Blues at Jets
THE STORY: Winnipeg fans went into this season ecstatic at having their beloved Jets back in the city. They would be even more in a tizzy if the Jets were to qualify for the postseason. Winnipeg finds itself largely in control of its own fate as the Southeast Division leaders head into a pivotal Saturday afternoon tilt with the visiting St. Louis Blues. While the Jets have the fewest games remaining of any of any team in the NHL, the fact that the club finds itself in top spot in the Southeast this late in the season is cause for optimism in Manitoba. The Blues hope to firm up home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, as they come into this one sitting fourth in the Western Conference.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, CBC, Fox Sports Midwest
ABOUT THE BLUES (37-17-7): St. Louis has an incredible home-ice run to thank for its current placing in the West, but will need to be far stronger on the road as the season reaches its final quarter. The Blues will play 14 of their final 21 games away from St. Louis, where they own a rather pedestrian 11-13-3 mark to date. The club is coming off a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night in the opener of a five-game trek that will see the Blues play their next four games in Central and Western Canada.
ABOUT THE JETS (30-26-7): Winnipeg has gone an impressive 4-0-1 in five games since dropping an 8-5 decision in Pittsburgh, a game that prompted head coach Claude Noel to label his players "disrespectful" for not playing hard enough. That hasn't been a problem during the club's latest run, having earned seven of a possible eight points through the first half of an eight-game homestand. The Jets will host Edmonton on Monday before staging a critical divisional tilt with the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
OVERTIME:
1. The teams split a pair of meetings last season. Two of their last three encounters have been decided via a shootout.
2. Blues F Alex Steen will be making a homecoming. The 27-year-old, currently on the shelf with concussion symptoms, was born in Winnipeg. His father, Thomas, played 14 seasons with the original Jets franchise and is now a Winnipeg a city councillor.
3. Jets F Blake Wheeler has a goal and 10 assists during a five-game points streak.