Jets at Penguins
THE STORY: The Pittsburgh Penguins will welcome center Jordan Staal back to the lineup for Saturday's home contest against the Winnipeg Jets. Staal has missed 15 straight games with a knee injury and is coming back just in time. The Penguins appear to have tailed off from the furious pace they set before the All-Star break. Pittsburgh has dropped three of its last four while topping out at two goals in that span. The Jets have had trouble scoring all season but have ridden some strong defense to back-to-back victories.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, CBC, NHL Network
ABOUT THE JETS (26-24-6): Winnipeg went 3-8-1 in the 12 games prior to the All-Star break. With the relative weakness of the Southeast Division, however, the Jets remained in the race. Winnipeg has tightened the gap in the division, posting a 4-2-0 mark in six games to creep within three points of the Florida Panthers. The Jets showed their fight on Thursday, scoring two goals in the final 2:15 of the third period en route to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals. Goalie Ondrej Pavelec has allowed a total of eight goals in his last five starts.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (30-19-5): Sidney Crosby’s absence has received most of the headlines but Staal might be just as important as a strong two-way center. Staal has 15 goals in 34 games and is expected to get 15 minutes or more of ice time on Saturday. Pittsburgh had won eight straight games before the calendar turned to February. In four games this month, the Penguins are 1-2-1 while totaling six goals. All-Star Evgeni Malkin continues to lead the NHL in scoring and has one point in each of the last three games. Marc-Andre Fleury had won nine straight starts before dropping his last two.
OVERTIME:
1. Fleury has split to starts against the Jets this season and is 13-5-0 with a 2.18 goals-against average in 18 career starts versus the franchise.
2. Pittsburgh has taken five of the last six in the series.
3. Pavelec is 1-8-0 with a 4.16 goals-against average in his career against the Penguins.