Jets, Maple Leafs turn around and play again

TORONTO -- The Winnipeg Jets need to play a complete game to get some payback when the visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

The Maple Leafs defeated the Jets 4-2 on Wednesday night in Winnipeg.

Before the rematch in Toronto, the Jets visited the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night and came back for a 2-1 win on a goal by Dustin Byfuglien at 13:15 of the third period. It was the defenseman's 500th career point.

The Jets had fallen behind in the first period.

Against the Maple Leafs, the Jets fell behind 3-0 before scoring twice in the third period, but John Tavares finished the scoring for the Maple Leafs to clinch the victory.

"We worked hard and made a push at the end," said Jets left winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who ended an 11-game drought without a goal on Wednesday. "But I think there is still a lot we can do better. I think the way we pushed in the third is the way we need to play for a full 60 minutes."

The loss meant the Jets (7-3-1) finished their six-game homestand with a 4-1-1 record.

The Maple Leafs (7-3-0), meanwhile, had lost their two previous games, both at home, and had scored a total of one goal in those games.

"You reach the 10- or 20-game mark, teams become dialed into their systems and there's less room out there," said Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, who has 10 goals but none in his past four games. "But I liked our last game, we had a lot of chances. I feel myself and (linemates Patrick Marleau and Kasperi Kapanen) are getting chances."

Toronto will not have defenseman Travis Dermott after he became ill before the game in Winnipeg. He did not attend practice on Friday.

The Maple Leafs are 5-0-0 on the road this season. They are 2-3-0 at home. The Jets are 5-1-1 at home and 2-2-0 on the road.

"We seem to be more patient (on the road) and don't press, we don't get into a run-and-gun game," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "I don't know if we just try and look too cute and look too good. At the end, it's about getting results. It's always hard to beat a good team twice in a row. They'd be no different from us, they'll want to respond."

Toronto center Nazem Kadri scored his first goal of the season on Wednesday.

"I've been around long enough to try to not get frustrated, but that's always nice finding the back of the net and contributing to help your team win," Kadri said. "Hopefully, they come in bunches."

The Maple Leafs kept the Jets under control for most of the game on Wednesday.

"Our structure was good, we didn't give them too much time," Kadri said. "We were able to be in the right places at the right times, especially breaking through the neutral zone. On the defensive side of things, we were able to stay above guys and not give them too much momentum to generate speed entering the offensive zone."

Defenseman Jake Gardiner and winger Tyler Ennis will both be playing in their 500th NHL game Saturday.

The Jets lead the all-time series 27-26-7 overall. The teams are 12-12-5 at Scotiabank Arena.

While the Jets have a decent record, they have not looked as imposing as they became last season.

"We're not struggling," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "We're not where we're going to be in the end, but no team is. We're all building here. We're living the daily life in the NHL right now."

The game in Detroit was the opener of a four-game trip for the Jets that includes two games in Finland against the Florida Panthers next week.