Remember in May when I was craving a rivalry? Remember when I talked about how easy it would be to build a resentment for certain players on the other team? <a href="https://gameonhockey.ca/2020/05/29/craigs-corner-craving-a-rivalry/">Take a look at this snippet from Craving a Rivalry</a> and see if it’s accurate…

“Hey Jets fans, how long do you think it will take to build a solid resentment for Milan Lucic or Matthew Tkachuk? No longer than a shift? I agree.”

So Jets fans, how long did it take? Not even a period.

Here is our rivalry. It’s finally here. The Jets have their backs against the wall and must win the next two games to move on even though their best players are dropping like flies.

Can Hellebuyck bounce back? Can the back-end stop the Flames’ top talent? Can the Jets’ secondary scoring continue to play the role of primary scoring?

There are so many questions, and all of them are going to be answered on Thursday night.

So, after you’ve finished watching the first round of the PGA Championship, tune into the Jets vs. Flames to find out if it’s going to be Lafreniere watch, or if the Jets will live to fight another day.

Can August get any better?

Craig's Corner: A Rivalry Has Been Found

<h2>MORRISSEY, VILARDI OUTSTANDING AS JETS WIN 2ND IN THREE DAYS</h2>It isn’t a winning streak yet, but it’s getting close.&nbsp;Despite being behind for much of the game and despite being outshot 27-22, the Jets got a rare third-period goal from Tanner Pearson and then hung on to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a0974.jpg">&nbsp;With 14,165 in attendance at Canada Life Centre, the struggling Jets won their second straight game and improved to 17-22-5 on the season. They have a million miles to go in order to get back into any playoff conversations, but they appear to have put that horrible 11-game (0-7-4) losing streak behind them.&nbsp;On Sunday afternoon, the Jets also got some secondary scoring. While Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor were held off the board, Alex Iafallo, Jonathan Toews, Gabriel Vilardi (now playing alongside Cole Perfetti and Adam Lowry) and Tanner Pearson scored for the Jets. Connor Hellebuyck got the win and improved to 10-12-4 on the season.&nbsp;The first period started out like a Sunday afternoon free skate at the St. Malo Arena. Finally, at 18:50, the Jets scored an accidental goal as a bouncing puck deflected off New Jersey defenceman Simon Nemec and past a startled Jake Allen. Alex Iafallo got credit for his eighth of the season as Nino Niederreiter and Dylan Samberg got the assists.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a1142.jpg">However, 37 seconds later Devils’ captain Nico Hischier was left alone in the Jets’ crease and he banged a rebound past Connor Hellebuyck to tie in at one.&nbsp;Both teams scored a late goal, and both teams had eight shots as they went off to the first intermission.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a1253.jpg">&nbsp;The second period was the most productive 20-minute span Winnipeg’s own Cody Glass has ever had.&nbsp;Glass gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at 1:05 of the period and then, after Jonathan Toews scored his fifth of the season (unassisted) at 2:36. Glass scored again at 8:08. They were his eighth and ninth goals of the season as the Devils led 3-2,&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a1419.jpg">But at 17:57, Cole Perfetti made a couple of moves at the Devils’ net and tried to flip the puck over Allen’s glove on the short side. The puck hit Allen and then the post and bounced behind the goalie where Gabriel Vilardi banged it across the line. It was Vilardi’s 18th of the season from Perfetti and Josh Morrissey (28th assist of the season) as the Jets were able to go to the dressing room tied 3-3 with the Devils after 40 minutes.&nbsp;The Devils outshot the Jets 13-6 in the second period (21-14 after two periods) as the visitors dominated the game.&nbsp;The Jets took a 4-3 lead at 6:17 of the third period when Josh Morrissey set up Tanner Pearson in the Devils crease and Pearson made no mistake, banging the puck between Allen’s legs. It was Pearson’s sixth of the season from Morrissey and Cole Koepke.&nbsp;It also held up as the winner. Despite a couple of close calls in the final 30 seconds of regulation time when the Devils were attacking with the net empty, the Jets were able to hang on and win their second straight game. The Jets outshot New Jersey 9-6 in the third period.&nbsp;The three stars were selected by a someone who didn’t see the game. 1. Perfetti, 2. Morrissey and 3. New Jersy’s Luke Hughes. The two best players on the ice – by a mile – were Cody Glass of the Devils and Gabriel Vilardi of the Jets.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a2526.jpg">The Jets play again on Tuesday, Jan. 13, as the New York Islanders come to town for a 7 p.m. start. It’s the final game of a five-game homestand (2-1-1).

