Jets cling to slim hope

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This article was published 07/04/2022 (1249 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Following a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday night, members of the Winnipeg Jets sat in silence, unable to comprehend what had just unfolded while at the same time acutely aware of what the defeat meant for their season.

The Jets have yet to be mathematically eliminated from the NHL playoffs, but the loss to the lowly Red Wings surely provided a reality check for those in the locker room. It was the team’s third straight defeat, following losses against Toronto and Los Angeles, at a time where the Jets needed every one of those now-lost six points.

Barring anything short of a miracle on ice, the Jets will wrap up their campaign by the end of the month. And so begins the painful push to the finish line; Winnipeg has 11 games remaining in the regular season and even if the Jets are able to shock the league and run the table the rest of the way, it still might not be enough.

“Pissed off. Disappointed. That was the mood after the Toronto game, after the L.A. game,” Jets veteran forward Paul Stastny said after practice Thursday. “Just kind of making it hard on ourselves — plain and simple. Probably more frustrated than anything.”

Entering Thursday night’s action, the Jets (33-28-10) sat sixth place in the Central Division, seven points shy of the Dallas Stars for the second and final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Stars also have two games in hand, while the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks are also ahead of Winnipeg, each club fighting for the same playoff spot.

The next three weeks are going to be an awkward exercise in patience, as it’s only a matter of time before the Jets’ faint playoff hopes fade for good and the start to building for next season begins in earnest. Until then, the players will truck along, finishing out the season as best as possible.

They won’t have time to lick their wounds, either, as the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche are in town Friday night.

“That’s the nice thing about playing in this league, you get to bounce back right away. We play pretty much every other day, against great teams. There’s no game in this league that’s easy,” winger Nikolaj Ehlers said. “Colorado… they got a pretty good team in there. So, it’s gonna be a challenge for us. These last three games, we haven’t been where we should be. (Friday) is gonna be an exciting game, it’s gonna be an important game, and a big challenge for us.”

Interim coach Dave Lowry will have his hands full trying to keep his team motivated down the stretch. The Jets have looked listless in games that mattered, so it’s difficult to imagine they’ll be able to suddenly flip the proverbial switch when the stakes aren’t nearly as high.

Like any coach in Lowry’s position, don’t expect him to be waving the white flag anytime soon. Even a slim chance is a chance, and Lowry said the Jets plan to go down swinging, even if he didn’t use those exact words.

“There is belief. You still have to believe you have a chance. Until they say you’re officially eliminated you have a chance. We still have that belief,” Lowry said. “You can see it in just how the guys came in today. We had some jump, and we had some life in practice. There was a lot of disappointment last night after the game. That shows that they care. I said that last night. There is a lot of care in that room and there is a lot of pride in that room. We know we’re going to have to do things and we’re going to have to be really good tomorrow.”

Asked about his expectations for the final 11 games, Stastny said he’s learned over his 16 NHL seasons not to focus on the big picture. Given the steep hill they have to climb, that would be especially true this year.

“Just because you get too high or too low, and I feel like sometimes we’ve done that. I feel like every time we get ahead of ourselves, we get in trouble; every time we think we’re up and a couple teams lose,” Stastny said. “For us, sometimes it’s nice having a challenge like Colorado come in, the best (team) in the league. We got to play a full game, both offensively and defensively.”

He added: “Sometimes when you play teams that are not in the playoff race, I think you tend to cheat the game a little bit and kind of play the way they play a little bit. It could be fun, but you learn over the years that it never works and that you can never win like that. Yeah, you might win some games, but it’s hard playing a team that kind of plays a loose run-and-gun game, because they’re not playing a structure. They’ve been in that position for a little longer and they’re just kind of playing loose and kind of takes us away from the way we want to play.”

Lowry won’t be alone in driving the bus. He expects his leadership group to help set the tone for the remainder of the season, starting with their on-ice effort.

“We go into the game knowing we have to win. Keeping your team motivated, it’s two-sided. You have to rely on your leadership group as well to make sure guys are ready to play,” the Jets coach said. “That goes on coaches. We’re not going to change what we’re doing, we’re not going to change our preparation, and that’s going to go right to the end.”

EXTRA HITS: Lowry said captain Blake Wheeler missed practice Thursday because of maintenance. The Jets have recalled defenceman Dylan Samberg from the Manitoba Moose, while Ville Heinola was re-assigned to the Jets’ AHL affiliate.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton