Losing streak cranked to 11

We may be reaching the point where Winnipeg Jets players and fans aren’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

How else do you cope with a 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at Canada Life Centre — one that followed an eerily familiar script from so many recent gut-punching defeats?

It’s Groundhog Day all over again for this group, which has now gone 11 games without tasting victory (0-7-4) and has just six wins in its last 30 outings (6-19-5).

“I think we are all getting mental right now in the sense that it’s in everybody’s head,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel.

When the tombstone is eventually inscribed on the Jets’ 2025-26 season — and it’s probably not too early to start drafting it — the epitaph will likely read: So close, and yet so far.

“Find a way,” said defenceman Neal Pionk. “Wish I could tell you the exact answer, but we’ll have to come together as a group and figure it out.”

Winnipeg remains dead last in the NHL with an ugly 15-22-5 record. Edmonton improves to 22-16-6 after sweeping the three-game season series.

“We’re not kids in here. It’s a veteran group. We’ve got to put our foot down and capitalize on those ones,” forward Tanner Pearson said of letting yet another one slip away.

Tremendous twenty

This wasn’t a case of digging an early hole from which they couldn’t escape.

The Jets came out with some serious fire, taking the play to the Oilers early and often. And they were rewarded with a 3-1 lead after one period which — in hindsight — had us all fooled.

Kyle Connor got the scoring going when he buried a beautiful feed from linemate Mark Scheifele for his team-leading 21st of the year.

After Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin tied it up later in the frame, the hosts struck twice in 40 seconds to put them back in control.

First up was Pearson, who notched his fifth of the year. That was quickly followed by Canadian Olympian Josh Morrissey, who got a bit of puck luck when his shot appeared to hit a couple of Edmonton players on the way in.

The Jets seemingly had the Oilers on the ropes, playing the kind of hockey that you know they are capable of but has been in short supply this season.

Farcical final 40

This really is a bad movie which just keeps playing on a loop.

Last Thursday in Toronto, the Jets built a two-goal lead which was cut to a single tally when Auston Matthews scored with two seconds left in the second period. The Maple Leafs went on to complete the comeback.

On Tuesday in Winnipeg, the Jets built a two-goal lead against Vegas which was cut to a single tally when Mark Stone scored with 51 seconds left in the second period. The Golden Knights went on to complete the comeback.

On Thursday, the Jets built a two-goal lead against Edmonton which was cut to a single tally when Connor McDavid did Connor McDavid things and scored with 21 seconds left in the second period. And we know how this one ended.

“With 30 seconds left (in the second period), they’ve got two of the best players in the world on the ice and we give up a three-on-two. You can’t do that,” said Arniel.

The Jets have no one to blame but themselves. After 11 first period shots, they managed a grand total of five shots — three in the second, two in the third — as they did their best impression of a group of deer in headlights.

Sitting back against any NHL opponent, let alone one which possesses the best player in the world and several other scoring stars, is a recipe for disaster.

“That late one at the end of the second was kind of a killer,” said Pearson.

Zach Hyman tied it up with just under 12 minutes left in regulation when he walked in and roofed a shot past Connor Hellebuyck. At that point, the only question was whether the Jets could somehow survive and get the game to overtime.

They could not.

Less than two minutes later, Nino Niederreiter — a ghost of his past self who hasn’t responded at all to being healthy scratched against the Maple Leafs — accidentally fired a puck into the crowd and gave the league’s top power play a chance to grab the lead.

Which is exactly what happened as McDavid helped set up Evan Bouchard, who beat Hellebuyck with a blast with just over nine minutes to play.

Game, set, match.

“That was obviously us on our heels. We got tentative and afraid of making a mistake instead of staying aggressive,” said Arniel.

“Obviously we backed off in the second half, not by design. Certainly not by design. I heard the players barking at each other, I was barking at them. I said the same thing before the start of the third. We can’t sit on our heels, we’ve got to go.”

Key play

McDavid going beast mode late in the second period clearly spooked the Jets, who desperately needed to get to the dressing room with a two-goal lead.

McDavid now has a 17-game point streak which includes a ridiculous 18 goals and 23 assists.

THREE STARS:

1. EDM C Connor McDavid: 1 goal, 1 assist

2. EDM D Zach Bouchard: 1 goal, 1 assist

3. WPG C Mark Scheifele: 2 assists

Vlad’s been bad

A week ago, Arniel made the difficult decision to scratch Niederreiter, who recently played his 1,000th career game but has struggled mightily.

On Thursday, he opted to sit down Vlad Namestnikov, who has gone 17 consecutive games without a point and has one assist in his last 29 outings.

Mark this down under the category of message-sending.

“Believe me, I’ve got the utmost respect for Vladdy,” Arniel said prior to puck drop. “At the end of the day, I’m trying to spark us. I’m trying to find a way. I’m trying to do something that maybe gives us that edge tonight.”

Forward Danny Zhilkin was called up to make his NHL debut, while energy forward Cole Koepke also drew into the lineup. Namestnikov and another veteran, Gustav Nyquist, were told to watch from the press box.

On the blue-line, defenceman Logan Stanley returned following his one-game suspension and took the spot of Haydn Fleury, who is sidelined indefinitely following a nasty spill into the end boards which led to a broken nose and other upper-body injuries. Colin Miller was the healthy scratch.

EXTRA, EXTRA: The Jets again lost the special teams battle — that’s been a recurring theme of late — as they went 0-for-2 on the power play and killed off one of their two penalties.

Hellebuyck stopped 26 of 30 shots, while Winnipegger Calvin Pickard turned aside 13 of 16 pucks he faced.

The Jets are back in action right away, hosting the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night. Backup goalie Eric Comrie is expected to get the start.

www.winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre