After scraping by with a 3-3 record during a difficult six-game stretch that included head-to-head matchups against some of the NHL’s best teams, the Winnipeg Jets appeared to be in decent shape for a steady diet of non-playoff-contending teams for the remainder of March.
But the first of those potential golden opportunities fell by the wayside in a disappointing 3-0 loss at St. Louis on Sunday.
It was at least somewhat forgivable for the Jets to play well but not get a result against the likes of division front-runners Minnesota, Carolina and Boston.
But making the 11th-place Blues look like world beaters in a Sunday night stinker… please pass the bucket.
A second shutout loss in four days, on the heels of a crucial overtime win at Nashville, was just the latest in a series of “one step forward, two strides back” scenarios for Rick Bowness and company.
The bumpy ride along Wild Card Way continues — instead of keeping the slim hope alive of returning to the smoother pavement of Central Division Drive that the Jets occupied for the first 60 games or so.
Pop the hood and you’ll find some key parts misfiring.
Falling behind 1-0 before the first media timeout in seven of the last 10 games.
A powerplay that hasn’t been right for two months, currently in an 0-for-14 funk, and now ranked 21st in the NHL.
Hit hardest by the lack of production with the extra skater has been Kyle Connor, with Mark Scheifele not far behind.
Connor has just three goals in 23 games, while Scheifele has scored goals in just six games over that same stretch.
And both star forwards have struggled to an even greater degree 5 on 5 — a combined -29.
But with 11 games to play, the Jets are still very much in control of their own fate.
Will they quit being their own worst enemy and save themselves before it’s too late, or will the Jets eventually steer themselves right on to Below the Playoff Bubble Boulevard?
These next three-and-a-half weeks could be thrilling and dramatic — or filled with frustration and agony.
But at least they won’t be boring.