Lightning at Jets
The Tampa Bay Lightning look to extend their point streak to four games before getting a week off when they visit the fading Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. The Lightning knocked off Anaheim and Los Angeles - both playoff-positioned teams - at home before falling 2-1 in a shootout at Western Conference-leading Minnesota on Friday to escape the basement in the East.
Ben Bishop likely will try for his third straight win after Andre Vasilevskiy turned aside 37 shots in a remarkable performance on Friday that left Tampa Bay five points out of the second wild-card spot in the jammed East. Winnipeg has followed a three-game winning streak with three consecutive losses, including a 5-2 home setback against Chicago on Friday. Leading scorers Mark Scheifele (53 points) and Nikolaj Ehlers (47) have been kept off the scoresheet during the slide as the Jets were held to a pair of goals in each defeat after scoring a total of 14 in the previous three contests. Ehlers recorded two goals and an assist as Winnipeg won 6-4 at Tampa Bay on Jan. 3, but the Jets have lost their last three home meetings with the Lightning.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), Sportsnet (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (24-24-7): Brayden Point, who recently was moved to center a line with Jonathan Drouin and Alex Killorn, scored the only goal Friday and has netted three in five games since returning from an upper-body injury that kept him out for about a month. Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 49 points and defenseman Victor Hedman is next with 42, including a club-high 35 assists. Tyler Johnson, who has registered 33 points, sat out Friday with an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Saturday, while Ondrej Palat returned after missing the previous two games.
ABOUT THE JETS (25-28-4): While others have cooled off a bit, Bryan Little continues to raise his productivity, scoring nine goals in his last 10 games to push his season total to 30 points – sixth-best on the team. Adam Lowry has notched three goals and an assist over his last three contests and Joel Armia also has collected four points in that same span. Connor Hellebuyck got the start Friday with Ondrej Pavelec (lower body) sidelined, and coach Paul Maurice told reporters after the game that the 23-year-old may vie for his second win against the Lightning this season.
OVERTIME
1. The Jets have allowed at least three goals in 14 consecutive games, dating back to a 7-4 home loss to Montreal on Jan. 11.
2. Tampa Bay associate coach Rick Bowness was behind the bench for his 2,165th game (head coach or assistant) Friday, passing Scott Bowman for most in NHL history.
3. Winnipeg RW Patrik Laine recorded an assist Friday and is tied for second among NHL rookies with 44 points.