The Winnipeg Jets (34-31-8) are in Washington for a 6:00 PM CT face off tonight against the Capitals (37-30-7).
TSN 1290's coverage begins with Hustler & Lawless at 3:00 PM CT. Rick Ralph hosts the official Jets pregame show at 5:00 PM CT.
With nine games to play, Winnipeg trails Washington by five points for the eigth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, so the numbers speak for themselves. This is a must-win game.
Ondrej Pavelec will start his 10th consecutive game in goal for the Jets.
Tim Stapleton is on a three-game point streak (one goal and two assists).
Toby Enstrom and Spencer Machacek each have three assists in their last two games
Projected Jets Lines:
Ladd-Little-Wheeler
Kane-Burmistrov-Wellwood
Glass-Slater-Machacek
Stapleton-Maxwell-Miettinen
Byfuglien-Enstrom
Stuart-Jones
Hainsey-Bogosian
This is back-to-back games for Washington, who lost 2-1 in a shootout last night in Philadelphia.
In the second game of back-to-backs this season, the Capitals have a 5-5-1 record.
Washington did not have a pre-game skate this morning at Verizon Center.
The Capitals have recalled Winnipeg native Cody Eakin from the AHL's Hershey Bears. Eakin has four goals and four assists in 29 NHL games this season.
Last night's lines in Philadelphia were:
Ovechkin-Laich-Brouwer
Johansson-Aucoin-Beagle
Chimera-Perrault-Knuble
Hendricks-Halpern-Ward
Alzner-Wideman
Hamrlik-Green
Schultz-Carlson
Alex Ovechkin has scored four goals in the last three games and has seven goals and one assist in his last eight games.
The Jets are 3-1-1 this season against the Capitals, outscoring them 13-10. In those five games, Andrew Ladd leads Winnipeg with three goals and two assists while Alexander Semin has three goals and one assist and Alex Ovechkin has two goals and two assists.
