‘A great opportunity’

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This article was published 07/04/2023 (885 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The journey here has been complex but the situation is simple for a pair of Central Division foes.

The Winnipeg Jets are trying to avoid the most prolific regular-season collapse in NHL history. The Nashville Predators are attempting to complete the ultimate comeback story.

Both are vying for the last ticket to the Western Conference playoffs, and a win Saturday (6 p.m.) would go a long way toward achieving that goal.

“A great opportunity,” said Josh Morrissey after Friday’s practice. “I mean, we’re playing meaningful games, with a chance to get into the playoffs and we control our own destiny, really. Yeah, it’s a great opportunity.

“The generic answer is you get up for every game. But obviously, these ones are that much more important. The details matter, everything matters. It’s a great feeling and these are exciting games to be a part of.”

The Jets and Predators have followed two vastly different paths since the calendar flipped to 2023. What they share is neither team was supposed to be here.

The Jets were the team to beat a little over three months ago, owning a 31-16-1 record through 48 breezy games.

Now they’re clinging to the final playoff spot by a tiebreaker. If they fail to maintain their standing, the Jets will be the first team to lead a conference more than halfway through a campaign and still miss the post-season.

At the same time, the Predators were almost belly-up, floundering with the bottom-feeders of the Western Conference and clear sellers at the nearing trade deadline.

They followed suit, dismantling their core and parting with a quartet of key players, including Nino Niederreiter, who landed in the Manitoba capital on Feb. 25.

The script has since flipped. While the Jets fell from their perch, the Preds have risen from the ashes. Saturday night’s visitors are 10-7-2 since the trade deadline and have crept their way into the playoff race, now nipping at the heels of the Jets, who own a razor-thin one-point advantage with four games to go.

The Jets dumped more fuel on the fire when they lost in an underwhelming 3-1 decision to the Calgary Flames at home on Wednesday. The Preds, meanwhile, have won four of their last six, including triumphs over playoff locks Boston, Las Vegas and a statement 3-0 victory over Carolina on Thursday.

The Jets and Flames are tied at 89 points, but the Jets own the tiebreaker for the final wild-card spot with one game in hand. Winnipeg can also take solace in having 42 wins in regulation and overtime compared to Calgary and Nashville’s 35, which will be the determining factor should the clubs find themselves tied after the regular season ends.

Blake Wheeler is one who’s been in this situation numerous times during his 15-year career. He said dire games like Saturday night’s usually come down to one thing:

“I think the team that gets away from their game first typically loses,” he said. “It’s kind of a battle of game plans and at one point, one team usually gets sick of that and steers off of it and tries to play a little bit differently. That’s typically where they lose a game.”

Added head coach Rick Bowness: “They attack. They don’t sit back, they go for it. If you sit back, you’re going to spend a lot of time in your zone. The more time you spend in your zone, you’re susceptible to penalties. Most teams, when you get in these situations, you don’t want your players sitting back. If you’re going to go, go. Stay aggressive when we can.”

The Jets and Preds will meet for the fourth time this season. Each of the previous three matchups have been low-scoring affairs decided by one goal, two of them have needed overtime to reach a decision. It’s no surprise that all three games were gritty when they featured two of the league’s best goaltenders.

Such will once again be the case tonight when Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros take the crease for their respective clubs. Hellebuyck will make his 11th-straight start, Saros gets the nod for the ninth time in that same stretch. Both workhorses are having seasons worth mentioning in the Vezina Trophy race and are each capable of stealing the game.

“Two of the best in the league,” Wheeler said. “I don’t know if you can necessarily look at it as an advantage either way. Those two guys have been incredible for both their teams this year and certainly, we love our guy and we think he’s the best in the world and I’m sure they feel the same way about their guy. It’s probably why these have been low-scoring games all year.”

The situation isn’t for the faint of heart. Like his players, Bowness is seizing it.

“I love it. I love these challenges,” Bowness said. “I said this the other day, you don’t want to be where we are. We wish this game didn’t have the importance that it does. We wish we were in a better position, we wish we had put ourselves in a better position — which we could’ve, but we didn’t. So you live in the moment. You say, ‘Okay, this is what it is,’ and embrace it.

“When players look back on their careers, these are the games they’re going to remember playing in. How did they respond? Did they play a good game in a pressure situation? Could they handle the pressure? Could they still go out and do those things? These are big games, but I’ve always taken the approach to just embrace it, enjoy it. When it’s all said and done and your career is over and you look back at it, you remember these games.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam