Lightning at Jets
THE STORY: Not even a move north could help the Winnipeg Jets franchise end its streak of futility against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Jets hope a first meeting in Manitoba will reverse that trend as they host their Southeast Division rivals on Monday. Winnipeg has dropped 12 consecutive games to Tampa - the longest active streak between teams in the NHL. The latest defeat came late last month when the Jets fell 1-0 to the Lightning in Tampa, Fla. Winnipeg has dropped five straight games overall, dropping the club to second-last in the Eastern Conference. The Lightning are also off to a slow start following last year's run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tampa Bay has been better of late but fell 3-0 last time out to the St. Louis Blues, seeing their three-game winning streak come to an end.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SunSports (Tampa Bay), TSN (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (8-6-2): Goal scoring has been the culprit for Tampa Bay so far this season. After finishing with the second-most goals in the Eastern Conference in 2010-11, the Lightning are in the middle of the pack with 46 goals in 16 games. Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are behind their respective outputs from last season, while the secondary scoring behind them has been virtually non-existent.
ABOUT THE JETS (5-9-3): Where's Big Buff? That's a popular question in Winnipeg as veteran defenseman Dustin Byfuglien continues to struggle at both ends of the ice. Byfuglien has two goals in 17 games after potting a career-best 20 a season ago. Even more alarming is his minus-seven rating, ranking him last on the team. The Jets could use someone to step up as a go-to guy on offense, with no player scoring more than five goals.
OVERTIME:
1. Winnipeg has been outscored 41-21 during its long losing streak against the Lightning, though four of the last five encounters have been decided by one goal.
2. Stamkos has feasted on the Jets franchise, scoring 16 goals and adding 11 assists in 19 career games.