Winnipeg Jets – Winnipeg Free Press

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, left, congratulates team mate Eric Comrie on his first NHL shutout after a game 2022.

As playoff hopes dwindle, should there be a Jets goalie controversy?

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read 5:59 PM CDT

Let’s make one thing clear: the Winnipeg Jets do not currently have a goaltending controversy.

Connor Hellebuyck is the undisputed starter. Eric Comrie is the backup. And that’s likely not about to change.

But here’s a meaty question worth chewing on: should they?

If these truly are do-or-die days, with the team trying to navigate a razor-thin playoff race where even the slightest misstep could prove fatal, how can they not at least consider riding the hottest hand?

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Jets secure shootout win over Rangers

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Preview

Jets secure shootout win over Rangers

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Yesterday at 4:53 PM CDT

NEW YORK — This time, the Winnipeg Jets didn’t shoot themselves in the foot.

Head coach Scott Arniel invited plenty of second-guessing Saturday when he kept his team’s biggest offensive weapons on the bench in favour of Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist — two questionable choices who both misfired in a costly 5-4 extra-time loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Less than 24 hours later, Arniel was back in the same spot, staring down another breakaway competition to settle the deadlocked score. This time, there was no hesitation. Out came the big guns — Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi — and both delivered, lifting the Jets to a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers.

“I like the fact two good shooters, KC and Gabe, picked the corners nice,” Arniel told the Free Press inside Madison Square Garden.

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Yesterday at 4:53 PM CDT

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Eric Comrie, right, makes a save against New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) in a shootout of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Jets find another unique way to lose

Mike McIntyre 9 minute read Preview

Jets find another unique way to lose

Mike McIntyre 9 minute read Saturday, Mar. 21, 2026

PITTSBURGH — The Winnipeg Jets have found plenty of unique and frustrating ways to lose hockey games this season. But Saturday afternoon may have topped them all.

Try this one on for size: With their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins tied 4-4 and heading to a shootout, head coach Scott Arniel curiously tapped 37-year-old Jonathan Toews and 36-year-old Gustav Nyquist on the shoulders to take the first two breakaway bids.

Not the team’s brightest offensive stars in Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabe Vilardi or Josh Morrissey. Not young guns like Cole Perfetti, Brad Lambert, Isak Rosen or the red-hot Morgan Barron.

No, it was the two oldest players on the team, who may both be in the final weeks of their NHL careers, tasked with trying to keep Winnipeg’s fading playoff hopes alive. Toews, who has nine goals this season, hit the post. Nyquist, who has one goal all year, was stopped.

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Saturday, Mar. 21, 2026

PHILIP G. PAVELY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets centre Morgan Barron (36) scores on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs (37) while crashing into defenceman Erik Karlsson (65) as right wing Isak Rosen (27) looks on during the first period on Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Step aside Oscars, hockey awards season is just heating up

Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Step aside Oscars, hockey awards season is just heating up

Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

PITTSBURGH — Rick Bowness has never won the Jack Adams Trophy during his decorated coaching career. He was named a finalist for the first — and only — time while guiding the Winnipeg Jets during the 2023-24 season.

That campaign ended with a disappointing first-round playoff exit and a retirement announcement from Bowness, who along with his wife, Judy, had battled health issues that year.

Life has a funny way of circling back sometimes, and Bowness is not only back behind a big-league bench, but making a compelling case that he might just be the best in the business.

The fact that Bowness was still soaking up his post-hockey life at the start of 2026, spending time with family in Florida, makes this story even more incredible.

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Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

Jay LaPrete / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness has completely turned the club’s season around since he became bench boss in January.

Lopsided loss not as damaging as it could have been for the Jets

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Lopsided loss not as damaging as it could have been for the Jets

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

PITTSBURGH — There once was a time in the National Hockey League when a putrid performance like the one the Winnipeg Jets delivered Thursday night in Boston would have carried some painful consequences.

Namely, a next-day practice filled with skating, skating and more skating — and perhaps nary a puck in sight.

But those “old-school” days are long gone, which is why Friday was all about rest and recovery for the Jets. Only a handful of players took part in an optional skate, while the majority stayed back at the team hotel for workouts and video sessions.

“Just reset. That’s a big thing. Do what everybody feels like they need to do today in order to be ready for tomorrow,” said rookie forward Isak Rosen, who was one of the few to hit the ice.

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Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

CHARLES KRUPA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck slides the puck out of the net after the Boston Bruins fifth goal Thursday night.

