Jets at Senators
The Winnipeg Jets’ see-saw season is on the upswing again with points in three consecutive games and they look to make it four when their road trip continues against the surging Ottawa Senators on Sunday. The Jets beat Dallas at home before losing in overtime at Pittsburgh on Thursday and spoiling the debut of coach Claude Julien with a 3-1 triumph in Montreal Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve had three really, really strong games (in a row),” Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice told reporters. “They’re almost identical games that we’ve played – really strong with our gap, not giving the other team a whole lot, and getting enough offense.” Jets rookie Patrik Laine hopes to continue his hot streak after scoring five times in the last three games and it won’t be easy against Ottawa, one of the most-improved defensive teams in the league. The Senators have won four of their last five after scoring the final four goals of a 6-3 win over Toronto on Saturday and are two points behind first-place Montreal in the Atlantic Division with three games in hand. Right wing Mark Stone registered a career-high five points in the victory for the Senators and is second on the team with 46.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, TVAS, TSN3, TSN5
ABOUT THE JETS (27-29-5): Laine is on a strong run, moving into second on the team in points with 50, but leading scorer Mark Scheifele and fellow forward Nikolaj Ehlers will need to pick it up. Scheifele (58 points) owns five assists in the last three games, but has not scored a goal in seven while Ehlers (47) has been held off the scoresheet in seven straight contests and owns a minus-11 rating in that span. Winnipeg is collecting points despite getting little help from a power play that has gone scoreless in 13 attempts the past four games.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (31-19-6): Ottawa continues to get offense throughout the lineup as center Derick Brassard stepped up with a season-high three points against Toronto. Captain Erik Karlsson leads the team with 49 points after notching a pair of assists Saturday while center Kyle Turris set up three goals to push his total to 41 points. Craig Anderson turned aside 34 shots versus the Maple Leafs and that could give Sunday’s start to Mike Condon, who allowed two goals to win his last two starts and a 3-1-0 in the past four outings.
OVERTIME
1. The Senators, who visit Winnipeg on April 1, gained at least a point in the last seven meetings (6-0-1) - including a pair of wins last season.
2. Winnipeg captain F Blake Wheeler is third on the team with 48 points and is two assists shy of 300 for his career.
3. Ottawa D Marc Methot returned to the lineup Saturday after missing one game due to illness and posted his ninth assist of the season.