Jets at Penguins
The Winnipeg Jets will be a well-rested team for a quick two-day, two-game road trip that starts with a matchup against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. The Jets have been off since Friday when they defeated Minnesota 4-3 for their fourth victory in five games, but will end the month with four games - two against Pittsburgh - in six days.
“That’s the biggest challenge for us - getting our game up to speed,” Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice told reporters of the break. “Really what (the Penguins are) good at is they defend really, really hard. Because of their talent, they can be a little patient in the game. … The confidence they have in their offensive game allows them to compete and play smart.” The Jets hope to buck a trend as Pittsburgh has won nine of the last 10 meetings, including a pair last season in which it scored 11 times. The Penguins came back after giving up seven goals in Tampa Bay on Saturday to lock it down Tuesday for a 2-1 overtime victory over Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. “When we got into our defensive zone, I thought we were competing on pucks,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan told reporters after Tuesday’s win. “We got our stick on the puck, we were hard to play against, we were stiff in the battle areas and that’s how we have to play.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE JETS (4-3-0): Nikolaj Ehlers has scored all of his team-high six goals in the last five games and is tied with Mark Scheifele (three assists, last two games) and Blake Wheeler (goal, three assists in last three) for the team lead with eight points. Patrik Laine scored his third and fourth goals of the season against Minnesota - both on a power play that was only 2-for-20 in the first six games. Matt Hendricks was activated and is expected to make his Winnipeg debut, skating with Brendan Lemieux and Joel Armia, while fellow forward Nic Petan was sent to Manitoba of the AHL.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (6-3-1): Defensemen Matt Hunwick and Justin Schultz are both expected to miss the game with concussions, and Zach Trotman is likely to make his first Pittsburgh appearance on the blue line. Center Riley Sheahan had an assist and a plus-1 rating in his Penguins debut against Edmonton after being acquired in trade with Detroit, while forward Carter Rowney (fractured hand) will miss about four weeks. Evgeni Malkin leads the team with 11 points and Phil Kessel is tied captain Sidney Crosby for second with 10 after his overtime game winner Tuesday.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh is the among the league leaders at 30 percent on the power play while scoring 12 man-advantage goals in 10 games.
2. Winnipeg G Connor Hellebuyck has been outstanding (4-0-0, .927 save percentage), but G Steve Mason is 9-5-1 career against the Penguins.
3. Pittsburgh Casey DeSmith was recalled to back up No. 1 G Matt Murray after Antti Niemi was lost on waivers, and the 26-year-old has yet to play an NHL contest.