After two important wins against Wild Card teams, the Winnipeg Jets (30-26-6) welcome an Eastern Conference opponent in the New York Islanders (23-32-8), as the Jets look to keep the hot streak going.
Nov 27, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; Winnipeg Jets right wing
Blake Wheeler(26) controls the puck in front of New York Islanders left wing
Josh Bailey(12) during the third period of a game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Jets defeated the Islanders 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Jets have come out of the Olympic break with two straight wins, beating the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday and the Nashville Predators on Friday, making them 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. The Islanders haven’t had such luck, losing two straight games on the weekend to the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. New York now heads on a four-game Western Canada road trip, starting in Winnipeg on Tuesday. On November 27th, the Jets rode Al Montoya to victory against his former team, defeating the Isles 3-2 in New York.
The Jets will continue to ride the hot hand of starting goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who has been lights-out for the club since the break. Pavelec is 20-22-4 with a .904% save percentage and 2.90 GAA this season, and is coming off a 39-save performance in Nashville on Saturday. The Isles will start Anders Nilsson, who has played in only 12 career games. Nilsson is 1-3-2 with a .878% save percentage and 3.36 GAA in 8 appearances this year.
The Jets’ Matt Halischuk will make his first appearance since December 14th, after he was cleared to play last week by team doctors. For the Isles, Matt Martin is expected to return to the lineup after missing time with a lower-body injury. St. Malo, Manitoba native Travis Hamonic will dress for New York, after serving a suspension on Sunday. Leading scorer John Tavares is likely out for the season after sustaining a knee injury during the Olympics.
The Jets can tie Dallas with 68 points with a win, although the Stars hold the tie-break with two fewer games played. The Phoenix Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks also face off in an important tilt on Tuesday.
The Jets are 15-11-4 at the MTS Centre this season, and 14-10-1 against Eastern Conference teams this season. The Islanders are 14-16-0 on the road. New York is 9-11-2 against West teams this season, but hold a 6-5-0 record against Central Division squads.
You can catch the game on TSN Jets or listen live on TSN 1290 radio. Non-regional viewers will be able to see the action on MSG Plus. Puck drop from the MTS Centre is 7:00 PM Central.
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