Jets at Blue Jackets
There may soon be a changing of the guard in goal for the Winnipeg Jets - and that switch may happen as soon as Tuesday against the host Columbus Blue Jackets. No. 1 netminder Ondrej Pavelec has struggled mightily over his last three starts, a stretch that includes a 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday afternoon. Backup Michael Hutchinson is gaining support from Winnipeg fans, having allowed two goals during his three-game winning streak.
Pavelec or Hutchinson will face a Blue Jackets team that has dropped three straight games and 12 of its past 14, all but wiping out a strong start to the season. Columbus is facing its own goaltending slump, with starter Sergei Bobrovsky having been tagged for 13 goals during the most recent skid. Goal prevention has been an ongoing problem for the Blue Jackets, who are allowing 3.55 per game - nearly one more tally than this time last season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), FS-O (Columbus)
ABOUT THE JETS (10-9-3): With Tuesday marking the opener of a three-game road trip, coach Paul Maurice told reporters he plans on shaking up his lines yet again - but he wouldn't say when that will happen. "I've got the next place we're going to go with the lines," he said. "There's something we still like. There's enough good there to leave it for a while. The question is, 'Is a while already come?' We'll watch that closely." Forward Evander Kane might welcome some line juggling, having scored just twice through his first 14 games.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (6-12-2): The list of problems in Columbus is long; the Blue Jackets have allowed 18 power-play goals in their last 15 games, their goalies have a combined .893 save percentage and they have just 29 5-on-5 goals on the season. But the most significant statistic may be the 136 man games they have lost to date, which leaves them on pace to shatter the franchise record. Coach Todd Richards refuses to let injuries serve as an excuse, telling reporters: "I don't know if we've played a full 60-minute game yet."
OVERTIME
1. Columbus has won seven of the last eight meetings.
2. Kane has one goal and one assist in four career games against the Blue Jackets.
3. The Jets have won six straight games against teams with losing records.