The Winnipeg Jets are about to embark on a stretch that could go a long way in determining where they ultimately finish in the Central Division standings.
Jets Enter Stretch Against Central Seeking Consistency
Beginning Feb. 20, the Jets play five straight against their fellow Central-Division teams after not facing a Divisional opponent since Jan. 11. They face the Minnesota Wild in a game that’s bound to be testy after Ryan Hartman’s intentional high stick on Cole Perfetti six weeks ago, then face the Chicago Blackhawks (Feb. 23) Arizona Coyotes (Feb. 25) St. Louis Blues (Feb. 27) and Dallas Stars (Feb. 29.) These so called “four-point” games are pivotal to moving up the standings and represent half of their Divisional games remaining — after these five, the Jets have just five more against Central teams in their final 24.
The Jets enter this stretch playing a bit better, but not as well as they were through mid-January. They are, however, winners of three of their past four after suffering through a season-worst five-game losing streak.
While that poor stretch had many fans concerned a repeat of last season’s collapse was imminent — and many writers, this one included, repeated their warnings that a Jets’ second-half slump has been an unfortunate annual tradition in recent history — the team has managed to flip the narrative somewhat.
Related: Jets’ Second-Half Slump Has Arrived Right On Cue
They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 thanks to Connor Hellebuyck’s strong performance that allowed a couple of early goals stand up, then beat the San Jose Sharks 1-0 (and could have beaten them by a lot more considering they fired 39 shots on Sharks’ goaltender Kappo Kahkonen while allowing only 17.)
Then, they posted one of their most impressive performances of the season in a physical 4-2 victory over the league-leading Vancouver Canucks. In what was consider a marquee matchup, the Jets’ offense — which had just nine goals in their eight previous games — woke up by scoring four for the first time since Jan. 16 and had two power-play markers (one of which was Sean Monahan’s first as a Jet.)
Unfortunately, they did not play to a similar calibre against the Calgary Flames on Feb. 19, their most recent contest. While Monahan scored the sixth natural hat trick in Jets 2.0 history to give his new team a 3-1 first-period lead, they fell apart after his heroics and ultimately lost 6-3.
It was one of the Jets’ worst defensive games of the season, with head coach Rick Bowness lamenting “that’s as soft a five-on-five game as we’ve played all year” and that the “it didn’t even look like the Winnipeg Jets out there” due to their disorganization that led to five even-strength goals allowed.
Jets Behind in Central, But Have Games In Hand
After the game against the Canucks, Bowness promised “that’s what it’s going to be like from here on out” when it comes to game intensity. The Jets didn’t play to the intensity Bowness wanted against the Flames but will be seeking to ramp things right back up against the Wild to begin this stretch on a strong note.
Entering play Feb. 20, the battle for first in the Central is a three-way race between the Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Jets. The Stars sit atop the Division with 76 points, the Avalanche have 72, and the Jets have 71; however the Jets have three games in hand on both the teams they are chasing. The Blues are in a distant fourth with 60 points.
Jets’ Have Played Well Within Their Division
The Jets have been strong against Divisional opponents this season, posting a 12-3-1 record. This continues a trend from last season, when the Jets’ 18-8-0 record against Divisional foes was the main reason they snuck into the playoffs in the second Western Conference wild-card spot despite profound second-half struggles.
Looking at how they’ve done this season against their five upcoming opponents, they are 2-0 against the Wild, 2-0-1 against the Blackhawks, 3-0 against the Coyotes, and 2-0 against the Blues. The Stars, however, have given them trouble — the Jets are 0-2 against them and only scored two combined goals in those games. That contest will be a good measuring stick to close out the month.
The Wild, their first opponent, won’t be an easy out either — they are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and just scored 10 goals against the Canucks on Feb. 19. The Coyotes and Blackhawks, on the other hand, are teams the Jets absolutely have to beat: the Blackhawks are 1-8-1 in their last 10 — but recently got Connor Bedard back, who as the Jets saw in December can win a game singlehandedly — and the Coyotes are even worse in their past 10 at 0-9-1.
Despite the Jets’ middling play of late — 4-5-1 in their past 10 — they have banked a good number of points due to their dominant first half. Them going 4-1-0 or at least 3-1-1 in this stretch would keep them in the fight for first in the Central, a position they’ve held at various times this season and would love to hold again.