The Winnipeg Jets have an opportunity this week to tick off a few remaining boxes that could establish 2023-24 as a new standard for the 2.0 version of the franchise.
And the Jets certainly earned the right to be in that position based on what they accomplished last week on the road.
Last Monday, we stood before the court to make the case that a second-place finish in the Central Division was still in the cards for Winnipeg — despite some pretty imposing odds to the contrary.
As the record now shows, the Jets provided some pretty compelling evidence to slam the scales in their favour.
And not to throw shade on Saturday’s 7-0 beatdown in Denver, but the 3-0 win in Dallas 44 hours earlier, I would argue, rates as Winnipeg’s finest 60 minutes of the season to date.
Consider what they were up against, facing an opponent at a venue where they’d not won outright in nine straight visits dating back more than six years. And consider how they played, in about as close to a playoff style as you will get, even this late in the schedule.
There are now just two home games to go, one Tuesday and the other Thursday.
Because of Colorado’s meltdown in Vegas on Sunday, the Jets are now just a single point away from clinching home ice advantage in round one of the playoffs.
By winning both remaining games, Winnipeg would go into the postseason with the best record among the seven Canadian teams.
The Jets are a lock to set a 2.0 franchise record for fewest goals against in an 82-game season. They’ve allowed just 193 to date, well below the previous mark of 210 set in the 2014-15 season.
If Winnipeg can maintain their stingy team defence versus the Kraken and Canucks, Connor Hellebuyck can pretty much add a Jennings Trophy to his sparkling resume.
The only disappointment is that Laurent Brossoit didn’t play the required 25 games to have his name also on that hardware.
And there is also matching the 2017-18 franchise high of 52 victories.
Two weeks ago, prior to a 4-3 win over the LA Kings that ended a six-game slide and launched this current six-game streak the other way, who would have thought any of this seemed remotely possible? Except, of course, the people inside the Winnipeg dressing room.
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