Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 5, 2019 ) Winnipeg 2, Tampa Bay 5

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to follow up a record-setting performance with a season-high fourth consecutive victory when they host the improving Winnipeg Jets on Saturday afternoon. The Lightning matched their franchise record in goals scored and power-play tallies (5-of-8) on Thursday with a 9-3 destruction of the New York Rangers as six players finished with multiple points.

“We just didn’t want to take our foot off the gas,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos told reporters after scoring his 399th career goal. “Not often do you have a game where you’re up like that so quick. I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job of attacking.” The Lightning swept two games from Buffalo at the Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden, last week to start their revival and scored four times in the first 6:42 on Thursday at home - two on the power play - while Winnipeg was kicking off its four-game road trip with a 4-3 victory at Florida. The Jets boast at least a point in six of the last seven games (5-1-1) and have won six of their seven contests that went past regulation this season, but did not need extra time against the Panthers with three goals in the third period. “We know they have offense and we know they play a solid game, and they’re going to make you pay if you give them a chance,” Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele told reporters. “It was good resilience on our part, good character to come back and continue to fight for the lead.”

TV: 4 p.m. ET, TSN2 (Winnipeg), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)

ABOUT THE JETS (11-8-1): Scheifele said of his line with Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, which contributed seven points combined Thursday: “Yeah, we felt good tonight. … We made a lot of nice plays. We worked together really well.” Scheifele leads the team with 20 points after recording five in the past four games and shares the top spot in goals (eight) with left wing Nikolaj Ehlers, who snapped a five-game drought Thursday. Connor Hellebuyck (8-6-1, 2.40 goals-against average, .928 save percentage), who was rested against Florida, is expected to be back in net Saturday.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (9-5-2): Stamkos leads the team with 18 points, including six in his last four games, and right wing Nikita Kucherov boasts 17 after scoring twice and setting up four goals during the team’s winning streak. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has been a steady contributor, especially on the offensive side of the ice, in his first season with the club and owns one goal and seven assists during his five-game point streak. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (7-4-0, 3.01, .902) turned aside 20 shots Thursday for his 131st career victory with Tampa Bay, tying Ben Bishop for the franchise record.

OVERTIME

1. Winnipeg F Andrew Copp has two goals and two assists in his past five outings after enduring a nine-game point drought.

2. Tampa Bay F Yanni Gourde has scored in four consecutive games and boasts seven points in that span.

3. The Jets are 4-for-31 on the power play over the past 11 games while the Lightning’s penalty-killing unit is 11-for-11 in the last four contests.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Jets 2