The Winnipeg Jets had a great opportunity to knock out the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, but they missed their chance and will have to work harder to keep the second bye of clubs drafted in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.
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Head coach Rick Bowness’s side, defeated 3-1 by the Alberta side, remains in the top 8 and allows them access to the playoffs, only their margin is limited. They have 89 points, the same as the Flames but one game fewer. That takes place on Friday when the Nashville Predators, 10th place holders with 86 points and two encounters in hand, present themselves in Manitoba.
In the dressing room, players refuse to panic but take nothing for granted. It will take more to turn them off and the work must go on.
“A loss is still a loss but like I said we could be in worse shape and end up outside the playoff picture. We would be the team that would have played one more game and been eliminated from the playoffs, even with the same score. […] We are obviously disappointed and will not stay here claiming that we are happy. Nevertheless, we remain in a good position in the table. We just have to focus on the next duels,” Quebec’s Pierre-Luc Dubois told NHL.com.
Don’t fall apart
The Jets need to rack up some big points by the end of the schedule if they are to avoid a Spring 2022 restart marked by a playoff ban. After visiting the Preds, they will host the San Jose Sharks on Monday before concluding the next day with visits to the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche on April 13th.
The intensity is likely to peak again on Friday in particular.
“It seems like it always ends that way; That’s why we work year-round, defense attorney Nate Schmidt said. We’re working hard to play games like this and the next. There are good stories all the time.”
“We’re still in eighth place,” Bowness told the Winnipeg Free Press. It’s up to us to hold it, and we’re in for it.
-Dubois certainly wants to show more consistency in terms of statistics. He has just picked up three points in his last two games after being held in check in the previous two. Against Calgary, he added an assist but ended up with a -2 differential.