The losing skid has now hit four straight games, and while a point was earned in the overtime loss Tuesday night to Edmonton, the Jets appear to be a far way off from where they were in mid-February.
With only four wins in their last 10 games, the talk of Winnipeg finishing first in their division has completely dissipated. While the team will almost certainly qualify for the post-season, the question now becomes, where are they going to finish?
Sure, with 10 games still remaining on the regular season schedule and six of those still to be played at home, the math still points to a puncher’s chance of a Central Division title — but the reality is it’s more likely their fight will be to hold off surging Nashville for third place.
And what is undoubtedly the most troubling aspect of the team’s struggles of late is their inability to find their game — or in the words of veteran defenceman Nate Schmidt, their brand.
For most of this season, the Jets were hard to play against, stingy defensively and one of the best five-on-five teams in the league. In fact, if they were on the wrong end of the score at any point in a game, you just knew they were going mount a comeback or at least make a game of it — which to their credit, they did Tuesday night.
However, the results are what they are and while Winnipeg is still a good team, no doubt, they have seemingly lost that swagger, some confidence and ultimately their aura and have only beaten two playoffs positioned teams in their last 14 games.
Now, would it take much to get it all back? Not at all, as the panacea — or remedy — in sports to what ills a team is winning. But that cure-all has to start Thursday against Vegas and continue into the weekend with Ottawa coming to town as well.
Otherwise, instead of finishing first in their division, they might be playing the team that does in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.