It’s a thing for Winnipeg Jets to say they still believe they can scratch and claw their way NHL Western Conference playoff race.
But the team has managed to back up those words with its actions since coming out of the Olympic break.
Yes, the Jets needed some late-game heroics to avoid what would have been a disastrous result against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks as part of the 3-0 start to this critical stand.
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But the fact is, they found a way to win those games — and not suffer another heartbreaking one-goal loss like earlier this season, when over a span of nearly two months, Winnipeg had to endure what became an NHL record 13 straight losses in one-goal decisions.
And the reward for the Jets’ persistence, especially these past seven days, is halving the double-digit deficit for the No. 2 seed in the West when the stand started at five points with 20 games entering this week.
That old saying about “what have you done for me lately” certainly comes into play because two of the next three games on the schedule are against opponents Winnipeg has yet to beat this season – Anaheim on Tuesday night and Colorado on Saturday afternoon.
It’s a tall order — perhaps a little unrealistic — to expect Mark Scheifele and friends to continue to lead the table at the Canada Life Centre, facing that quality of competition.
But there’s no margin for error for Winnipeg — if they intend to keep “walking” toward the playoff line in the West.
The odds remain stacked, but one thing has become abundantly clear over the past dozen days.
You can search high and low, and in every nook and cranny of the Winnipeg Jets locker room, and there won’t be a white flag to be found anywhere.
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