Jets Win Second Straight with 4-3 win over Visiting Devils

<h2>Jets score five times in lopsided win over los angeles</h2>The Winnipeg Jets have finally won a game. It took 27 days and 12 games trying, but they got the job done.After one of the most disappointing streaks in franchise history, Winnipeg bounced back with a lopsided 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night.They led wire-to-wire and saw numerous players snap ugly droughts.Vlad Namestnikov scored his first goal in 30 games.Jonathan Toews got his first in 27, while Nino Niederreiter picked up his first point in 18 contests.Eric Comrie took the crease for Winnipeg and picked up the team's 16th win and 37th point of the season, which wasn't enough to move them out of 32nd place in the league, but it's a step in the right direction for a team that has hardly moved in the past four weeks.Mark Scheifele got two goals on the night, while Cole Koepke picked up Winnipeg's other tally.Those gathered at Canada Life Centre raised the roof with cheers for new fan favourite Logan Stanley and sang along jubilantly as victory tunes rained down all throughout the third period.Winnipeg will now get a night off before returning to action on Sunday afternoon for the fourth test of the five-game homestand as the New Jersey Devils roll into town for a 1:00 PM central matinee.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009785142265692439">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009785142265692439</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009795035152429251">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009795035152429251</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009802894015656385">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009802894015656385</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009804485577814026">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009804485577814026</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009809196787876154">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009809196787876154</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009816045213929800">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009816045213929800</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009826652206010806">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009826652206010806</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009836634448244932">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009836634448244932</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009838727518933345">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009838727518933345</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Friday's game vs. Los Angeles is courtesy of James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a8871go.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Scott Arniel on the crowd gathered at Canada Life Centre:"Obviously, there is a lot of relief for everyone. I have to give a shout out to the crowd. That was fun, they were loud and they were enjoying themselves. But, at the end of the day we needed that, as you know we needed it badly. I just like the way, on a back-to-back game, such an emotional one last night, and to come back today was great."Eric Comrie on the fans:“I think they deserved it more than we deserved it. We’ve been putting them through some tough times and they’ve been sticking with us. It’s unbelievable to see their support tonight. There’s not a lot of fan bases that would do that. A lot of fan bases would turn on their team after what we’ve gone through lately, but they’ve stayed right with us the whole time. It’s been special to see that. They are the best fans in the NHL for a reason.WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg stays put at home with the fourth test of the five-game homestand on Sunday afternoon against a struggling New Jersey Devils team. The New York Islanders then show up on Tuesday for the final game.

Game On Game Recap: Winnipeg Jets 5 Los Angeles Kings 1

<h2>Jets drop a stinker to edmonton, fall 4-3 at home</h2>The Winnipeg Jets have done it again.After pulling ahead 3-1 in the early stages, the league's 32nd place club found another way to lose.This time it was the team's 11th-straight loss and 22nd on the season.Falling 4-3 to Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday evening, the Jets gave up a late second period goal to the best player in the game, before allowing two more Oilers strikes in the third period, ultimately dropping the contest by one goal.Kyle Connor opened the scoring for Winnipeg on a nifty setup play from Mark Scheifele. Then it was Tanner Pearson who got Winnipeg's second of the game, before Josh Morrissey scored a fluky bouncer that found it's way past Winnipegger Calvin Pickard.But it was all Oilers from that point onward.A big fight between Logan Stanley and Trent Frederic seemed to be the change in momentum that Edmonton needed, as McDavid scored on a nasty breakaway tally with 20 seconds left in the second period, cutting the deficit to just one goal.Zach Hyman potted the game-tying goal high, short-side past Connor Hellebuyck, who made 26 saves on the night.Evan Bouchard got the winner on the power play with 9:23 to play, sealing the deal on Winnipeg's 11th-straight loss. The Jets managed just five shots on goal in the game's final 40 minutes.Next up is the second half of the back-to-back with Los Angeles at 7:00 PM central time on Friday. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009440450298696079">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009440450298696079</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009442461861757171">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009442461861757171</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009447895037255801">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009447895037255801</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009451407246770614">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009451407246770614</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009454197113327728">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009454197113327728</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009464088880140670">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009464088880140670</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009465787921387606">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2009465787921387606</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Thursday's game vs. Edmonton is courtesy of Danny Truong:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a8990.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a8914.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9164.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9127.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9362.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9426.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9559.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9647.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9653.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9749.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9817.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9882.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9997.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9970.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a0134.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Neal Pionk on what went wrong this time:"Yeah, we just sat on our heels. And at this point, I think it's mental so we got to overcome that tomorrow."Tanner Pearson on playing against Connor McDavid:“Obviously, he’s one of those guys who you pay close attention to when he plays. There’s a few guys like that in the league. It’s Connor, but I think we did a good job for the most part. Obviously the one at the second hurts, but yeah, it sucks.”WHAT’S NEXT:The five-game homestand continues for Winnipeg, with the second half of a back-to-back on Friday night. The Los Angeles Kings will play Winnipeg at 7:00 PM central, before the New Jersey Devils (Sunday) and the New York Islanders (Tuesday) roll in to complete a busy stretch of five games in eight days for the Jets.

