Lightning at Jets
THE STORY: The Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning meet twice in the final eight days of the season. Their showdown in Manitoba on Thursday will go a long way in determining whether those games count for something. Winnipeg is tied with Florida atop of the Southeast Division, five points ahead of the Lightning. Tampa Bay, which has three games in hand on Winnipeg, is on a three-game win streak despite trades and injuries. The Jets are 5-2-1 in their last eight.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SunSports (Tampa), TSN-Jets (Winnipeg).
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (27-26-6): Teddy Purcell was a healthy scratch earlier in the season as he struggled to make an impact. Purcell has stepped up his game in the second half and is on track to reach career highs, with 11 points in the last eight games. Steven Stamkos, Purcell’s linemate, now has eight multi-goal games - including two of the last three. Captain Vincent Lecavalier is out indefinitely with a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and top-nine forwards Dominic Moore and Steve Downie were traded. Trevor Smith and Mike Angelidis, recalled from the minors, both contributed Tuesday.
ABOUT THE JETS (29-26-7): Winnipeg must forget a demoralizing overtime defeat to Philadelphia on Tuesday, when it let a regulation win get away with 10.8 seconds left. The Jets can only hope their power play keeps clicking. After going 2 for 29, Winnipeg has converted five of eight chances the last two contests. Blake Wheeler has led the way of late with 11 points in the last six games and Evander Kane has four goals and seven points in the last four. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has already set a career high with 22 victories and has a .956 save percentage and two wins against the Lightning this season.
OVERTIME:
1. Winnipeg has allowed eight power-play goals in the last 22 attempts.
2. The Lightning have been outshot 104-64 the last three games, scoring 10 goals and allowing eight.
3. Winnipeg has won the last two games after the franchise dropped 12 straight to Tampa Bay.