Panthers at Jets
Captain Blake Wheeler snapped a 16-game goal drought last time out and looks to put together another big night when his Winnipeg Jets continue a 10-game homestand against the surging Florida Panthers on Sunday night. Wheeler scored twice and added an assist in Friday’s decisive 6-1 victory over Colorado to extend his point streak to four games and push his team-leading total to 64.
“It’s nice to see a guy get a pay off he deserves,” Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice told reporters of Wheeler, who scored for the first time since Jan. 5. “He’s earned big point nights on his effort alone. … He doesn’t change his game when he wasn’t scoring. He’s played so very well for a long time without putting a goal in the net and we were winning hockey games.” The Jets are 5-2-1 on their season-long homestand as they take on the Panthers, who knocked off Calgary 6-3 on Saturday to improve to 7-1-0 in their last eight contests and 3-0-0 with 17 goals on a five-game trip. All-Star center Aleksander Barkov has played a big role in Florida’s run with four goals and 10 points over the past seven contests. James Reimer, who has won his last two starts, is likely to be back in net after Roberto Luongo (30 saves) earned the win Saturday in his first game in more than two months because of a lower-body injury.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Florida, TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (26-23-6): Florida is only six points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with its run and the power play is a major reason as it has converted 8-of-18 in the last five games. Center Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist Saturday to join Barkov as a team leader at 53 points along with fellow forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who recorded two in his past five games. Mike Matheson scored twice Saturday, giving him five points in four outings, Keith Yandle boasts two goals and seven assists in the last eight games and fellow defenseman Aaron Ekblad is riding a six-game point streak.
ABOUT THE JETS (34-15-9): Center Mark Scheifele has not missed a beat since returning to the lineup, posting two goals and five assists in four games after missing more than a month with an upper-body injury. Scheifele is second on the team with 45 points despite missing 16 games and is one ahead of Patrik Laine, who notched a goal and an assist in Friday’s victory. Winnipeg has gotten strong offensive contributions from its defensemen in two straight wins as top-four blueliners Dustin Byfuglien (four assists) and Tyler Myers (goal, two assists) have combined for seven points.
OVERTIME
1. Florida F Colton Sceviour, who has gone six contests without a point, is slated to play his 300th NHL game Sunday.
2. Winnipeg rookie F Kyle Connor has four goals in the last eight games to pull within one of 20.
3. The Panthers have won four of the last six meetings, including a 6-4 triumph in Sunrise, Fla., on Dec. 7.