Sun-soaked Jets hoping to get around to winning ways

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This article was published 30/01/2020 (2048 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The beach boys are back, and wouldn’t it be nice for Winnipeg Jets supporters if the NHL club started generating some good vibrations tonight at Bell MTS Place?

Back from a much-needed, seven-day respite in places such as Cabo San Lucas, the Bahamas and Florida, the Jets have punched the clock for what will surely be a hectic 10-week stretch of work.

The Central Division squad, playing a ho-hum brand of hockey since the middle of December, really hit the skids prior to the All-Star weekend and league-mandated players bye week, losing four games in a row and six of its last seven.

The timing of the break couldn’t have been better.

“It helps a lot. You love the game and you love playing hockey. But when you’re on a program like we are, getting a break like this and being able to just get away and not think about hockey and just relax, it does a lot,” said winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who spent six nights in the Caribbean.

“Everyone knows the position we’re in as a team, so we’re ready to get back into it now. The break’s over, so we’re excited. No one here’s going to lay back and just see what happens. We’re ready to go for it.”

Winnipeg (25-22-4) is three points below the playoff line in the tightly woven Western Conference, and six points behind the third-place Dallas Stars in the division.

The rush to become relevant starts in earnest. It comes with a high degree of difficulty, as one of the NHL’s most menacing pieces of machinery — the Boston Bruins — rolls into town. Game time is 7 p.m.

It’s the opener of a critical back-to-back for the Jets, who get one night’s rest to prepare for none other than the defending Stanley Cup-champion St. Louis Blues, 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Winnipeg. After that, it’s a visit by the Nashville Predators on Tuesday and then a one off Thursday in St. Louis before hosting six consecutive contests in 11 days.

Winnipeg could need to secure as many as 40 of a possible 62 points to book a spot in the post-season, a tall order for a team that has struggled lately to score goals, still lacks high-end talent on the blue line and has received less-than-stellar goaltending since the turn of the calendar.

Winnipeg backup goalie Laurent Brossoit will guard the net against Boston (29-10-12), which sits comfortably atop the Atlantic Division and is only three points back of the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals.

The Jets are still missing some key pieces to injuries, such as centre Adam Lowry (upper body) and Bryan Little (head) along with defenceman Tucker Poolman (lower body). However, there’s simply no time left for excuses.

Ehlers, who has 18 goals but just a pair this month and is riding a seven-game drought, believes he and his teammates will show they have much more to give as the pressure builds.

“You go out and try to give everything you can and you always work 100 per cent, but sometimes your hands aren’t there and you have to find different ways to help the team,” said Ehlers. “For me, personally, the last week-and-a-half wasn’t going my way. I want to get on track, too. I want to help this team win.”

Veteran blue-liner Luca Sbisa, who escaped to Mexico, admitting his mind rarely drifted back to the rink. But it’s relatively simple to flip the ‘game-on’ switch with such a significant block of games coming up.

“Getting toward that final stretch, you feel like every point matters even more. It’s going to be fun. We’re coming out of the break and there’s still a lot of games left. Every team’s going to start to play playoff hockey, heavy games, tight one-goal games, so the guys are looking forward to it,” said Sbisa.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice offered up an interesting response when asked whether an immediate string of victories might compel his boss, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, to make a trade to strengthen the team for a championship push.

“The core of this team is right, and young and going to get better. So, if there’s something there that gives us a boost right now, all for it. I still think we’re looking more long-term on the things we would do.” said Maurice. “But paying a high price for a rental I don’t think makes a whole lot of sense for us.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell