Devils at Jets
THE STORY: Fans of the Winnipeg Jets vowed to give their team a major home-ice boost upon learning that NHL hockey was returning to Manitoba after a 15-year absence. So far, they've accomplished that goal - and it may make the difference between the Jets reaching the postseason and finding themselves on the outside looking in. Winnipeg will gun for its 15th home victory of the season as it entertains the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon. The Jets have dropped four of their last five games to slip into 10th place in the Eastern Conference, three points back of the eighth-place Washington Capitals. But nightly sellout crowds at the MTS Centre have been treated to one of the top home teams in the conference, with Winnipeg sporting a 14-7-1 record in its own building. The Devils come in having won three of their past four games, and are wrapping up a four-game road swing in which they have gone 2-1-0 so far. The teams have split two meetings this season.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, CBC, MSG Plus
ABOUT THE DEVILS (24-17-2): What a difference a year has made for Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk. This time in 2011, Kovalchuk was slogging through his worst professional season while New Jersey had already seen its playoff hopes torpedoed. This year, Kovalchuk is back at a point-per-game pace - and has been especially red-hot of late, posting four consecutive multi-point efforts. His resurgence has helped keep New Jersey in postseason contention as the All-Star break approaches.
ABOUT THE JETS (20-18-5): Winnipeg returned home from a difficult four-game trek eager to give their fans reason to cheer. That didn't happen, as the Jets dropped a 2-0 decision to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. The Winnipeg power play was held scoreless in two opportunities against San Jose, and has struck just once in its last 11 opportunities overall. Things won't get any easier against a New Jersey penalty-killing unit that ranks as the best in the NHL, working at a 90.4-percent success rate.
OVERTIME:
1. New Jersey has tallied 12 shorthanded goals already this season. No other team in the NHL has more than six.
2. The home team has prevailed in five of the last six head-to-head encounters.
3. The Jets hope to have defenseman Dustin Byfuglien back in the lineup sometime prior to the All-Star break. Byfuglien has been out since late-December with a knee injury.
PREDICTION: Jets 4, Devils 2.