Oilers at Jets
The Winnipeg Jets needed only two games to reap the dividends of a blockbuster midweek trade with the Buffalo Sabres. With new acquisitions Drew Stafford and defenseman Tyler Myers playing pivotal roles, the Jets rallied for a 5-4 victory at Detroit on Saturday and hope to continue the momentum when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. "You want to make plays and help your new team win and they did that," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said.
While the Jets have won three of four following a six-game skid to maintain their grip on the top wild card in the Western Conference, Edmonton will try to salvage the finale of a six-game road trip. The Oilers followed up a 4-3 victory in Montreal by getting steamrolled by Ottawa 7-2. "If you had a good game, you can't pat yourself on the back for a few days," captain Andrew Ference said. "You have to get on with it and prepare yourself for the next team."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, RSW (Edmonton), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE OILERS (16-32-9): Viktor Fasth has received the bulk of play in net over the past month due to a combination of ineffectiveness and an injury to Ben Scrivens, but he was yanked after surrendering three goals on 15 shots Saturday for his fourth defeat in his last five starts. With Scrivens on injured reserve because of a balky hamstring, Richard Bachman made his first appearance since November 2013 on Saturday and promptly allowed four goals. "We have to look ourselves in the mirror, everybody, including myself," Fasth said.
ABOUT THE JETS (29-19-10): Stafford scored the decisive goal in the shootout and also tallied in regulation while Myers collected a pair of assists Saturday - the first coming after he made an end-to-end rush with Winnipeg trailing by two goals. It was the first multiple-point performance for the towering 6-8 defenseman since he had two assists for the Sabres on Nov. 18. “Coming here, even after two games, it’s not so much defensive zone play,” Myers said. “Getting that first game out of the way, I came into this game a lot more comfortable.”
OVERTIME
1. Jets D Dustin Byfuglien has two goals and five assists during a four-game point streak.
2. Oilers leading scorer Jordan Eberle has eight points in his last eight games.
3. Jets D Jacob Trouba has three goals and two assists in the last two matchups versus Edmonton - both 3-2 overtime wins for the Jets.