Jets get 1st crack at Vegas since elimination

Vegas makes its first trip of the season to Central Division-leading Winnipeg on Tuesday night, though it is doubtful the outcome will be nearly as memorable as the last time the Golden Knights played at Bell MTS Place.

Vegas, behind a second-period goal by Winnipeg native Ryan Reaves and a 31-save performance by Marc-Andre Fleury, wrapped up the Western Conference championship and a berth in the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory back on May 20. The Golden Knights won the final four games of the series to eliminate the Jets in five games.

This is the first of three regular-season meetings between the two teams, with the other games scheduled for Feb. 22 and March 21, both in Las Vegas. And it's fair to say that the folks in Winnipeg have had this one circled on their calendars.

"I think you've got to take it a little bit personally and try and right a few wrongs," Jets center Andrew Copp told reporters after practice on Monday.

"They kind of took it from us really," forward Mathieu Perreault added. "They've been doing well lately so it should be a very good game. ... What happened last year, there's nothing we can do about it now. This is a new year so hopefully we can match up well with them tomorrow and hopefully get a win."

Both teams have 60 points -- good enough to put the Jets (29-14-2) in first place in the Central Division but the third-best mark in the Pacific. The Golden Knights (28-16-4) enter Monday night four points behind first-place Calgary and one point behind San Jose, both of whom have a game in hand. Vegas, 8-1-1 in its last 10 games, had a franchise record seven-game win streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to the Sharks last Thursday but bounced back twice from two-goal deficits to earn a 4-3 overtime win at Chicago on Saturday.

"It feels good because we battled back," coach Gerard Gallant told the media following the game. "For a lot of that third period, Chicago was playing real well. They hemmed us in a little bit and didn't give us many good chances. ... We found a way to get that big win."

Winnipeg, which has the most home wins in the Western Conference (17-6-2), has won four of its last five games and comes in off a 4-3 overtime victory over visiting Anaheim on Sunday night. Bryan Little, scheduled to play in his 800th NHL game on Tuesday night, scored his second consecutive game-winning goal and also extended his point streak to five games.

Defenseman Jacob Trouba, who was next to Little hacking away at the loose puck outside the crease before Little knocked it in for his fourth game-winner of the season, said he expects a similar type of contest with the Golden Knights.

"It'll be the same style of game," Trouba told reporters. "They work hard, they grind. That's a game we're going to have to be comfortable playing. It's a game we can play. It's more of that playoff style and something that suits us. When we play it well, we're pretty good at it."

--Field Level Media

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