The Winnipeg Jets are needing extra time to get points these days during a playoff push, but the points are trickling in.
All four Winnipeg contests since returning from the Olympic break have gone to overtime entering Thursday’s home game against the suddenly struggling Tampa Bay Lightning.
Through Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg sits nine points behind Seattle, which held the final wild-card spot entering Wednesday’s action.
The Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks are all between coach Scott Arniel’s team and the Kraken’s spot.
Desperation has crept into the Jets’ dressing room as time continues to run out on the regular season and the wild-card standings look foreboding.
While the Jets have six points (2-0-2) in the four games since restarting play, Arniel has stressed a more important number to his club: eight.
That’s the length of a season-long homestand that started Tuesday and one that needs to feature loads of wins if Winnipeg, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner, wants to be playing at least into late April.
“We’re talking about eight games, but we needed to get out of the gate here and get these two (points) tonight against a team that was sitting one behind us,” Arniel said following the victory. “We went right to the wire and found a way, which was awesome. … We’ve got a tough Tampa team coming in here next, and to get (the Chicago win) under our belts gives us a little bit of confidence.
“We saw the way we need to play.”
Mark Scheifele’s team-leading 28th goal was the game-winner and extended his point total to 73, which leads the Central Division club, as does his 45 assists. Kyle Connor is second with 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists), and Gabriel Vilardi has 23 tallies.
The Lightning’s four-game road swing started poorly as the Minnesota Wild drubbed coach Jon Cooper’s squad 5-1 in a second consecutive poor outing by star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who allowed four to get by in just 21 shots.
“You come into the locker room after two periods, you’re down 3-1 and you think the wrong team’s up 3-1,” Cooper said after the four-goal loss. “I didn’t mind the way we played. We gave them some gifts.
” … In the end, we’ve given up 16 goals in the last three games. We’ve played 55 games before that and never had a stretch like that, unless it was that early-in-the-year stretch. We’ve kind of gotten from our identity as a team. Defensively, we’ve been exceptional this year, and right now we’re not. It’s dig-your-heels-in time.”
A strong contender to win his second Vezina Trophy, Vasilevskiy is 28-9-3 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. He’s two wins from tying Carey Price (361) for 23rd-most in NHL history.
Added Cooper: “Bottom line is, we have to end this now. We can’t let this slide continue.”
The Lightning are 20-4-1 in their past 25 contests.
They placed center Dominic James (leg) on the injured list Tuesday and called up Conor Geekie, who has averaged 10:40 ice time in seven games and was a minus-2.
On the Jets’ injury front, Arniel was encouraged by standout defenseman Josh Morrissey skating the past three days and said he could be back this weekend.
–Field Level Media
