Blue Jackets at Jets
The Winnipeg Jets have posted a Western Conference-leading 18 wins at Bell MTS Place and look to add to that mark when they open a three-game homestand against the slumping Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Winnipeg, which owns a two-point lead over the Nashville Predators atop the Central Division, wrapped up a four-game road trip with a 4-3 shootout win at Boston on Tuesday.
Kyle Connor helped the Jets rebound from a lackluster 3-1 loss at Philadelphia 24 hours earlier by scoring twice in the third period before netting the lone goal in the shootout. "It's always tough coming off a break, no matter how much you put into it and stay in shape," Connor said. "Nothing's like game shape." Columbus saw its losing streak reach a season-high three games with a 5-4 home loss to Buffalo on Tuesday in the first contest since star forward Artemi Panarin announced he would not address his contract situation until after the season. "Everything needs to improve," coach John Tortorella said. "I don't want to hear it was because of the (All-Star) break. You can't be as sloppy as we were."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN-Plus, FS Ohio (Columbus), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (28-18-3): All-Star forward Cam Atkinson is on pace to shatter his career high of 35 goals set in 2016-17, scoring for the fourth time in six games to boost his season total to 28 while linemates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Panarin matched him with two points apiece. Despite the three-game slide, Columbus is receiving stellar work from its penalty-killing units, snuffing out 25 straight short-handed situations and not allowing a power-play goal in 11 games. “We have momentum going right now with it,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “We feel like every time we go out there, we can kill it off and even create off of it.”
ABOUT THE JETS (32-16-2): Forward Patrik Laine is tied for the team lead with 25 goals despite being mired in a slump that has seen him produce one tally and two assists over the past dozen games. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Laine amassed 80 goals over his first two seasons and erupted for 18 tallies in the month of November before hitting a wall, managing only four goals over the past 26 games and bottoming out in Tuesday's win in Boston. Coach Paul Maurice had Laine on the bench for much of the second period and the third-year forward wound up playing a career-low 10:55 while failing to register a shot on goal.
OVERTIME
1. Jets C Mark Scheifele collected two assists Tuesday to give him 12 points in his last 10 games.
2. Blue Jackets C Boone Jenner will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed injury.
3. Jets captain Blake Wheeler has 12 points in his last 10 games overall and 10 in 13 matchups versus Columbus.