The Winnipeg Jets punched their playoff ticket on Thursday night with a 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames in their 76th game of the season. That’s four games earlier than last season, when it took them until game 80 to clinch a postseason berth.
The Jets still have six games to go before their quest for Lord Stanley’s Mug commences and the Whiteout arrives. The Jets cannot rest easy until then, though, because the final half-dozen on the schedule still have meaning for three reasons.
1: To Maintain Or Improve Central Division Placement
The Jets, after wrapping up a five-game homestand by going 2-2-1, have a 26-24-6 record and 98 points, good for third in the Central Division.
Related: 3 Takeaways from Jets’ 5-Game Homestand
They currently trail the Colorado Avalanche for second by four points. The Jets would certainly like to overtake them to finish second and get home-ice advantage in the first round; they have a better home record (24-11-3) than road record (21-13-3) and in a seven-game series would prefer to host at Canada Life Centre four times rather than three (even though the Jets 2.0 playoff home record is only 7-15 and they haven’t won a home playoff game since 2021.)
If the Jets and Avalanche are tied in points by the end of the regular season, whoever has more regulation wins will get second. The Jets currently have 41 and the Avalanche have 40. If the Jets and Avalanche are tied in regulation wins, the tiebreaker is regulation plus overtime wins; the Jets and Avalanche both currently have 46.
The Jets only have one game in hand over the Avalanche, so they don’t control their own fate in surpassing or tying them. However, if they want any shot at second, the teams’ final matchup on April 13 is a must-win. The Jets are 3-0 against the Avalanche this season.
At the very least, the Jets want to maintain their position in the Central’s top three so they don’t have to face the Dallas Stars, who have won eight-straight and look like a massive wagon right now, in the first round. The Jets are currently six points up on the Nashville Predators, who own the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 92 points and had an 18-game point streak prior to losing three of their last four. The teams face for the final time on April 9. Going 4-2 would be enough to maintain that spot even if the Predators go 6-0.
2: To Clean Things Up Defensively
There’s no doubt the Jets’ attention to…
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