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The Sports Network
(Sports Network) - Luckily for the Winnipeg Jets, they got a day of rest
before wrapping their six-game road trip.
The Jets hope to break even on the swing this afternoon in a meeting with the
Montreal Canadiens, who are still searching for their first victory since the
All-Star break.
Winnipeg is 2-3 on its second-longest road trip of the season -- it had a
seven-game swing from Oct. 27-Nov. 8 -- and picked up a big win over Tampa Bay
on Thursday. However, the Jets were in action again the following night and
dropped a 2-1 test to the Panthers, falling to 0-9-0 in the second half of
games on consecutive nights.
Chris Mason made 28 saves and Bryan Little had the goal for the Jets, who were
looking to win three straight on the road for the first time since Dec. 4-13,
2010. Instead, the 10th-place club in the East fell five points behind Florida
for first place in the Southeast Division.'
"Our team can't give up 20 minutes of free play and expect to win the game,"
Jets head coach Claude Noel said. "If we would have played the first 20
minutes, there's the one goal they got, you still have a chance to win the
game."
The Canadiens have yet to do any winning since the All-Star break. They looked
to have picked up some much-needed momentum with a big 7-2 win over the Red
Wings before the hiatus, but have been outscored 11-4 in three games since.
That includes yesterday's 3-0 loss to the visiting Capitals.
Former Montreal goaltender Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves for Washington, while
Habs backup Peter Budaj made 20 saves. He also faced a pair of penalty shots
in the game, stopping one of them.
"The intensity was in the right place," said Montreal coach Randy Cunneyworth.
"We were doing the right things, but unfortunately it resulted in our third
loss this week."
Montreal's Scott Gomez remains without a goal through his first 22 games of
this season and he hasn't scored in a year, since Feb. 5 of last season.
The Canadiens lost the opener of a three-game homestand and have dropped five
of their last seven as the host.
The Habs have won four of their last five versus the Jets franchise and
responded from a 4-0 shutout loss in Winnipeg in late December with a 7-3 home
win on Jan. 4. Lars Eller posted his first career four-goal game in the
Montreal win.
The Jets have lost two straight and six of their last eight in Montreal.
The Sports Network