Jets sizzling heading into matchup with slumping Stars

The high-flying Winnipeg Jets and the offensively challenged Dallas Stars -- teams heading in opposite directions -- face off on Saturday in Dallas in their final game before the All-Star break.

While the Jets likely rue the upcoming bye week because of their current high level of play, the break can't get here quickly enough for the Stars, who continue to struggle to find the net, even on home ice.

The Jets (31-14-2) have shifted into high gear over the past three weeks, winning four straight games and six of their past seven.

Winnipeg heads to north Texas on the heels of a 5-1 romp at Nashville on Thursday in which Brendan Lemieux scored twice. Linemate Mason Appleton also found the back of the net, and Bryan Little and Brandon Taney lit the lamp for the Jets.

Winnipeg has scored at least four goals in each game of its winning streak.

Connor Hellebuyck made 37 saves for the Jets to pick up his 21st win of the season. Winnipeg moved four points clear of Nashville for the Central Division lead and guaranteed it would occupy the top spot through the break.

"I was excited to play tonight, and I think it showed," Hellebuyck said after the win. "A lot of guys played very well tonight. All the way down the lineup you can see everyone was working hard and doing the right things."

Dallas (23-21-4) has lost four straight games, three of them on their home ice, and it has failed to take advantage of the first half of a season-long six-game homestand. The Stars have scored just three goals during their four-game skid.

The latest setback, a 2-1 loss to Los Angeles on Thursday, was the seventh straight game in which the Stars have scored two goals or less. They have scored only nine goals over their past seven contests, during which they have a 2-5-0 record.

Dallas didn't find the net Thursday against Kings backup goaltender Jack Campbell until Esa Lindell scored with 1:04 left in game. Campbell, a Stars draftee in 2011 facing his former team for the first time, turned away 29 of 30 shots, but faced just 11 shots over the first two periods.

"Just not enough desperation in our play," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "We didn't play with enough passion."

The Stars have lost six of their last nine at home (3-5-1) and are 14-8-2 at home.

"It's been a wasted opportunity, that's what it is," Montgomery said of the three-game home losing streak.

Stars forward Tyler Pitlick did not play in the third period of Thursday's loss after suffering an upper-body injury.

"I felt like Pitlick could have come back, but I actually liked the 11 forwards and the way it was rolling in the third," Montgomery told NHL.com. "We didn't want to put him in a situation where he might re-injure himself."

The teams have played twice this season, with each posting 5-1 wins on their home ice.

--Field Level Media