Home-ice advantage in Jets’ sights

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This article was published 08/04/2024 (547 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NASHVILLE — The playoff picture in the Central Division is close to becoming crystal clear for the Winnipeg Jets.

There’s still work to be done.

Thanks to a 7-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, the Dallas Stars look like a safe bet to finish in top spot, but the chase for second place is heating up as the Jets head continue a four-game road trip against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena (7 p.m. CT).

The Jets trail the Avalanche by two points and currently hold a game in hand.

Looking closer at the schedule, the Jets have road games against the Predators, Stars and Avalanche and home games against the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks to close out the campaign.

The Avalanche play just once against a non-playoff opponent (Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild), while finishing up with games against the the Jets, Vegas Golden Knights (on a back-to-back that includes travel) and the Edmonton Oilers.

“Yeah, I think that’s basically why you play 82 games, to try and get home-ice advantage… ” said Jets blue-liner Brenden Dillon. “And you know, the situation we’re in, both Dallas and Colorado… fantastic teams that have both had great seasons and we know the kinds of battles we’ve had against both of them all year.

“So, you know, we lose a couple, they lose a couple, we win a couple, they win a couple, I mean it’s probably gonna come down to Game 82 to really define who’s gonna have that second and third spot.

“Every game here coming down, even though we’re clinched here we’re wanting to play a playoff-type game and have that playoff-type mentality,” he added.

The Predators, who rallied with a shootout win against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday after losing 2-0 to the New York Islanders on Saturday, close out the regular season against the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Nashville had a couple of outlier games as their 18-game points streak (16-0-2) came to an end, losing 8-4 to the Arizona Coyotes and 7-4 to the Avalanche but they have since stabilized and are on the verge of clinching a wild-card spot.

MILESTONE HIT: Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers appeared in his 600th NHL game on Saturday against the Wild and that’s a mark he was proud to hit, especially given the time he’s missed during the past several seasons.

“I don’t usually set goals for the season but hitting 600 this year was definitely one of them,” Ehlers said in Winnipeg on Monday. “Just trying to battle and play every game was up there on my wish list. So, it felt nice.”

Ehlers is closing in on another milestone, as he’s sitting on 199 NHL goals.

“I hope I don’t have to wait too long,” said Ehlers, who remains on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi.

PAIRINGS IN FLUX: The Jets continue to tweak the defensive pairings. After running Neal Pionk with Josh Morrissey for several games, Bowness went back to Dylan DeMelo and Morrissey in the third period of Saturday’s tilt with the Wild and that’s how the team skated Monday in Winnipeg before flying to Tennessee.

Pionk is back with Brenden Dillon and the third pairing of Dylan Samberg and Logan Stanley was left together. Colin Miller and Nate Schmidt were on the fourth pair. This is another sign the competition appears to be open for the No. 6 spot heading into the first game of the post-season. Schmidt has a leg up, but usage this week could provide further hints about what the Jets plan to do on that front.

NO UPDATE ON NINO: One of the other things to monitor as the road trip continues is the status of Nino Niederreiter, who missed the last two games with a lacerated left leg. Bowness said Niederreiter will travel with the team, but there is no updated timeline for his return (which was originally estimated to be one week and would line up with Thursday’s game against the Stars). The hard-nosed winger would need a skate or two before seeing real action.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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