Game On Game Recap: Winnipeg Jets 3 Edmonton Oilers 4

<h2>Penalties Kill Jets, Vegas wins on Ot power play goal</h2>The Vegas Golden Knights came to Winnipeg in a slump and found a way to dig themselves out of it.&nbsp;Play the Winnipeg Jets.&nbsp;Tomas Hertl scored a power play goal with only 13 seconds left in overtime as the Golden Knights beat Winnipeg 4-3 at Canada Life Centre 13,491 fans who left the downtown barn screaming “Ref, You Suckl!”&nbsp;The Knights were winless in nine (0-6-3) but got a tremendous opportunity in OT when Dylan Samberg was handed a high-sticking penalty with only 50 seconds left. Hertl’s goal was the second power-play tally of the night for Vegas who had four power-plays to Winnipeg’s two.&nbsp;With the loss, the last-place Jets are now winless in their last 10 (0-6-4) and they’ve found so many different ways to lose, they are starting to run out of new and exciting methods. Monday night, it was, “build a 2-0 lead after two and a 3-2 lead late in the third and then give it away.&nbsp;Even worse, on this night, they also lost defenceman Haydn Fleury to what appeared to be a very serious injury.&nbsp;The defending President’s Cup champion Jets are now 15-21-5 on the season and dead last in the NHL&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/perfetti-scores.jpg">Cole Perfetti scored his third of the season (Photo by James Carey Lauder)The Jets opened the scoring at the 5:16 mark of the opening period when Jonathan Toews fed a perfect pass onto the stick of Cole Perfetti who was alone at the side of goalie Carter Hart’s crease. Perfetti skated across the crease and tucked the puck into the opposite corner for his third goal of the season. Toews and Morrissey drew the assists as you could see the relief on Perfetti’s face. It was his first goal in 17 games. His last one came on Nov. 29, in Nashville.&nbsp;A few minutes later, Knights’ forward Keegan Kolesar shoved an off-balance Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury hard into the end boards. Fleury was down for about five minutes as medical staff attended to him and was eventually wheeled from the ice on a stretcher. It was certainly not a check that warranted a penalty, but it was morally questionable. Shoving an off-balance player (by slamming him in the face) into the boards at full-speed might not be against the rules, but it’s still rather cowardly.&nbsp;To his credit, Kolesar answered the bell on the ensuing faceoff and fought a losing battle against Jets captain Adam Lowry.&nbsp;Fleury was quickly transported to hospital via ambulance. The good news: He had feeling in his extremities.&nbsp;After that, both teams played with caution. It seemed the Fleury injury sucked the enthusiasm right out of the rink. The teams went to their respective dressing rooms with the Jets ahead 1-0 as Vegas outshot Winnipeg 6-5.&nbsp;In the second period, absolutely nothing happened for 12 minutes. In fact, through the first 12 minutes of the second frame, the Jets and Knights each had one shot on goal.&nbsp;But that’s when the unthinkable happened.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/schenn-scores.jpg">Luke Schenn (5) scored his first as a Jet (Photo by James Carey Lauder)Non-scoring Luke Schenn, playing in his 1,100th NHL game, took a pass from Gabriel Vilardi at the point and fired a perfectly-placed wrist shot under the bar past a screened Hart. In a blink, Schenn suddenly had his first goal in 42 games as a member of the Winnipeg Jets. Vilardi and Lowry drew the assists and Winnipeg was up 2-0 – on just seven shots.&nbsp;The Jets two-goal lead was cut to one at 19:10 of the period when Mark Stone scored on the power-play. It was interesting to hear Stone booed in his hometown.&nbsp;After 40 minutes, the Jets led 2-1. Vegas had outshot the Jets 12-9 (8-4 in the second period) and outplayed them for most of the second half of the period. Winnipeg was actually quite fortunate to still be part of the argument.&nbsp;The inevitable happened at 8:13 of the third period when Oakbank’s Brett Howden slapped a rebound past Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to tie the game. Vegas tied the game before the Jets had a shot on goal in the third period. In fact, the Jets first shot on goal in the third period didn’t come until the 10:03 mark when Morgan Barron fired a wrister from the blueline.&nbsp;However, a few minutes later, Jets head coach Scott Arniel finally abandoned the experiment of moving Gabriel Vilardi to another line in a futile attempt to get some secondary scoring. With a few minutes to play, he moved Vilardi back alongside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor and at 14:56 he set up the go-ahead goal. It was a perfect wrist shot to Hart’s stick side by Connor to give the Jets a brief 3-2 lead. It was Connor’s 20th of the year and Vilardi’s 20thassist.&nbsp;But Vegas tied it just 59 seconds later as Reilly Smith beat Hellebuyck easily. At that point, Vegas had outshot Winnipeg 27-15 (15-6 in the third period).&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/fleury-stretchered-off.jpg">Fleury stretchered off the ice (Photo by James Carey Lauder)In overtime, Vegas won it on the power play. Both teams had five shots in the OT as Morgan Barron, Gabriel Vilardi and Neal Pionk all had great chances to score for Winnipeg.&nbsp;The Jets play again Thursday night at Canada Life Centre when the Edmonton Oilers come to town. Game time is 7 p.m.

