Devils at Jets
Back-to-back losses put a damper on a road-heavy stretch for the Winnipeg Jets, who will kick off a three-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. The Jets failed to pick up a point in only two games while playing nine of their last 11 away from home and have not allowed more than three regulation goals in a dozen contests. Even though Winnipeg closed the five-game trek with a pair of one-goal setbacks, it secured a point by erasing a three-goal, third-period deficit at Minnesota on Sunday.
The matchup against the Jets is the first stop on a four-game trip that winds through Western Canada for the Devils, who went 0-3-0 and allowed four goals in each setback during a three-game road swing earlier this month. New Jersey yielded two goals in the final 7 1/2 minutes of a 3-2 loss to Colorado on Saturday night, but coach Peter DeBoer didn't assign blame to netminder Cory Schneider, who has started all 18 games. "I didn't think fatigue was an issue," DeBoer said. "He looked good all night. This one's not on him."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG Plus2 (New Jersey), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (8-8-2): New Jersey placed captain Bryce Salvador (lower body) on injured reserve Monday, but could have a pair of familiar faces back in the lineup as forward Adam Henrique and defenseman Jon Merrill accompanied the team on the road trip and practiced Monday. Henrique, a 25-goal scorer last season, has been sidelined for six games with a lower-body injury but is tied for fourth on the team with nine points in 12 games. Merrill, averaging more than 20 1/2 minutes before an arm injury cost him seven games, could be joined on the blue line by Peter Harrold, who was called up from the minors Monday.
ABOUT THE JETS (9-7-3): Winnipeg joins Buffalo as one of only two teams in the league averaging fewer than two goals per game (1.80), so it comes as little surprise that its power play continues to sputter and ranks 28th. The Jets failed on all eight chances against the Wild to dip to 6-for-62 with the man-advantage and have scored on the power play in only four of their 19 games. Winnipeg has to sort out an injury concern involving center Mark Scheifele, who appeared to hurt his right leg in the second period of Sunday's game and was scheduled to be re-evaluated by the team on Monday.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey has its own power-play issues, converting 1-of-21 chances during a 2-5-0 stretch.
2. The Jets had won four of five meetings before a 2-1 shootout loss at New Jersey on Oct. 30.
3. The Devils called up G Scott Clemmensen from Albany of the American Hockey League and demoted rookie G Keith Kinkaid.