Thursday night’s battle between the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers would have been one of the first games I would have circled when the 2025-26 schedule came out in early July. Stanley Cup champion versus Presidents’ Trophy winner. Paul Maurice returns to town. It should have been an epic night.
But as the game started, both teams were out of the playoffs. Both teams are struggling to create a winning culture.
In fact, Thursday night against the Panthers — a 2-1 shootout loss — could have been the Jets’ season in microcosm. The first half of the game was slow and plodding, and there just wasn’t enough time in the last 25 minutes to play with any level of urgency to get two points.
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It was just another night with a one-goal game and a loser point.
This long schedule has 82 games for every team in the NHL. The Jets have now played 50 games of their schedule. Which means there just might be six games left in the season.
Wait, you say! That math doesn’t work. Fifty games plus six games does not equal 82. And in pure arithmetic, you’d be right. But in hockey, there’s a chance you might be wrong.
You see, when this team and the rest of the NHL take the break for the Olympic Winter Games or scuba diving in Cancun, there is a feeling that you just might know if your season is over. Six points out of a playoff spot could easily turn into double digits if you are unable to win enough. What is enough? It might just be that they have to win a minimum of four of those six not to lose ground. And even if they do, it is a daunting task. Getting to the playoffs might be impossible.
Detroit, New Jersey, Tampa, Florida, Dallas, Montreal. That’s the challenge. And right now it feels like Murder’s Row of the ‘27 Yankees. Every one of those teams has a better record than the Jets. And every one has a need for two points in the standings. And with just two home games of the six before the break, the Jets have done a good job of painting themselves into a deep, deep corner.
So you see, 50 plus six might not equal 82, but it might just add up to a season ending early.
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