Music: {allcanada} Jets-Penguins Preview 3/28/13

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PITTSBURGH (AP) -- - Brooks Orpik couldn't quite put a finger on it, but something felt off.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had just finished off a string of thrill ride victories earlier this season when the veteran defenseman - and apparently the rest of his teammates - decided they'd had enough.

Sure, the Penguins were winning, just not the way they wanted to. Grabbing games 7-6 or 6-5 makes for good highlight fodder, but it's hardly the way to get a firm grip on the Stanley Cup.

"There was a handful of games we won early this year when you leave the rink after the game and you're not really satisfied," Orpik said. "When that happens, you've got to change things up."

And just like that - at least on the surface - the NHL's highest scoring team grew a conscience. The risky passes through the crowded neutral zone stopped. The lackadaisical backchecking disappeared. The defensive breakdowns that often put goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun in difficult situations all but vanished.

"I think everyone has bought into what we're doing here," Orpik said. "Even our high-profile production guys like Sid (Crosby). They're putting team goals way ahead of individual goals. We all realized what our ultimate goal here is."

Hint: it's not turning every night into a more intense version of the NHL All-Star game.

The Penguins beat Toronto 5-4 on March 9 to push their winning streak at the time to a modest four games. Nine more victories have followed, including a grinding 1-0 triumph over Montreal on Tuesday night.

In those games, Pittsburgh (26-8-0) has allowed nine goals, the lowest total in the league over that span. The second-longest streak in team history heading into Thursday's visit from the Southeast Division-leading Winnipeg Jets (18-14-2) includes seven wins when the Penguins have scored three goals or less.

"There are times we haven't played our best, but our focus has been strong defensively," said Crosby, who leads the NHL with 54 points.

In the process, the Penguins have become comfortable playing the kind of tight-checking, playoff-style hockey that portends a very promising spring. The Canadiens outshot Pittsburgh 37-25 on Tuesday night and spent long stretches in the offensive zone.

Yet Fleury was spectacular while stopping 22 shots and Vokoun proved every bit Fleury's equal when forced into spot duty in the third period after Fleury left with an undisclosed injury. Fleury was being evaluated Wednesday and his status for Thursday is uncertain, though coach Dan Bylsma said Vokoun will start.

Pittsburgh has vaulted to the top of the Eastern Conference despite playing most of the month without reigning NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin - out indefinitely with an upper body injury - and having star defenseman Kris Letang limited by lower-body issues.

Letang returned Tuesday after missing three games and played 24 minutes only to sustain a different lower-body injury. He was sent back to injured reserve Wednesday morning. Bylsma expects Letang to be out 7-10 days.

Though he'll be missed, the timing of the injury shouldn't damage Pittsburgh's depth. At the same time the Penguins made the move on Letang, newly acquired defenseman Doug Murray participated in an optional skate after being obtained in a trade with San Jose on Monday.

The hulking 6-foot-3, 245-pound Murray could play as early as Thursday.

Though Pittsburgh insists it's not focused on making a run at the 17-game winning streak put together by the 1992-93 Penguins, with some very winnable games on the horizon, it looks like it has a chance.

"We're all aware of where we're at," Orpik said. "We aren't trying to put anything to it, to be honest. We're just trying to play the right way."

The Jets handed Pittsburgh one of its eight losses with a 4-2 home win Jan. 25 before the Penguins came away with a 3-1 victory in another matchup in Winnipeg on Feb. 15.

Winnipeg, though, is 0-9-2 in its last 11 visits to Pittsburgh, and the Penguins have scored eight, eight and six goals in the last three meetings on their own ice.

The Jets come to town looking for a third straight win after posting a 4-1 victory at Carolina on Tuesday to open a stretch of five of six games on the road, where they're 10-6-2.

"I'd like to be able to say we can build on it and go. We'll see," coach Claude Noel said. "We're going into Pittsburgh. They're a formidable opponent. ... We've still got to get points. We've got to win games. We've got a tough opponent coming Thursday so we'll try to deal with that."