Math isn’t kind to road-trip bound Jets

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.”

Which brings us to Boston, where Winnipeg’s margin for error is gone as it opens a critical three-games-in-four-days stretch Thursday night against the Bruins.

The 28-28-11 Jets did get some help on the out-of-town scoreboard shortly after their game ended, with both the San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken losing in regulation. It nudged Winnipeg a little closer — now four points back of the final Western Conference wild-card spot with 15 games to play.

But the math isn’t kind.

Ten of those remaining games will come on the road, starting with the next three. And the Jets aren’t chasing a single team. They’re trying to climb over four — Nashville, San Jose, Los Angeles and Seattle — just to get in the door.

Time isn’t just ticking. It’s working against them.

“We’ve got to take care of business.”

There can be no prolonged losing streaks. Wins must be stacked, and quickly. And they’ll have to come against quality opponents, starting with a Bruins team that has 15 more points than Winnipeg — but only a one-point cushion on a playoff spot in the jam-packed Eastern Conference.

How tight is it?

The surging Columbus Blue Jackets, led by old friend Rick Bowness, currently have the 10th-best point percentage in the entire league. They would be running away with the Pacific Division and sitting fourth overall in the Western Conference. But heading into action Thursday, they are one point out of a playoff spot in the East.

That’s the reality Winnipeg is walking into. The Jets need to feast on the East over the next four days if they want to head home with a playoff pulse.

After facing the Bruins — who came to Winnipeg Dec. 11 and won 6-3 — the Jets face Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Penguins are in a playoff spot, just got Evgeni Malkin back from suspension, put up a converted touchdown against the No. 1-overall Colorado Avalanche, and, on Wednesday night in Carolina, welcomed the injured Sidney Crosby back.

Winnipeg then heads to Broadway for a Sunday matinee against a New York Rangers team that is playing much better lately and just handed them one of their two regulation losses on this lengthy recent homestand — a 6-3 decision last Thursday.

At the risk of looking too far ahead, the degree of difficulty only increases next week: home dates with Vegas and Colorado, followed by a four-game trip through Denver (to complete a home-and-home), Chicago, Dallas and Columbus.

But, to be perfectly frank, none of that will matter if the Jets don’t make this a productive business trip.

Still, in the spirit of Arniel’s post-game optimism, there were encouraging signs Tuesday.

Winnipeg turned in one of its most complete efforts in recent memory, firing 39 shots and generating 22 high-danger scoring chances. Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros was the primary reason they didn’t come away with the win.

Several other positives stood out:

The power play showed signs of life, moving the puck with more pace and purpose while capitalizing on a key opportunity. It had been sputtering — just 1-for-14 through the first seven games of the homestand — so any momentum there would be significant down the stretch.

Captain Adam Lowry played with noticeable edge and physicality, something that has been inconsistent this season, perhaps due to his recovery from off-season hip surgery. If that version of Lowry reappears, it could help pull the group into the fight.

It was also another productive night for Winnipeg’s offensive stars, who continue to shine bright on a near-nightly basis: Kyle Connor registered three assists, Josh Morrissey found the back of the net, Mark Scheifele had another helper and Gabe Vilardi scored on the power play.

Rookie defenceman Elias Salomonsson continues to impress, handling increased minutes and responsibility while passing just about every test. With Neal Pionk nearing a return from injury after missing more than two months, Arniel will soon face decisions about how to keep Salomonsson in a meaningful role.

Does that mean keeping him alongside Dylan Samberg and easing Pionk back on a third pair? Or perhaps elevating Salomonsson to play with Morrissey, with Dylan DeMelo sliding down? Those are questions that may need answers sooner rather than later.

Connor Hellebuyck didn’t have his best night in net against Nashville, but he usually follows up a mediocre outing with an outstanding one. Expect him to get the call against the Bruins, with Hellebuyck and backup Eric Comrie (riding a personal five-game winning streak) splitting the weekend dates.

Last, but not least, is the fact that Jonathan Toews broke a 20-game scoring drought by tying the game with one minute left in regulation. It’s been a streaky season for Toews, which shouldn’t be a surprise for a 37-year-old coming off a two-year health-related hiatus.

But if he can get going again — as he did in January when he scored in four straight games — that would be a welcome development for a Jets team that can use all the secondary scoring it can get.

 

HOW SWEDE IT IS

It’s been quite a season for Alfons Freij, who was Winnipeg’s second-round pick in the 2024 draft. The 20-year-old defenceman helped lead Sweden to World Junior gold, producing seven assists in seven games, and had a productive campaign with Timra IK of the top Swedish men’s league with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in 42 games.

Now, the next step in his hockey journey: Freij is joining the Manitoba Moose for the rest of the campaign, getting his first taste of North American pro hockey. With the American Hockey League club currently in a playoff position, there’s a good chance Freij will be given an opportunity to try and make an immediate impact.

Salomonsson is also eligible to be sent back to the Moose for the post-season, so the team could be getting quite the blue-line boost.

Freij is a smooth-skating, puck-moving player who is one of the organization’s top prospects, along with fellow Swedish gold-medal winning defenceman Sascha Boumedienne (2025 first-round pick), who is currently playing college hockey at Boston University.

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