Jets Winless in 10, Lose 4-3 in OT to Vegas

<h2>the jets have become too old and too slow. it's time for a change</h2>It’s time to bring up the kids.&nbsp;The Winnipeg Jets are now 15-21-4, last in the National Hockey League. They have lost nine in a row (0-6-3). They can’t score. They aren’t even fun to watch. I mean, listen, the 1980-81 Jets who went 9-57-14 (39 points behind Toronto for the final playoff spot) and set an NHL record by going winless (0-23-7) in 30 straight games were, at least, fun.&nbsp;This version of the Jets is just old and slow. It’s a one-line team full of aging journeymen who have developed stone hands to go with their lead feet.&nbsp;Eight months ago, the Jets were the best team in the NHL. However, in real time we’ve watched the oldest team in the NHL get slower and less skilled. After the big line of Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor, the Jets have absolutely no offence. They couldn’t score on a soccer net.&nbsp;Vladislav Namestnikov hasn’t had a goal since Nov. 1. He is the team’s No. 2 centre, and he has one point in 27 games and that point, an assist, came on Nov. 29.&nbsp;Nino Niederreiter, hasn’t had a point in 16 games. Jonathan Toews hasn’t had a goal since Nov. 11. Cole Perfetti hasn’t had a goal since Nov. 29 and has two goals in 26 games. Gustav Nyquist doesn’t have a goal in 30 games this season.&nbsp;It’s obviously time for a change. This experiment with geriatric hockey should be put down immediately.&nbsp;And let’s be honest, I can’t say the Moose kids are any better or will be any better. I look at their AHL numbers and I have no delusions. But this season is DONE! Just finish last, get the No. 1 draft pick and see if some of the kids can play.&nbsp;Now is the time time to see if David Gustafsson, Brad Lambert, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Danny Zhilkin, Nikita Chibrikov, Brayden Yager, Parker Ford and Colby Barlow can play for any length of time at the NHL level.&nbsp;It’s time to bring up the kids.&nbsp;The Winnipeg Jets are now 15-21-4, last in the National Hockey League. They have lost nine in a row (0-6-3). They can’t score. They aren’t even fun to watch. I mean, listen, the 1980-81 Jets who went 9-57-14 (39 points behind Toronto for the final playoff spot) and set an NHL record by going winless (0-23-7) in 30 straight games were, at least, fun.&nbsp;This version of the Jets is just old and slow. It’s a one-line team full of aging journeymen who have developed stone hands to go with their lead feet.&nbsp;Eight months ago, the Jets were the best team in the NHL. However, in real time we’ve watched the oldest team in the NHL get slower and less skilled. After the big line of Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor, the Jets have absolutely no offence. They couldn’t score on a soccer net.&nbsp;Vladislav Namestnikov hasn’t had a goal since Nov. 1. He is the team’s No. 2 centre, and he has one point in 27 games and that point, an assist, came on Nov. 29.