Stop me if you’ve heard this one. The Blue Jays are mired in another three-game losing streak, but as they have done in the past, they have usually rebounded with a strong finish. Here are a few areas Johns Hopkins needs to win to get, well, the win.

1) The Blue Jays’ biggest problem has been a tendency to surrender extended runs that put them in big holes. In a 14-11 loss to No. 2 Syracuse, Johns Hopkins allowed bursts of 6-0 and 5-1. In a 16-15 setback to No. 1 Virginia, the Blue Jays allowed a 5-5 tie to turn into a 12-6 deficit. And in a 10-9 loss in overtime to No. 11 North Carolina, a 5-0 run put Johns Hopkins in a 6-2 hole. Whether it’s the offense failing to find its rhythm or the defense being out of sync, the Blue Jays would do themselves a huge service by preventing Albany from getting on a run.

2) Possessions translate into shots, which means pressure on a defense, which can lead to goals. In each of the three losses, Johns Hopkins has been on the wrong end of shots and groundballs. The difference is markedly noticeable in the first half. In that period, the Blue Jays were out-shot by Syracuse, 29-9; Virginia, 22-14; and North Carolina, 25-9. In the category of groundballs, Johns Hopkins trailed the Orange, 17-7; the Cavaliers, 17-6; and the Tar Heels, 20-14. In those three setbacks, the Blue Jays are averaging just 10.7 shots and 9.0 groundballs in the first half compared to 25.3 and 18, respectively, for their opponents. Winning the possession battle could go a long way in determining Saturday’s outcome.

3) The Great Danes have beaten No. 13 Massachusetts and only lost to No. 5 Princeton and Denver, but they have missed the presence of senior attackman Corey Small. Small, who led Albany in goals last season with 34 and was second in points with 45, has missed the last three contests after undergoing surgery last month, and the Great Danes struggled to beat a winless Hartford squad, 9-8, on Wednesday. Albany’s troubles on attack would seem to be a perfect recipe for Johns Hopkins to stop the bleeding.