Arniel looks for answers after Jets lifeless loss in Boston to start road trip

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Arniel looks for answers after Jets lifeless loss in Boston to start road trip

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

BOSTON — The city that famously gave us a fictional bar where everybody knew your name and everyone’s troubles were all the same may have just served last call on the Winnipeg Jets’ season.

An ugly 6-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night at TD Garden sure felt like closing time on their playoff hopes.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t execute but then our compete level dropped,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel, adding yet another biting, post-game soundbite to a year filled with far too many of them.

“As soon as you drop your compete level against a team like that, that’s the result that you’re going to get.”

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Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

Charles Krupa / The Associated Press
Boston Bruins left wing Lukas Reichel (75) shoots the puck past Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) for a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday.

Scheifele’s relentless dedication behind Jets’ star centre’s banner season

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Scheifele’s relentless dedication behind Jets’ star centre’s banner season

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

BOSTON — Mark Scheifele doesn’t feel like he’s racing against Father Time. But the Winnipeg Jets centre, who just celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this week, admits the past year has given him a sharper sense of life’s fragility.

The death of his father, Brad, last May has fundamentally reshaped the way Scheifele approaches both his professional and personal pursuits.

“You realize how precious life is,” Scheifele told the Free Press on Thursday following his team’s morning skate at TD Garden.

“I think about him a lot. You try to live every day with positivity and the fervor that he lived his life with every single day. Just try to enjoy every day, because you never know when it’s going to be your last. Especially in the world of hockey, you never know when it’s going to be your last game. You just want to live every single day to your fullest.”

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Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele became the new franchise leader in points in October, and is going into Thursday’s clash against the Bruins with 887.

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Jets need to feast on the East to head home with a playoff pulse

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Jets need to feast on the East to head home with a playoff pulse

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

BOSTON — Scott Arniel chose to focus on the silver lining.

Rather than dwell late Tuesday night on the fact his club squandered a golden opportunity by not grabbing a pair of valuable points in the standings, the Winnipeg Jets head coach was selling the fact that they at least salvaged something with a game-tying goal as the clock ticked down in regulation.

“That should have been a two-pointer but we got the one,” Arniel said following the 4-3 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators to close out an eight-game homestand with a 5-2-1 record.

“We’ll see what happens around the league and then we got a real tough road trip here. We’ve got to take care of business.”

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Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews (right) broke his 20-game scoring drought Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators. If the veteran gets going again like he did in January, it would be a welcome development for the club.

Jets get dumped by Nashville in shootout

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Jets get dumped by Nashville in shootout

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

The Winnipeg Jets’ perilous playoff hopes are really hanging by a thread now.

A 4-3 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre is going to sting for several reasons.

First, you could make a legitimate argument the Jets deserved better. They outshot the visitors by a 39-23 margin, generated 22 high-danger chances while allowing just eight and were, by most measurable metrics, the superior team on the night.

Second, the Jets rallied to tie the game with exactly one minute left in regulation and carried that momentum into three-on-three overtime. They had multiple glorious chances but were unable to beat Predators goaltender Juuse Saros.

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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

Fred Greenslade / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros makes a save on Winnipeg Jets’ Brad Lambert during the third period of the Predators 4-3 shootout win, Tuesday in Winnipeg.

Morrissey excited for possible hockey homecoming

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Morrissey excited for possible hockey homecoming

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

Josh Morrissey’s eyes lit up as soon as the subject was mentioned.

The World Cup of Hockey is returning in 2028 — and one of the hosts just happens to be the hometown of the decorated Winnipeg Jets defenceman, who already has a 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics on his international resume.

Calgary and Prague, Czech Republic will co-host the round-robin portion of the eight-nation tournament, with the action shifting to Edmonton for the two semifinal games and the final.

“Obviously, being from Calgary it’s cool that it is going to be there. A lot of excitement in the city, with the new arena being built,” Morrissey said Tuesday.

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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
With a 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and Winter Olympics on his international resume, Canada’s Josh Morrissey is excited at the prospect of The World Cup of Hockey taking place in his hometown of Calgary in 2028.

Inconsistency leaves Jets’ playoff hopes up in the air

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Preview

Inconsistency leaves Jets’ playoff hopes up in the air

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

Will the real Winnipeg Jets please stand up?

Are they the team that laid an egg last week against the Anaheim Ducks and followed it up with another clunker against the lowly New York Rangers? Or are they the one that just completed a weekend sweep of the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues — who just happen to be the NHL’s best team and one of the league’s hottest?

