Jets on roll heading into playoffs

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This article was published 18/04/2024 (535 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bring on the games that really count.

The Winnipeg Jets completed their final dress rehearsal on Thursday, capping the regular season with a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks before a sellout crowd of 15,225 at Canada Life Centre.

The Jets, who finished the season with a record of 52-24-6 for a total of 110 points, concluded the campaign with the second-best record in the Western Conference (three points behind the Dallas Stars) and tied for fourth in the NHL with the Florida Panthers (four points behind the New York Rangers, who won the Presidents’ Trophy).

With the win, the Jets equal the franchise record for victories, set in 2017-18, when Winnipeg finished second in the NHL with 114 points.

They also finish with the most points among Canadian teams this season, leapfrogging the Canucks in that category by a single point.

The Jets are expected to open the Stanley Cup playoffs on Sunday night with puck drop scheduled for just after 6 p.m. CT against the Colorado Avalanche.

Let’s take a look at what transpired in the regular season finale.

1 The debuts – With the Manitoba Moose locked in to starting the Calder Cup playoffs on the road against the Texas Stars, the Jets recalled forwards Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Parker Ford and goalie Collin Delia on Thursday.

Chibrikov, a second-rounder in the 2021 NHL Draft, came through with a moment to remember, converting a pass from Nino Niederreiter at 5:18 of the third period for what proved to be the game-winner in his NHL debut. Chibrikov’s quick shot went off the post and in, beating Canucks all-world goalie Thatcher Demko, prompting an emotional celebration for the Russian winger.

“The first game winner goal this season for me,” said Chibrikov, who has 17 goals and 46 points in 69 AHL games.

Lambert, the 30th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, skated on a line with Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo and recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Vilardi’s 22nd goal of the season at 11:26 of the first period. Lambert didn’t look out of place at all, showcasing his speed on numerous occasions while transporting the puck effectively. Both Lambert and Chibrikov were used on the power play.

“Obviously, playing with those two guys, it makes my job pretty easy. I just came in and, obviously it’s hard to, but tried to treat it like another game,” said Lambert. “Go and play and do my thing.”

2 The Jennings watch – By playing a buttoned down and mostly tight-checking style, the Jets were able to hold off the Panthers in the battle for the William Jennings Trophy, handed out each year to the team that allows the fewest goals against. The Jets gave up 199 goals, compared to 200 for the Panthers.

Elite goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit played a big role in this achievement, but so did a commitment to structure and team defence which turned into the foundation for this impressive season.

“The players have to go on the ice and do it, and they have to go out there every night and be committed to it. They have to recognize when it’s not working and go back to it,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “Our players have worked incredibly hard all year, so you give them a ton of credit. The goaltending has been exceptional as you know. Again, when things flip and we address the issues, the players have bought right back in and have turned it right around.

“To play the way we play, it’s heart. It’s no question, it’s heart. It’s frustrating to play against, and I think our players take great pride when they’re talking to their friends in the league, ‘geeze we hate playing the Jets, you’re so hard to play against’. I think that’s extra motivation for our players. It all comes from them. They’re committed to it.”

Due to a technicality, Brossoit won’t get his name on the trophy since he didn’t make 25 appearances (he finished with 22 starts and 23 appearances), but the Jets know full well how important a contribution he made to this honour. Hellebuyck finished the season with 60 starts, a record of 37-19-4, a 2.39 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.

3 Finishing in style – Jets forward Cole Perfetti closed out the regular season by scoring a pair of goals, an even-strength marker at 11:26 of the first period and the insurance marker into the empty net with 2:05 to go in regulation. That allowed Perfetti to finish with 19 goals and 38 points in 71 games played this season. Sure, there were more healthy scratches than he would have liked to deal with but Perfetti showed great perseverance down the stretch and put himself in a position where the coaching staff won’t hesitate to get him into the lineup if an opportunity presents itself.

4 The iron men – The Jets had five players to appear in all 82 games this season, including forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Alex Iafallo, Mason Appleton and defencemen Dylan DeMelo and Neal Pionk.

Pionk suited up in every game for a second consecutive season and that’s a badge of honour.

“It’s one of those personal things. You want to show that you’re durable, you want to show that you can play (all 82), should you have the ability to,” said Pionk. “That’s what I’ve done the past couple of years. It’s important, it’s not THE most important thing. It’s a feather in the cap, if you will.”

Honourable mention to Jets centre Sean Monahan, who is the only player in the NHL to appear in 83 games this season – thanks to when he joined the Jets in the trade with the Montreal Canadiens. Monahan won’t have full iron man status, since he missed a game on Feb. 25 against the Arizona Coyotes due to illness.

The Jets had two other players who could have suited up in all 82 games, but were scratched on Thursday, including defencemen Josh Morrissey and Brenden Dillon.

The Jets were without eight regulars on Thursday, including forward Morgan Barron, who sat out with an upper-body injury. Barron’s status for Game 1 won’t likely be known until this weekend.

That opened the door for defencemen Nate Schmidt and Colin Miller and forwards Perfetti, David Gustafsson and Rasmus Kupari to return to the lineup.

The Jets also recalled first-year forward Parker Ford from the Moose and while he took the pre-game warmup, he was here as insurance and will need to wait to make his NHL debut.

5 Extra, extra – The Jets handed out their three team awards on Thursday: Hellebuyck captured the Three Stars award, DeMelo brought home the Dan Snyder Memorial Award for perseverance, dedication and hard work and captain Lowry was honoured with the community service award.

With the Montreal Canadiens finishing 28th in the NHL standings this season, the second round pick the Jets acquired in the deal with the Los Angeles Kings will be 37th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas.

Speaking of awards, Moose defenceman Kyle Capobianco was named to an AHL first-team All-star. The 26 year old leads all AHL D-men in points with 52 points in 68 games this season.

On an evening where Jets prospects were in the spotlight, 2023 fifth rounder Jacob Julien continued his remarkable season with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League by recording a second straight hat trick against the Kitchener Rangers. Julien, who had 29 goals and 78 points during the regular season, is up to seven goals and 12 points in eight games during the postseason. The Knights swept the Rangers on Thursday and have advanced to the Western Conference final. They will play the winner of the series between the Saginaw Spirit and Soo Greyhounds.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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