Toews’ return to Chi-town about the only highlight for Jets in 2-0 loss

CHICAGO – The process of picking off the team in front of them just hit a significant speed bump.

With the Chicago Blackhawks clearly in their sights, the Winnipeg Jets missed out on a valuable opportunity to leapfrog them to escape the basement of the Central Division after falling 2-0 on Monday night before a raucous crowd of 19,894 at the United Center.

Instead of passing the Blackhawks with a regulation win, the Jets are now three points behind them, though they do hold a game in hand.

“A big missed opportunity,” said Jets defenceman Logan Stanley. “We’ve got to bear down a little bit, find a way to score. It was a one-goal game. We’ve got to come away with two points.”

Former Blackhawk captain looking forward to first game as Jet in Windy City

CHICAGO — The farewell was equal parts appreciative and mystifying for Jonathan Toews.

As the longtime captain of the Chicago Blackhawks skated off the United Center ice for the final time as the face of the franchise in April 2023, he had an abundance of emotions flowing through his body and mind.

Toews was grateful for the chance to say goodbye to a place that meant so much to him, but was still coming to terms for the way that portion of the journey was ending.

Compounding matters, it was also unclear if he could continue his life as an NHLer.

OT loss to Leafs ‘self inflicted,’ says Jets head coach

The Winnipeg Jets can’t afford many missteps if they hope to claw their way back into the playoff race. Which is why a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night represents a significant stumble — one that is likely to leave a mark.

Winnipeg led 3-1 with more than 14 minutes remaining in regulation and appeared well on its way to a fifth straight victory. But three straight goals by the visitors, including the game-winner by Max Domi during the three-on-three session, snatched away a potentially valuable point in the standings.

“Self-inflicted,” is how Jets head coach Scott Arniel described the collapse.

They were caught up on the rush on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal that cut the lead to 3-2 at 5:58 of the final frame. They lost a defensive zone faceoff that quickly ended up in the back of the net on the Bobby McMann goal that tied it at 15:33. And then they made a turnover that led to a 2-on-1 rush and the dagger at 3:08 of overtime.

Checking the playoff pulse of Canadian clubs

Welcome to “Hockey Day in Canada,” an annual event held in conjunction with the NHL schedule-makers that puts shinny under an even brighter spotlight than usual in the Great White North.

All seven Canadian teams are in action Saturday, with three one-anthem matchups as part of a day-long broadcast on Sportsnet: Toronto at Winnipeg, Montreal at Ottawa and Edmonton at Vancouver. Calgary is the odd team out this year as they play host to the New York Islanders.

To get you set — while also displaying some patriotic puck pride — we here at Dump & Chase figured this would be the perfect time for a coast-to-coast-to-coast checkup.

We’ll go in order of the current standings:

Jets’ power defenceman finds his groove in career-best season

Logan Stanley, prime extension candidate or the key to recouping lost draft capital?

To suggest the Winnipeg Jets are coming to a crossroads with the 18th overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft is entirely accurate.

A decision isn’t necessarily imminent, but it’s not as far away as you might think.

And while the benefits and the consequences of this upcoming decision are already being hotly-debated on various social media platforms, you can be sure that determining Stanley’s future was among the topics discussed by Jets’ management at scouting meetings that recently wrapped up.

Winning streak continues as Jets steamroll Wild

From fragile to ferocious. Slumping to surging. Dormant to dominant.

Oh, what a difference a week can make for the Winnipeg Jets.

Jets call-up Moose defenceman over batch of blue-line injuries

Elias Salomonsson knew the learning curve would be steep. But the young defenceman figures a tough introduction to life in the National Hockey League will ultimately benefit him in the long run.

Jets looking to snap nine-game road losing streak against Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The final buzzer had just sounded on Tuesday night in downtown Winnipeg and Dylan DeMelo was already thinking about what comes next.

“Now we’ve got to take that act on the road,” the veteran Jets defenceman said shortly after his team had put the finishing touches on a third straight victory to close out a five-game homestand.

Indeed they do. If the Jets are to truly get back in the playoff race, they’re going to have to start winning games in enemy territory. That could be a tough task, considering the club has lost nine straight contests (0-7-2) outside the cozy confines of Canada Life Centre dating all the way back to a Nov. 29 victory in Nashville.

