The Jets play host to Chicago on Thursday. Ken Wiebe points out five things to watch for in the game.
First place in the NHL’s Central Division is a long shot for the Winnipeg
Jets. Thanks to a pair of head-to-head losses to the Nashville Predators, it would take a monumental collapse by the defending conference champions and a ridiculous run for the Jets to overcome the eight-point deficit.
With 12 games to go, the Jets (41-19-10) are probably best served focusing on earning home-ice advantage in the first round.
With 92 points, the
Jets have a seven-point cushion on the Minnesota Wild despite dealing with a rash of injuries to nine starters, most notably star centre Mark Scheifele.
“I really liked the way we stayed with it. There wasn’t anything easy there for us,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “We never talk about our injuries limiting what we can do. We put 20 NHLers on the ice and that’s a big part of the reason we’ve survived and excelled with some pretty important pieces out of the lineup for a long period of time.”
The Jets should be getting several key players back soon, including defencemen Jacob Trouba and Toby Enstrom and centres Scheifele, Paul Stastny and Adam Lowry.
1. Tough opponent
Although it’s been a challenging season for the Blackhawks, they’ve had the Jets’ number, winning both meetings.
2. Scoring drought
The depth has been on display all season, which makes it surprising the Jets have gone six games without scoring four goals in a game, their longest stretch. Left-winger Kyle Connor snapped an eightgame drought Tuesday, but the Jets have several key players who haven’t scored in a long time.
3. Hellebuyck is back
Since giving up six goals to Nashville Feb. 27, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is back in the zone, allowing just 12 goals in six appearances. He made 30 saves in relief Tuesday.
4. Ehlers on a roll
While much of the praise has been directed at sniper Patrik Laine during his 13-game point streak (16 goals, 23 points), linemate Nikolaj Ehlers has been producing as well. He has seven goals and 14 points in 16 games and is closing in on a 30-goal campaign.
5. Home sweet home
The Jets play eight of the final 12 games on home ice, where they’re 24-7-2. They begin the final stretch with a six-game homestand.