&nbsp;Nino Niederreiter, hasn’t had a point in 16 games. Jonathan Toews hasn’t had a goal since Nov. 11. Cole Perfetti hasn’t had a goal since Nov. 29 and has two goals in 26 games. Gustav Nyquist doesn’t have a goal in 30 games this season.&nbsp;It’s obviously time for a change. This experiment with geriatric hockey should be put down immediately.&nbsp;And let’s be honest, I can’t say the Moose kids are any better or will be any better. I look at their AHL numbers and I have no delusions. But this season is DONE! Just finish last, get the No. 1 draft pick and see if some of the kids can play.&nbsp;Now is the time time to see if David Gustafsson, Brad Lambert, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Danny Zhilkin, Nikita Chibrikov, Brayden Yager, Parker Ford and Colby Barlow can play for any length of time at the NHL level.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/brad-lambert's-first-nhl-goal.jpg">Brad Lambert scores his first NHL goal (Photo by Scott Stroh)At least we might find out that there is some kind of future for the Jets (Yikes, maybe the brain-trust doesn’t want to). Right now, the Jets best players are, in NHL years, old – Connor Hellebuyck (32), Josh Morrissey (30), Mark Scheifele (32), Adam Lowry (32) but when you throw in Tanner Pearson (33), Alex Iafallo (32), DeMelo (32), Schenn (36), Namestnikov (33), Niederreiter (33), Toews (37), Nyquist (36), this team becomes the oldest, slowest, least-skilled team in the league.To paraphrase the script from Moneyball, “there comes a time, whether it’s early in a player’s career or later, that he’s told, you can’t play anymore.”&nbsp;At this moment, the Jets have a handful of players who can’t play anymore.&nbsp;So before firing a coach or general manager, it’s time to find out if the players on the Moose can play at the NHL level. If none of them can, then maybe it’s time to find new people at the top.&nbsp;But that argument should be left for another day.At least we might find out that there is some kind of future for the Jets (Yikes, maybe the brain-trust doesn’t want to). Right now, the Jets best players are, in NHL years, old – Connor Hellebuyck (32), Josh Morrissey (30), Mark Scheifele (32), Adam Lowry (32) but when you throw in Tanner Pearson (33), Alex Iafallo (32), DeMelo (32), Schenn (36), Namestnikov (33), Niederreiter (33), Toews (37), Nyquist (36), this team becomes the oldest, slowest, least-skilled team in the league.&nbsp;To paraphrase the script from Moneyball, “there comes a time, whether it’s early in a player’s career or later, that he’s told, you can’t play anymore.”&nbsp;At this moment, the Jets have a handful of players who can’t play anymore.&nbsp;So before firing a coach or general manager, it’s time to find out if the players on the Moose can play at the NHL level. If none of them can, then maybe it’s time to find new people at the top.&nbsp;But that argument should be left for another day.

