It has been a tough go of late for the now second-place Winnipeg Jets. But the lessons learned during a recent run of adversity could pay off in the big picture.
When an NHL team starts a season 15-1… hey, just hang on for a second — no National Hockey League team had ever won 15 times in 16 games out of the gate like the Jets did.
So in that vein, there wasn’t a template or a point of reference for a coach, players, and a fan base on how to manage expectations after reaching such historic heights.
But almost from the time that incredible start began to take hold, there was also the realization it wasn’t going to last for all 82 games. Enjoy the ride for as long as it lasted — because pretty much everyone knew what was coming.
Suffice it to say the Jets have orbited back to earth with six losses in the last nine games after dropping a 3-1 decision on Sunday in Dallas, completing what might just wind up being their most difficult stretch of the season.
For much of the past two-and-a-half weeks, the Jets were victims of sluggish starts — aggressive forechecking tactics by opposing teams that made them look slow, vulnerable, just average.
And of course playing in 10 different cities, from coast to coast, on almost every other day also took its toll.
But with five of the next seven games at home, there’s an opportunity for Arnie’s Army to regroup and regain the level of consistency they displayed earlier in the season.
Perhaps that process began over the last five periods in Vegas and Dallas.
The Jets will certainly want to continue that, with better results, starting Tuesday night against the resurgent St. Louis Blues.