Jets will take on the Vegas Golden Knights, who beat them in five games in last year's Western Conference Final. Veteran forward Bryan Little is just one player who hasn't forgotten.
"It's one of those games that we've been looking forward to," Little told reporters Tuesday. "Obviously anytime a team beats out another team you look forward to that matchup again when you see them next season, so this is one we've had circled on our calendars."
"We wanna beat these guys pretty badly," he added.
The heavily favored Jets seemed destined to roll through the Golden Knights after a decisive Game 7 victory against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Nashville Predators in the second round last season, but Vegas had other plans.
After the Jets took Game 1 by a score of 4-2, the Golden Knights were victorious in the next four games en route to the Stanley Cup Final. Winnipeg managed just six goals against goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in those final four contests.
Both squads remain two of the best in the NHL this season, so it's a game all hockey fans should've circled on their calendars.
