TBL WPG 12.16 preview

LIGHTNING (25-7-1) at JETS (21-9-2)
7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, SUN, NHL.TV

The Lightning are looking to match a Tampa Bay record with its ninth straight win, which was set Feb. 18-March 5, 2016. Their eight-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the NHL.
Winnipeg will try for a season-high fifth straight win. They have outscored opponents 22-11 in their past four games.

Players to watch

Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman returns after missing 17 games with an upper-body injury. He skated with Ryan McDonagh during Tampa Bay's morning skate.
Jets forward Blake Wheeler has 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in his past 11 games and has at least one point in 10 of those games.

They said it

"We only see each other twice a year, but in my time that I've been in the League, every time we play Winnipeg something fun goes down. It's a really entertaining game. There's leads, there's leads blown, it's physical, but it's two teams that want to win and have aspirations of late runs in June. I think that's what makes it fun." -- Lightning coach Jon Cooper
"They have incredible depth, a lot of speed and a lot of skill, so it's going to be important that we try and limit their time and space and really just make sure that we're disciplined. Their power play can turn a 2-1 game into a 4-1 game real quick." -- Jets forward Adam Lowry

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Lightning projected lineup
Jets projected lineup
Status report

Joseph will miss his second straight game. … The Jets activated Morrow from injured reserve Friday and re-assigned defenseman Sami Niku to Manitoba of the American Hockey League. … Copp skated in a non-contact jersey Sunday but will miss his seventh straight game.

Stat pack

Stamkos has eight goals in his past eight games after scoring seven times in his first 25 games. … Kucherov has 29 points (six goals, 23 assists) in the past 15 games. … Scheifele has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) during a four-game point streak, and 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in his past 11 games. … Byfuglien has seven points (one goal, six assists) during a four-game point streak.