Two of the NHL’s hottest teams face off when the Ottawa Senators battle the host Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
The Senators saw their six-game win streak come to an end in their most recent outing, when they fell 3-1 to the host Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, but their biggest worry following the loss was the health of Linus Ullmark, who left the game with an upper-body injury.
“His back tightened up, so I felt it was best that he came out,” coach Travis Green told reporters after the game.
The Senators said Friday that Ullmark would not accompany the team on their five-game road trip that begins Saturday and ends Jan. 7 in Detroit.
Before Sunday’s game, Ullmark sported an outstanding 7-0-0 record with a .967 save percentage and a 0.99 goals-against average over his previous seven starts.
Without Ullmark, the Senators could turn back to Leevi Merilainen, who won his third career start, beating the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 in overtime on Dec. 21, before taking the loss to Edmonton after replacing Ullmark the following night.
Veteran goalie Anton Forsberg, who hasn’t played since Dec. 8 with a lower-body injury, will travel with the Senators.
Saturday’s clash will be crucial for the Senators, seeing as it comes as the fifth game of their season-long nine-game road swing. They currently sit in a playoff spot following the NHL’s three-day Christmas break for the first time since 2016-17.
Goaltending has continued to be a strength for Winnipeg, which is 5-1-1 over its past seven games and hasn’t allowed more than three goals in any of those contests.
The Jets have rediscovered their form after a small stumble following their record-breaking (15-1-0) start to the season, with plenty of thanks due to last season’s Vezina-winning netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
Hellebuyck has been stellar yet again this season with four shutouts, while also sitting at the top of the league with a 2.07 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.
Outside of the crease, the Jets have had no trouble scoring of late. They totaled four or more goals in six of their past nine games and lay claim to the NHL’s first 20-goal duo this season.
During Monday’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mark Scheifele scored a hat trick and Kyle Connor snagged a pair of goals to bring both of their season totals up to 21.
“When your top guys can do that, it gets the opposition on their heels a little bit,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said about his top unit of Scheifele, Connor and Gabriel Vilardi following Monday’s win.
“They have to be aware of when they’re on the ice at all times. And when you can go out on the road and your top line can do that, it certainly leads to lots of success.”
The Jets enter Saturday’s contest with an imposing 12-3-1 home record. They had won four consecutive meetings between the teams before the Senators bested them 3-2 in Winnipeg back on March 30.
Jets standout blue-liner Josh Morrissey ranks third among all defenseman with 30 assists in 36 games, while Senators forward Tim Stutzle aims to cross the 40-point threshold after amassing 39 in his first 34 games.
–Field Level Media
