Chicago @ Winnipeg preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 12, 2019 ) Winnipeg 3, Chicago 2

Teams do not necessarily react the same after a blowout loss and the Winnipeg Jets are no exception as they try for their seventh straight victory over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. Winnipeg was crushed by Carolina 6-3 on Tuesday with coach Paul Maurice telling reporters: "It’s different for the environment you’re in, how you think your team is playing, what you got coming up.”

Tuesday's game seems to be a blip on the radar for the Jets, who routed Philadelphia 7-3 on Sunday and are 14-5-2 since Nov. 1 but have a big problem with one of their special teams. Winnipeg owns the league's second-worst penalty-killing unit but has hit rock bottom by going 0-for-3 over the last two games and 2-for-7 in its past three. Chicago snapped a four-game slide with a 5-3 victory over Minnesota on Sunday but couldn't sustain the momentum and lost 4-1 to Colorado on Wednesday. The Jets won the last three meetings in overtime after Mark Scheifele's goal gave the Jets a 3-2 victory Oct. 12 in their first encounter of the season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, TSN3 (Winnipeg)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (13-16-6): Patrick Kane leads the club in goals (18) and points (40) but was kept off the scoresheet Wednesday after recording a hat trick Sunday. Two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith returned after missing the previous nine games with a groin injury and was a minus-2 in 23 minutes, 16 seconds of ice time. Robin Lehner, who is 4-0-1 versus the Jets, is expected to take the net after Corey Crawford made 32 saves Wednesday.

ABOUT THE JETS (20-12-2): Winnipeg is 4-for-7 on the power play in its last two games with Scheifele scoring with the man advantage in each of the last two contests to extend his point streak to seven games (seven goals, five assists). Blake Wheeler has five points in his last two games and 10 (three goals) in seven December contests, and needs one to tie Ilya Kovalchuk (615) for the most points in franchise history. Connor Hellebuyck is expected to make his fourth straight start and is 9-4-0 with a .924 save percentage in his career against Chicago.

OVERTIME

1. Winnipeg will be without C Mathieu Perreault (concussion) and C Andrew Copp (upper body) with Perreault sustaining his injury in Sunday's 7-3 victory over Philadelphia and Copp leaving the Carolina game.

2. Blackhawks D Brent Seabrook on Wednesday was a healthy scratch for the third time this season.

3. Wheeler has 597 points with Winnipeg and recorded 17 in his one season with Atlanta.

PREDICTION: Jets 3, Blackhawks 2