JETS HOPE HELSINKI TRIP IS THE FIX THEY NEED

There’s nothing quite like an extended overseas flight to try and help ease the sting of a thirdperiod unravelling.

The Winnipeg Jets arrived in Finland on Sunday and were still dealing with the third-period meltdown that turned a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

For more than 50 minutes the Jets were thrilled with their level of play. They skated well, won a lot of battles and had strong goaltending.

But a goal from Nazem Kadri in the third period opened the door before the Maple Leafs scored twice in 26 seconds — including the game-winner from Kasperi Kapanen.

With the late rally, the Maple Leafs secured the sweep of the two-game season series, building on Wednesday’s 4-2 victory in Winnipeg.

“We liked our game for the first 50 (minutes) but you have to play the full 60. Against a good team like Toronto, they’re going to make us pay for the mistakes that we do,” said Jets forward Patrik Laine. “If we’re not doing the job we’re supposed to do, they’re going to score. That’s a lesson we need to learn, how to play when we’re leading and how to finish those games, those tight one-goal games.”

It was a disheartening finish for the Jets, who slipped to 7-4-1 on the season.

The Finnish excursion will be a business trip for the club, complete with four points on the line against the Florida Panthers.

But they’ve got a day to get acclimated today and two days of practice before the games begin, so seeing the city and getting a taste of the local culture will be encouraged.

“It’s a good time for the team to hang out, be in a different place, be excited about being around a new environment and then spend some time with each other,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice.

“And stay in the same city. They get to be in one place (with) team-bonding ideas and have fun. They we’ll get a couple of decent days of practice. It’s unusual because we practise at different times. There’s also a real value in learning how to handle changes in your itinerary. I think we went two playoff series without playing at the same time. So there’s a value to having a little bit of adjustment, time change, all those things, and then enjoy an interesting experience in the NHL.”

Maurice came to Helsinki before as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes and that experience with games against the Minnesota Wild was positive.

“Two wins,” said Maurice. “Jeff (Skinner) scored a shootout game-winning goal as an 18-yearold, I believe. We were in here and it was a pretty good trip for us.”

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has some experience of his own, thanks to an overseas foray with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009 when he was their assistant GM.

“Our trip was set up slightly different. It was a couple of exhibition games prior to a couple of regular season games against the Panthers,” said Cheveldayoff. “Again, I remember it going smoothly. I don’t remember a lot of hiccups and I don’t remember a lot of things that you had to concern yourself with going back. Probably no memory is a good one, in that regard.”