It’s hard to keep track these days.

One thing is clear: with 16 regular-season games remaining, the Jets (28-28-10) have clawed to within five points of the final Western Conference wild-card spot as they get set to close out a season-long eight-game homestand Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators.

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Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets forwards Mark Scheifele (left) and Kyle Connor have been terrific all season. The dynamic duo currently leads the team in goals with 31 apiece.

Confident Comrie rewarded for hard work in Jets’ net

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Confident Comrie rewarded for hard work in Jets’ net

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

WINNIPEG - Eric Comrie is used to being in the shadow of starting star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but the backup has achieved a season-best for the Winnipeg Jets' masked men.

Comrie made 29 saves in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues, giving him a five-game win streak this season. That's one more than Hellebuyck, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner and Olympic gold medallist.

“It feels good,” Comrie said. “Once again, I just try and do my job once my name gets called. Just trying to be ready whenever I get my chance, and I feel good right now.

“Switching to the white cage has been good so far, so I like that.”

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Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

St. Louis Blues' Oskar Sundqvist (70) and Alexey Toropchenko (13) look for the rebound as Winnipeg Jets' Isak Rosen (27) and Jacob Bryson (78) defend in front of goaltender Eric Comrie (1) during third period NHL hockey in Winnipeg, Sunday March 15, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Greenslade

Hofer ready for more with Blues

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Hofer ready for more with Blues

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026

There’s a legitimate argument to be made that the best Canadian goaltender on the St. Louis Blues is not the one who was standing in net during the gold medal game last month in Milan.

No disrespect to Olympic silver medallist Jordan Binnington, but Joel Hofer has seized control of his team’s crease this season. The 25-year-old Winnipegger has already set career highs in games played, wins and shutouts, showing he has the makeup to take on a bigger role with the club.

He’ll likely get his chance, too, with the 32-year-old Binnington — who was in net on Sunday afternoon as the Blues fell 3-2 to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre — under contract for just one more year and the subject of plenty of trade rumours.

“I’m a competitor. I always want to play. I obviously can’t control who starts or what not,” Hofer told the Free Press following the game.

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Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026

JOE PUETZ / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer blocks a shot from the Winnipeg Jets during the first period of a game on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in St. Louis.

Cagey backup earns big win

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Cagey backup earns big win

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

An extended stretch between starts didn’t deter Eric Comrie.

After watching Connor Hellebuyck start the previous eight games, the Winnipeg Jets backup did what he’s done with regularity: give his team a chance with his solid play.

Comrie was the best player on the ice and made 29 saves to propel the Jets to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 14,082 at Canada Life Centre.

Comrie has allowed only seven goals during his past five starts, all of them victories.

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Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
St. Louis Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist (70) and Alexey Toropchenko (13) look for the rebound as Winnipeg Jets’ Isak Rosen (27) and Jacob Bryson (78) defend in front of goaltender Eric Comrie (1) during the third period in Winnipeg on Sunday.

Hellebuyck stuns Avs top guns again

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Preview

Hellebuyck stuns Avs top guns again

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026

Nathan MacKinnon has seen this Connor Hellebuyck movie before. Cale Makar and Devon Toews, too.

A dominant performance from the Olympic gold-medal goaltender powered the Winnipeg Jets to a surprising 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon at Canada Life Centre.

Hellebuyck stopped 28 of the 29 shots as the Jets handed the NHL’s No. 1 team just its 12th regulation loss of the season.

MacKinnon, Makar and Toews were all members of the Canadian team that had to settle for silver last month in Milan — undone in large part by Hellebuyck’s heroics and Jack Hughes’ overtime winner.

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Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) saves the shot from Colorado Avalanche’s Nazem Kadri (91) during first period action in Winnipeg on Saturday.

Jets seek to find way through Avalanche

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Jets seek to find way through Avalanche

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Friday, Mar. 13, 2026

It’s the equivalent of going toe to toe with the irresistible force and the immovable object.

As the Winnipeg Jets get set to welcome the league-leading Colorado Avalanche to town, the picture has become clear.

If they’re somehow going to turn things around after consecutive losses during an eight-game homestand, they’re going to have to find a way to slow down an Avalanche team that has been the cream of the crop this season.

“Obviously, we know how dangerous they are offensively, but they don’t give up a lot and they control a lot of the game with puck possession,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “It’s a great test for us. We play them three times in the next three weeks and we have to rise to the occasion. It’s an opportunity for us to step up.

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Friday, Mar. 13, 2026

March 23, 2026

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