Penguins at Jets
The Winnipeg Jets open the post-Christmas portion of their schedule at home Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, hoping a few days away will reinvigorate a squad that has lost four of its past five and sits a season-worst two games below .500. “We needed it, to regroup and recharge the batteries a little bit,” Jets forward Drew Stafford told reporters after Saturday’s practice.
The Penguins have also struggled of late, going 1-4-1 in their final six games prior to Christmas before returning to action with a 3-1 victory Saturday at Minnesota. The good news for Pittsburgh is center Sidney Crosby (lower-body injury) and defenseman Kris Letang (upper-body injury) both returned to the lineup against the Wild, recording two points apiece. The Penguins scored five goals in Monday’s victory over Columbus, in which Crosby did not play, after netting only six in their previous five contests. The Jets scored just two goals while being swept in a two-game Alberta road trip before the break and are 0-of-16 on the power play in the past five contests.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (17-14-3): Goaltender Matthew Murray won his second consecutive start Saturday as the rookie improved to 2-1-0 by making 25 saves. Crosby helped ignite the Penguins offense in his return, scoring just his second goal in the past 12 games, and center Evgeni Malkin has tallied five times in his past seven contests while leading Pittsburgh with 17 goals and 30 points. Pittsburgh went seven games without a power-play goal, but is 4-of-9 with a man advantage in its past three contests.
ABOUT THE JETS (15-17-2): Rookie goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has won five of his first eight NHL starts, but defensive breakdowns – in particular on special teams – have hurt the Jets. Winnipeg has given up six power-play tallies in the past five games, offsetting strong offensive production from the Jets’ top two lines. Center Bryan Little leads the team with 13 goals while forward Blake Wheeler has 25 assists – seven in the past four games – and 35 points, ranking among the top 10 in the league in both categories.
OVERTIME
1. Letang picked up his 300th career point in his return, assisting on Crosby’s goal in the second period.
2. Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury remains sidelined with a concussion and did not make the trip to Minnesota.
3. Winnipeg C Mark Scheifele, fourth on the team with 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists), suffered an on-ice collision in practice Saturday and received stitches in his head.