Whatever thread the Winnipeg Jets’ playoff hopes were hanging on by, the Detroit Red Wings took a pair of scissors to it Wednesday night.
Fully rested and facing a team that played at home the previous night, the Jets fell to the Wings 3-1, a third straight loss that all but sticks a fork in their postseason chances.
Winnipeg remains seven points back of the Dallas Stars for the final Western wild card playoff berth, and the Stars still have two games in hand.
Mark Scheifele scored the Jets only goal, while Sam Gagner notched a pair for the Wings in the win.
The frustration of losing to another non-playoff team with basically nothing left to play for was clearly evident after the game.
“To be honest – I don’t think one word has been said since the game ended in the locker room,” said defenceman Josh Morrissey. “Not one word.
“I think the reason for the silence is the frustration, and obviously we can’t afford to lose games right now, and that’s a game we shouldn’t lose. So, just with their schedule and our desperation, they’re playing on a back-to-back, so it’s frustrating, and I think every guy knows that in the room.”
“Extreme disappointment,” said interim head coach Dave Lowry. “Obviously, with nothing being said, you can tell how the players feel.
“I understand where the players are. I understand the disappointment.”
The Jets badly outshot the Wings 13-5 in the first period, but it was Detroit who looked like they were playing with a sense of urgency over the final two frames. The Wings outshot the Jets in both the second and third periods with Connor Hellebuyck keeping the score close.
“It’s frustrating” said forward Kyle Connor. “I felt like we had some good shifts throughout the game. A lot of zone time … maybe trying to be a little too cute with a couple of those passes.”
The Jets are a desperate team in their current situation, but they didn’t play with any desperation until they pulled the goalie with three minutes left.
“I thought we went in spurts,” said Lowry. “The urgency we displayed with the goalie out is something we’d like to see carried over, and we’d like to not have to be in that position.”
Connor and Nate Schmidt returned to the lineup after missing the last three games while in COVID protocol. Jansen Harkins sat out after being placed in concussion protocol, while Ville Heinola was back in the press box.
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The Jets surrendered a shorthanded goal for the third straight game.
“It’s pressure,” said Lowry. “Pressure causes turnovers, and they’ve been able to capitalize on them.”
With his second period goal, Scheifele now has points in eight of his last nine games.
The Jets had a goal disallowed in the second period for offside, but the officials didn’t get any argument from the Jets’ bench.
“We knew it was offside,” Lowry said. “We were just hoping they would drop the puck quickly.”
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The first period was mostly uneventful, with the Jets having a couple decent chances to score. The best chance went to Paul Stastny, who was robbed on the doorstep by Thomas Greiss.
Late in the period, Morrissey drew a penalty on a great net drive. But on the ensuing power play, a turnover led to a 2-on-2, where Dylan Larkin found Gagner streaking to the net.
The veteran forward made no mistake, beating Hellebuyck to give the Wings a 1-0 lead after one. It was the 500th point of Gagner’s career.
Just over six minutes into the second, the Jets drew even. Schmidt’s point shot was tipped in the slot by Scheifele, beating Greiss to make it a 1-1 game.
Less than five minutes later, it looked like the Jets had taken the lead on a nearly identical goal. Dylan DeMelo’s point shot was deflected by Wheeler in the slot and past Greiss, but a quick review showed Wheeler was offside when the Jets gained the zone seconds earlier.
With eight minutes left, the Wings had their best offensive zone shift of the game, leading to a great scoring chance for Lucas Raymond, but the rookie drilled the post from the slot.
The iron bailed Hellebuyck again a few minutes later when Jakub Vrana was sprung on a breakaway following a strong shift by the Jets in Detroit’s end. Vrana tried to snap one blocker-side but he rang it off the pipe.
Winnipeg held a 13-5 edge in shots on goal after the first but Detroit piled up the shots in the second, outshooting the Jets 17-9 to bring both teams to a 40-minute total of 22 shots.
The visitors grabbed the lead just shy of the midway point of the third. After Hellebuyck stopped the initial Detroit chance, a scramble ensued and Michael Rasmussen knocked home the loose puck. Both Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois were nearby but neither could prevent Rasmussen from getting to the puck first.
Moments later, Vrana was sprung on his second breakaway of the game but Hellebuyck turned him aside to keep it a one-goal game.
With 6:44 to go, the Jets were dealt a tough blow when Zach Sanford received a double-minor for high sticking. But with just over a minute left in the penalty, Detroit was called for having too many men on the ice.
Winnipeg decided to gamble and pull the goalie with more than three minutes left, starting when the teams were 4-on-4 and continuing after Sanford got out of the box.
The Jets could not take advantage.
With 36.5 seconds remaining, Gagner deposited his second of the game into the empty net to seal the deal for Detroit, handing Winnipeg a dagger of a loss.
Both goaltenders were excellent, each making 32 saves in the game.
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The Jets now have 11 games left in the season, continuing Friday night at home against the high-flying Colorado Avalanche. Pregame show begins at 5 p.m. on 680 CJOB with the puck dropping just after 7 p.m.
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