Jets at Stars
The Winnipeg Jets attempt to climb into a tie for first place in the Central Division when they visit the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Winnipeg pulled within two points of idle Nashville with Friday's 4-0 triumph at St. Louis as Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves en route to his sixth shutout - one shy of the league lead.
Blake Wheeler and rookie Kyle Connor each recorded a goal and an assist as the Jets began a back-to-back road set after playing their first nine games of February - and 10 straight overall - at home, where they also end the month. The Stars hope to regain third place in the Central as they begin a five-game homestand. Dallas, which occupies the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference and sits one point behind Minnesota for third in the division, blanked Los Angeles 2-0 on Thursday to salvage the finale of its three-game California trip. Kari Lehtonen recorded an 18-save performance for his 38th career shutout and Tyler Seguin snapped a scoreless tie in the third period to end his four-game drought and reach the 30-goal plateau for the fourth time in five seasons.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360 (Winnipeg), FS Southwest Plus (Dallas)
ABOUT THE JETS (36-16-9): Wheeler, who leads the team in scoring (71 points), has eclipsed the 70-point mark for the third consecutive season and is seven away from matching the career high he set in 2015-16. The 31-year-old right wing is riding a seven-game point streak during which he has collected four goals and nine assists and has recorded multiple points in each of his last four contests. Goaltenders Michael Hutchinson and Steve Mason have been cleared to play after missing six and 16 games, respectively, with concussions, and the former served as Hellebuyck's backup against the Blues.
ABOUT THE STARS (35-22-4): Alexander Radulov is hoping his empty-net goal on Thursday is the beginning of a surge, as he had tallied just once in his previous 11 games. The 31-year-old Russian, who is in his first campaign with Dallas and second straight in the NHL after spending four in his homeland, is tied for the team scoring lead with defenseman John Klingberg at 54 points - his total in 76 contests with Montreal in 2016-17. Captain Jamie Benn is one point behind the duo and ranks third on the club with 21 goals but has recorded only one in his last 12 games.
OVERTIME
1. Stars D Marc Methot's next appearance will be his 600th in the NHL.
2. Winnipeg C Bryan Little is three goals shy of 200 for his career.
3. Dallas has been outscored in the first period 15-1 over its last 12 contests.