It's Time to Bring Up the Kids

<h2>Canada's brain trust missed on more than just scheifele</h2>I waited a few days to write this.&nbsp;Like most hockey people, especially those who follow the Winnipeg Jets, I wanted to give Hockey Canada’s snub of Mark Scheifele a good deal of thought.&nbsp;This week, of course, we watched as the likes of Anthony Cirelli, Bo Horvat, Mitch Marner, Tom Wilson and Mark Stone were named to the team, while players such as Morgan Geekie, Seth Jarvis, Connor Bedard and Scheifele were kicked to the curb.&nbsp;My immediate response to the players selected was this: At the Olympic level, I guess Hockey Canada believes it can be just like the Winnipeg Jets – a one line team.&nbsp;If, as everyone suspects, head coach Jon Cooper will throw Macklin Celebrini, Sidney Crosby and Nathan McKinnon on the No. 1 line, and Connor McDavid will center the second line, that means a handful of checking forwards with reasonable scoring ability will make up the final three lines. If Canada intends to win every game 2-1, this will be an excellent team.&nbsp;However, after the big line, there is McDavid and then few legitimate scorers.&nbsp;Let’s look at Scheifele, for instance. There are only two players on this team with more points – McDavid and McKinnon – this season. He’s been brilliant and for those who suggest he’s a defensive liability, well, he’s a plus-seven on a team that didn’t have its MVP goaltender for five weeks. Dumping Scheifele for a slug like Cirelli, who has 11 goals and 24 points (135th in the NHL) and didn’t score a single point in last year’s Four Nations Cup, is just stupid.&nbsp;He also shows up every night. Mark Stone has played 22 games this season. In fact, Stone has never played a full season in his career. Scheifele has played 13 seasons in the NHL, Stone 16. Scheifele has played in almost 200 more NHL games than Stone during that time. Durability is important in a short tournament. Scheifele is considerably more durable.&nbsp;And how about commitment to the Hockey Canada program? Scheifele has always answered the bell. He played for Canada in 2010 (World U18), 2012 (World U20), 2013 (World U20), 2014, 2016 and 2017 (World Championships). So, how about Tom Wilson? He played in the World U17s for Team Ontario is 2011 and hasn’t represented Canada since. So much for the “if you commit to Team Canada, Team Canada will commit to you.” That’s now meaningless and, actually, pathetic.&nbsp;I could go on for hours about the Scheifele snub. It’s just horrible. Hockey Canada should be ashamed, but they’ve had more serious things to be ashamed about recently, so I often wonder if they feel any shame at all. And, on the bright side, with a good rest in February, Scheifele might just help the Jets salvage a very difficult season.&nbsp;However, this fiasco didn’t stop at Scheifele. Morgan Geekie is second in the NHL in goal scoring and has been the Boston Bruins biggest goal scorer over the past three seasons. He also played for Canada at the World Championships in 2022. Geekie provides more offence than half of the players selected.&nbsp;Connor Bedard and Seth Jarvis are two others who would add speed, skill and scoring ability to a team that probably won’t score many goals.&nbsp;Sadly, Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said, “I don’t see a position on this roster where Bedard would succeed.”&nbsp;First of all, that’s preposterous. Second of all, if there isn’t a place where Bedard would succeed I can tell Armstrong, without hesitation, that there is absolutely no place where Cirelli, Wilson, Hagel, Horvat or Marner will succeed. Armstrong is essentially admitting that his team isn’t very good and Bedard won’t get any help from his grinding linemates.&nbsp;“I don't think the rest of the league knows how good of a two-way winning hockey player Connor has become,” said Chicago Blackhawks head coach Doug Blashill, who&nbsp;was hired&nbsp;in May. “That's the one thing probably, and I don't know why. Maybe it's based on previous years. But I don't think they have a full understanding of how good a winning hockey player he is today.”While Blashill was defending Bedard, Scheifele defended himself this week."Yeah, it sucked. Pretty dark day," Scheifele told reporters in Toronto after he scored two goals and dished our an assist in a 6-5 loss to the Leafs on Thursday night.&nbsp;"It's hard to think about now after kind of turning the page (Thursday) morning. Obviously, Wednesday was a tough day. News you don't want. But it just shows the amount of talent in Canada, so many great hockey players, so many great guys.”Scheifele is a leader. That statement, praising the Canadian players, showed a lot of class.“I don't know what else I could have done (to make Team Canada),” Scheifele added. “I'm proud of the way I've played all season. I think I've probably played the best hockey I've ever played in my career.”The Jets have been lousy this season, but the line of Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi (who, himself, would have been a better choice than a couple of the players who did make Team Canada) have been brilliant.Doug Armstrong and Hockey Canada appear to have built a team that would be remarkably successful over an 82-game NHL slog. In a short, fast, tournament against European and U.S. speed, this team has some serious holes.Then again, if they can win four 2-1 games, Team Canada will be just fine.

