The Islanders wrap up a two-game road trip against the Jets (8 p.m. et, MSG+)
BySasha Kandrach
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (46-26-7) AT WINNIPEG JETS (45-27-4) 8 PM | BELL MTS PLACE WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | NHL.TV LISTEN: 88.7FM WRHU | 103.9FM LI NEWS | RADIO.COM/ISLANDERS
The Islanders close out their two-game road trip and play their 78th game of the season against Winnipeg after getting blanked 4-0 at Columbus on Tuesday night. - The Islanders were shut out for the third time in five games after Tuesday's loss in Columbus. The Isles were also shut out by Boston on March 19 and Montreal on March 21. - Tuesday's loss to Columbus dropped the Isles (95 points) down to third place in the Metropolitan Division as Pittsburgh (95 points) overtook second place due to the head-to-head tiebreaker. Washington (98 points) retained the top spot in the division and hold a three-point lead over the Isles and Pens. The Islanders magic number to clinch a playoff berth remains at five according to statistician Eric Hornick. - Tanner Fritz (maintenance day) missed practice on Wednesday. Barry Trotz said Fritz's maintenance day was related to an issue from two games ago and that he expects the center to play on Thursday. - The Isles did not have a power play opportunity against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Islanders have converted just once through their last 37 attempts. - Thomas Greiss made 29 saves against Columbus. Greiss has 22 wins this season, the third season with the Isles that he has accomplished the feat. Greiss is the fourth goalie in club history to have at least three 22-win seasons, alongside Glenn Resch (5), Billy Smith (5), and Rick DiPietro (4). - In his first season as an Islander, Robin Lehner also has reached the 22-win mark. Lehner has stopped 53-of-55 shots in his past two games, including a 31-save shutout. Lehner is one win shy of matching his career-high (23), set during the 2016-17 season. - Islanders GM and President Lou Lamoriello announced on Tuesday that Andrew Ladd tore his ACL against Arizona and will miss the remainder of the season and next five-months. Michael Dal Colle assumed Ladd's spot against Columbus on the right wing of the Islanders second line alongside Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson. Dal Colle had three shots on goal, logged 15:09 of ice time and was -2. - The Islanders continue to lead the league in goals against per game with an average of 2.38. The league average is 2.98.
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JETS NOTES:
The Jets host the Islanders in the third game of a four-game homestand. Winnipeg is coming off of a 5-2 loss to Dallas on Monday. Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine (power play) each scored in the third period, while Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves. - Laine scored his 30th goal of the season and 15th goal on the power play. Laine has 50 points through 76 games played. - Winger Blake Wheeler is atop the Jets leaderboard with 88 points (20G, 68A) across 76 games while Mark Scheifele leads the team with 35 goals (80 points) in his 76 appearances. - Winnipeg ranks fourth in the league for power play percentage with at 25.5%. Winnipeg is also tied for fourth in the league for wins with 45 wins this season. - The Jets (94 points) lead the Central Division and punched their playoff ticket with a statement 5-0 victory over Nashville on March 23. - Kyle Connor was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for the week ending on March 24, after posting (4G, 2A) through three games. The 22-year-old recorded his first career hat trick on March 23 against Nashville and has 10 points (6G, 4A) in his last five games. Connor has a career-high 63 points and a career-high 33 goals through 76 games this season. - The Jets are 8-5-0 in their last 13 games. - Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was a full participant at practice on Wednesday after being sidelined with a lower-body injury on Feb. 14. Byfuglien is day-to-day, but the Jets reported that coach Paul Maurice doesn't have Byfuglien in the lineup against the Islanders. http://cms.nhl.bamgrid.com/images/assets/binary/306204266/binary-file/file.pdf \Graphic courtesy of Islanders PR*
