Senators at Jets preview
Ottawa goes for first win in five games; Winnipeg can extend point streak to four
by Darrin Bauming / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
SENATORS (18-25-11) at JETS (27-23-5)
2 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, TVAS, SN, NHL.TV
The Game
The Winnipeg Jets seek to extend their point streak to four games when they host the Ottawa Senators at Bell MTS Place on Saturday.
Laurent Brossoit will start in goal for the Jets, who begin a season-long, six-game homestand. Winnipeg is 2-0-1 in its past three games following a five-game losing streak and going 1-7-0 in its previous eight.
The Senators seek their first win in five games; they are 0-2-2 in their past four games, and 2-7-7 in their past 16.
Players to watch
Senators forward Drake Batherson has five points (one goal, four assists) in in his past six games.
Jets forward Patrik Laine has five goals in his past seven games.
They said it
"It's not about the standings, but how we play. … I've liked us in a lot of games. We've had a tough schedule where we're in the middle of playing a lot of teams that are in the playoffs and these are playoff games for these teams, which are great games for us." -- Senators coach D.J. Smith
"As everyone has seen in the NHL, it doesn't really matter who you're playing against. Whether it's the top team in the League or teams near the bottom, you have to be ready to go. And if you don't bring your best then you're not going to give yourself a chance to win." -- Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey
Senators projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Connor Brown
Nick Paul -- Chris Tierney -- Anthony Duclair
Tyler Ennis -- Artem Anisimov -- Drake Batherson
Filip Chlapik -- Colin White -- Scott Sabourin
Thomas Chabot -- Ron Hainsey
Mike Reilly -- Nikita Zaitsev
Cody Goloubef -- Dylan DeMelo
Marcus Hogberg
Craig Anderson
Scratched: Mikkel Boedker, Mark Borowiecki, Andreas Englund
Injured: Anders Nilsson (concussion), Vladislav Namestnikov (lower body)
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Patrik Laine
Nikolaj Ehlers -- Blake Wheeler -- Mason Appleton
Jansen Harkins -- Andrew Copp -- Jack Roslovic
Gabriel Bourque -- Nicholas Shore -- Logan Shaw
Josh Morrissey -- Neal Pionk
Dmitry Kulikov -- Sami Niku
Nathan Beaulieu -- Anthony Bitetto
Laurent Brossoit
Connor Hellebuyck
Scratched: Cameron Schilling, Andrei Chibisov
Injured: Bryan Little (head), Tucker Poolman (lower body), Mathieu Perreault (upper body), Adam Lowry (upper body), Carl Dahlstrom (broken hand), Mark Letestu (heart virus), Luca Sbisa (right knee)
Status report
Sbisa, a defenseman, is day to day after being injured against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. … Poolman, a defenseman, should be ready to return in three or four days Jets coach Paul Maurice said. … Namestnikov is questionable to play after the forward took a puck to the teeth in practice on Friday. … Borowiecki is not on the trip; the defenseman remained home with his wife awaiting the birth of their child. … The Senators recalled Englund, a defenseman, from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Friday.
Stat pack
Ehlers has a four-game point streak (one goal, three assists). … Roslovic has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past three games. … The Senators are 7-2-0 all-time at Bell MTS Place. … The Jets are 3-1-0 in day games at home and 6-2-1 overall this season, tying a team record for most wins in days games in a season (2002-03, 2016-17).