Jets, Devils meet again after earlier postponement (Mar 28, 2017)
Two weeks to the day that their originally scheduled game was postponed by a major snowstorm, the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets meet Tuesday at the Prudential Center.
In the 14 days since, the Devils (27-35-13) lost five of seven games, including their last three. Meanwhile, the Jets (34-35-7) won four of six, coming off Sunday's 2-1 home-ice victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
Both teams were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention within the past week. It is the fifth consecutive year missing the postseason for the Devils, and the fifth time in six years since relocating from Atlanta that the Jets are on the outside looking in.
"It's another year of your career you can't get back, and you're not playing for something," veteran Jets center Bryan Little said to the Winnipeg Free Press. "You want to be part of something bigger, and you want to be playing for something at this time of the year."
Though frustrated at once again missing the playoffs, the Jets played well enough down the stretch to hang on the periphery of the Central Division and Western Conference playoff races the past two months.
Since Jan. 26, the Jets are 12-10-3, with a pair of three-game winning streaks mixed in.
"It's up to everyone to find that will to win," Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said after Sunday's game.
In their most recent victory against the Canucks, the Jets scored twice on the power play, making it seven straight games with at least one power play goal for Winnipeg.
Mathieu Perreault and Adam Lowry scored the goals Sunday for the Jets; and backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson made his second consecutive start and stopped 28 of 29 shots.
Perreault has a six-game point-scoring streak (four goals, six assists) coming into play against the Devils. Since Feb. 16 he has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 17 games, most on the team.
"Confidence is as high as it can be," Perreault said to the team's web site.
The Jets were without defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (lower-body injury) and rookie sensation Patrik Laine (illness) on Sunday, but both players traveled to New Jersey and might be able to play Tuesday.
The Devils will remain without three injured forwards -- Michael Cammalleri, Jacob Josefson, and Devante Smith-Pelly -- when they look to close out their three-game homestand with a victory after weekend losses to the Carolina Hurricanes (3-1) and Dallas Stars (2-1).
Those two most recent defeats marked the 23rd and 24th times this season the Devils failed to score more than one goal. The Devils have only 171 goals this season, fewest in the Eastern Conference.
"We just have to work harder, bear down a little bit harder, and find ways to get more (shots) in, kind of will them to go in if we have to," said Devils captain Andy Greene.
New Jersey's lone score Sunday against the Stars was a memorable one for rookie Blake Coleman, who notched his first NHL goal on a terrific individual effort.
"That was a nice goal," said Devils coach John Hynes. "Intercepts the pass, quick release in tight, top shelf."
Like Winnipeg, the Devils' power play has been better of late. Though blanked over the weekend, the Devils had at least one power play goal in six straight games prior, their longest stretch of the season.
With the playoffs out of reach, Hynes uses youngsters John Quenneville, Miles Wood, and Joseph Blandisi on the power play, and Coleman, along with fellow rookies Blake Pietila and Steven Santini, on the penalty kill.
"We want to win games and be competitive, as well as do one heck of a job evaluating what we have, what are we moving forward with, and how are we getting better," said Hynes. "That's the most crucial thing we've got to do."
This is the second and final meeting between the Devils and Jets this season. Back on Nov. 29 in Winnipeg, the Jets edged the Devils, 3-2, with Laine scoring the game-winning goal in the third period.
