Now that the Winnipeg Jets’ first dropping streak of the season is over, the NHL’s factors leaders will purpose to increase a brand new profitable streak after they go to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
Winnipeg’s second and third defeats of the season got here in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 14 and a 5-0 shutout to the Florida Panthers on Nov. 16. The Jets acquired an opportunity at fast revenge in opposition to the Panthers on Tuesday, and capitalized with a 6-3 victory on dwelling ice.
“We did not like the way in which we performed in Florida. So it is only a signal of plenty of good character on this room that we wished to bounce again,” mentioned Mark Scheifele, who had a hat trick on Tuesday. “We wished to have a superb recreation in entrance of our dwelling crowd earlier than we go on the street for what looks like endlessly.”
Friday marks the beginning of a six-game street journey for the Jets, who’re 7-2-0 in away video games this season.
The Penguins are 1-2-2 of their final 5 video games, and have been struggling to both achieve or maintain leads. Within the first two video games of their five-game homestand, the Penguins nearly blew a three-goal lead in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks, after which misplaced a two-goal lead in Tuesday’s 3-2 additional time loss to the Lightning.
Pittsburgh is 4-5-2 when scoring first in video games, the bottom profitable share (.364) of any workforce within the NHL when taking the early lead.
“We like components of our recreation however I believe we have simply acquired to get extra comfy and simply acquired to place 60 minutes collectively … We have now the leads within the recreation, we’re proper the place we need to be and we let it slip,” Penguins ahead Rickard Rakell mentioned.
Protecting leads is all the time troublesome with a leaky protection, and the Penguins have allowed probably the most objectives (81) within the NHL. Pittsburgh’s skaters have a mixed -127 plus-minus ranking, and goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic, Tristan Jarry and Joel Blomqvist have a cumulative 3.62 goals-against common.
Defenseman Kris Letang is questionable for Friday’s lineup after lacking Pittsburgh’s final three video games on account of sickness.
It provides up for an incredible alternative for the scorching Jets offense to maintain lighting the lamp. Winnipeg is among the many league leaders with a mean of 4.21 objectives per recreation.
For the reason that Penguins host the Utah Hockey Membership on Saturday, Nedeljkovic and Jarry determine to separate the back-to-back begins in some order.
The Jets are additionally taking part in consecutive video games, because the workforce faces the Predators in Nashville on Saturday. Backup goalie Eric Comrie is likely to be likelier to face Pittsburgh, as starter Connor Hellebuyck could also be saved to face Winnipeg’s Central Division rivals.
Sidney Crosby may obtain one other milestone Friday, because the Penguins star is sitting on 599 profession NHL objectives. Nonetheless a potent power in his twentieth NHL season, Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 20 factors (seven objectives, 13 assists).
Scheifele and Kyle Connor share the Jets’ workforce scoring lead with 24 factors apiece. Each gamers have a good 12 objectives and 12 assists.
Within the first assembly between the 2 groups this season, the Jets collected a 6-3 win over the Penguins in Winnipeg on Oct. 20.
–Discipline Degree Media