Jets at Panthers
THE STORY: The Winnipeg Jets continue their six-game road trip when they face off against the Southeast Division-leading Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center on Friday. Winnipeg lost the first two games of its trek but has won the last two, including a 2-1 overtime triumph at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Overall, the Jets have dropped seven of their last 11 contests. Florida halted a three-game home losing streak Wednesday as it moved one point ahead of Washington with a win over the Capitals. The Panthers, who have won five straight against divisional opponents, are 1-0-1 on their three-game homestand.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN (Winnipeg), FSN (Florida)
ABOUT THE JETS (24-22-6): Dustin Byfuglien returned to the lineup Thursday and notched an assist in a 2-1 overtime victory over the Lightning at Tampa Bay. The defenseman had missed the previous 16 games with a knee injury. Byfuglien also received some bad news Thursday as his lawyer said he is likely to go to trial for a boating incident last summer. Byfuglien was charged with boating while intoxicated on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota on Aug. 31. A hearing is scheduled for April 19, and attorney Mitch Robinson believes the case will go to trial in June.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (23-15-11): Scottie Upshall's return was short-lived as the left wing will be out indefinitely following abdominal surgery on Thursday. Upshall had been sidelined since Nov. 10 with a lower-body injury before returning to action on Jan. 20 at Chicago. He also played against Philadelphia four days later but again is on the shelf. Goaltender Jose Theodore also is expected to miss some time with soreness in his knee. ""We're going to give him a couple more days," coach Kevin Dineen said. "His knee is not feeling as strong as we want it, and we'll give him a couple of days to heal that up." Kris Versteeg, who leads the club with 43 points, could miss his second straight game with the flu.
OVERTIME:
1. Scoring first is imperative for the Panthers as they are 16-1-6 when netting the game's initial goal.
2. The Jets franchise has won four straight visits to the BankAtlantic Center and is 4-1-2 is the last seven overall meetings between the division rivals.