They’ll try to snap the skid by facing one of the league’s top teams, the Minnesota Wild, here on Thursday night. Making life even more difficult is the fact three defencemen — Neal Pionk, Colin Miller and Haydn Fleury — are all suddenly sidelined indefinitely with various injuries.

Jets make it three in a row with 5-4 win over Isles

Turns out some home cooking sprinkled with a dose of desperation was just what the Winnipeg Jets needed.

A 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night was the club’s third straight at Canada Life Centre, showing there’s still some fight left in a team many had written off for dead.

“We are making some hay in the last three and that is what is most important. Just keep grinding and finding a way to get points,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel.

This one was a back-and-forth affair filled with momentum swings, with the Jets building a 3-0 lead, watching it evaporate in rapid fashion, jumping back out in front and then hanging on for dear life in the waning seconds.

Former Jets bench boss Bowness returns to NHL as Blue Jackets head coach

Rick Bowness is a problem solver who oozes passion and has a penchant for bringing people together.

So when the former Winnipeg Jets head coach got a call from Don Waddell asking him if he’d have any interest in getting back behind an NHL bench, Bowness made the choice to come out of retirement yet again.

In joining the Columbus Blue Jackets and replacing Dean Evason in an unexpected announcement on Monday, you could say that Bowness is back where he belongs.

“Bones sees the game in a special way and he’s got a special talent for connecting with his players and conveying that message,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, who exchanged text messages with Bowness after the news became official. “I know how much he loves the game and he’s been a fixture in the NHL for so long. I really enjoyed having him as a coach. It was nice to hear that he was feeling really good and he’s in a position where he feels he can come back and coach with this opportunity.

Jets forward Perfetti finding his game on newly-configured second line

To suggest that Cole Perfetti has fully turned the corner might be a slight exaggeration, but the Winnipeg Jets forward is clearly trending upward.

Jets prospects report: Zhilkin makes case for spot on fourth line since call-up

There haven’t been a lot of draft-and-develop success stories in recent years for the Winnipeg Jets, with trades and free agent signings the more familiar route to filling out a roster that is supposed to be in “win-now” mode.

So the promotion last week of Danny Zhilkin from the Manitoba Moose, coupled with strong play in his first three NHL games, is certainly something for the organization to celebrate.

The 22-year-old, selected in the third round of the 2022 draft, leads off our latest monthly rundown of Winnipeg’s talent pipeline, which involve two dozen young players currently skating in various leagues and levels.

Zhilkin hasn’t looked out of place at all, skating on a fourth line with Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke that has found the net in three consecutive contests, including Pearson’s game-winner in Sunday’s 4-3 triumph over the New Jersey Devils.

Jets beat Devils for back-to-back wins

This time, it was simply two steps forward — and no steps back — for the Winnipeg Jets.

After putting an 11-game losing skid in the rear-view mirror, the Jets have now earned consecutive victories for the first time in nearly two months after a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

This was an eventful matinee, with both teams showing the desperation one would expect from groups with lofty expectations that currently reside below the playoff line.

With the game tied 3-3 in the third period, Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey was his elusive self, getting involved offensively and finding Tanner Pearson with a pass at the top of the crease to provide the decisive marker.

That’s one, now keep it rolling

It felt like a giant group therapy session, with both the Winnipeg Jets and their fans experiencing a cathartic release of pent-up angst Friday night as a 27-day, 11-game winless streak finally came to an end.

Folks were still basking in the afterglow a day later.

“Our crowd going crazy, singing and doing the wave. Everyone felt like, finally, this had ended,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Saturday following his team’s optional practice at Canada Life Centre.

“In a province, a community, a city like this there’s a lot of blue-collar people and that’s what they ask. I know that from being here for a long time. You work, you battle, you compete, you do those things and you’ll get a good response from the fans here.”

Jets’ Comrie credits wife, family for assist in ending losing streak

Eric Comrie had a confession to make.

“After last game, I wasn’t in the best mental space that I’ve ever been in my life,” the Winnipeg Jets goaltender said on Friday night, a few moments after backstopping his team to a desperately needed victory inside Canada Life Centre.

“My wife actually helped me get out of it. It was unbelievable today what she did.”

Indeed, Haley Comrie’s name won’t show up on the final scoresheet, but she provided a valuable assist in the form of a heartfelt pre-game gesture.