Jets at Sabres
The Winnipeg Jets long have shifted their focus toward next season, but goaltender Ondrej Pavelec is working to make the most of a disappointing campaign for himself and his team. The Jets aim for their first three-game winning streak of the season Saturday at the Buffalo Sabres, after Pavelec stopped 61 of 62 shots in back-to-back victories over Vancouver and Los Angeles.
“Regardless of where we are in the standings, we’re still playing for pride,” Winnipeg forward Drew Stafford told the media after Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the Kings. “We’re playing to build character in here.” The Jets and Sabres both have experienced plenty of character-building moments in difficult seasons as Winnipeg resides one point ahead of the Western Conference basement while Buffalo sits five points above the bottom in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres look to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-February after rallying with two third-period goals in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory at Carolina. “We’re still here fighting for our pride, fighting for our opportunity to win hockey games,” Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma told reporters.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), MSG Buffalo, Bell TV (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE JETS (31-37-6): Pavelec kept Winnipeg in Thursday’s game until the Jets’ offense got going in the final 21:40 as forward Blake Wheeler and center Mark Scheifele recorded a pair of assists each in the late-game flurry. Pavelec has won three of his past five starts after going 2-5-1 in his first eight outings since returning from a knee injury. Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Joel Armia along with defenseman Mark Stuart returned from injuries Thursday.
ABOUT THE SABRES (30-34-10): Goaltender Chad Johnson stopped 25-of-27 shots Tuesday, winning for the third time in four starts as he posted his career-high 18th victory of the season. Forward Marcus Foligno has two points and two assists in his past five games, and 12 of his career-best 22 points have come since Feb. 1. Center Jack Eichel ranks second among rookies in goals (22) and points (49) entering Friday's games.
OVERTIME
1. Bylsma told reporters Thursday F Tyler Ennis continues working his back from a concussion that has cost him 37 games, while G Robin Lehner will be reevaluated Saturday after missing three games with an ankle injury.
2. Jets D Tyler Myers will miss the rest of the season due to knee and hip surgeries while D Brenden Kichton was recalled on an emergency basis from Manitoba of the AHL Friday.
3. Sabres C Sam Reinhart recorded a hat trick and Foligno scored the game-winning goal in the Sabres’ 4-2 victory at Winnipeg on Jan. 10.