Days Later, the Scheifele Olympic Snub is Still Confusing 

<h2>Mcdavid, draisaitl do nothing but jets can't score</h2>The Winnipeg Jets still can’t score and as a result, they still can’t win.&nbsp;Monday night in front of a full-house at Canada Life Centre, the Jets outshot the visiting Edmonton Oilers 42-21 and lost 3-1.&nbsp;Winnipeg controlled every aspect of the game except the scoreboard. The puck was in Edmonton’s end most of the night, the Jets peppered Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard – a St. Paul’s Collegiate grad – with shot after shot and yet they simply couldn’t score.&nbsp;With the loss, their second straight at home and sixth in a row (three in overtime), the Jets fell to 15-18-4 and the playoffs now appear to be little more than a pipe-dream.&nbsp;On Monday, the first period was scoreless but should not have been. &nbsp;The Jets dominated and outshot the Oilers 15-9. However, this franchise that has spent so many millions of dollars on goal scorers just can’t score. They made Winnipeg netminder Calvin Pickard look like Georges Vezina himself.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pickard-sprawls-to-make-another-save.jpg">Pickard sprawls to make another save (Photo by Danny Truong)The most interesting moment was a rather drawn-out fight between two welterweights, Neal Pionk and Nugent-Hopkins. It was the fifth fight of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ 14-year NHL career.&nbsp;In the second period, the Oilers opened the scoring at the eight-minute mark when Jets defenceman Logan Stanley laid a perfect pass onto the stick of Edmonton’s Max Jones, who just happened to be standing alongside the Jets crease. Jones tucked it behind Connor Hellebuyck for his first goal of the season.&nbsp;At that point, the Jets had outshot Edmonton 19-10, but this season, Winnipeg couldn’t score on a soccer net.&nbsp;The Oilers made it 2-0 on the power play at 12:49 as former Jets’ first-round draft pick Jack Roslovic ripped a rebound for his 11th of the season. Roslovic is a player nobody in the NHL wanted, so the Oilers signed him for $1 million just after the start of the season. He has 11 goals and 19 points in just 26 games, and he’d be the Jets fifth-leading scorer today.&nbsp;Regardless, at that point, it was over. The Jets had half-a-dozen Grade A opportunities before the end of the period and either Pickard got in the way or they shot wide. Winnipeg outshot Edmonton 11-4 (the Oilers scored twice on four shots) in the second period and had outshot the Oilers 26-13 after 40 minutes, but simply could not score.&nbsp;The Jets made a game out of it at 5:46 of the third period when captain Adam Lowry banged a rebound between Pickard’s legs to make it 2-1. It was Lowry’s second goal of the season – that’s two goals in 25 games -- his first point in 11 games and his first goal since Nov. 18.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/lowry.jpg">Adam Lowry (Photo by Danny Truong)That, sadly, was as close as the Jets would get. Despite completely controlling the game, the Jets couldn’t beat Pickard and Zach Hyman scored an empty-netter at 18:37 to put a lock on it.&nbsp;The Jets outshot Edmonton 15-8 in the third period and 42-21 overall and could not win.&nbsp;Perhaps it’s time the Jets brass considered a major trade, a few outright releases or just a move to the best talent on the Manitoba Moose because this dependence on old, slow forwards just isn’t working.&nbsp;The Jets play again Wednesday night in Detroit. The game against the Red Wings begins at 5:30 p.m. CST.

Former Winnipegger Calvin Pickard shuts down the Jets as Edmonton Escapes with 3-1 Win

<h2>THis was a Game the Jets should have won</h2>The Winnipeg Jets were 22 seconds away from perhaps turning around this disappointing season.&nbsp;But a power play goal by Mats Zuccarello at 19:38 of the third period sent a game the Jets should have won in regulation time into OT.&nbsp;And just 39 seconds into the overtime, Matt Boldy ripped a shot from between the circles past Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck and the Minnesota Wild stole a 4-3 victory -- and just might have buried the Jets 2025-26 season.&nbsp;With the loss, the Jets fell to 15-17-4 and are now five points away from the final Wild Card spot in the West. However, this was a loss that stung. The Jets played well, they were the better team all night and yet, as it has gone far too often this season, they were on the losing side of a tight game.&nbsp;Even though the No. 1 line was outstanding once again – Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist and Gabriel Vilardi had two assists -- the Jets once again got nothing much from the other three lines.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/connor-1.jpg">Kyle Connor was congratulated by the fans for scoring his 30th career goal (Photo by Rusty Barton)&nbsp;And when you consider Minnesota had two power plays in the final six minutes and the Jets had two goals disallowed – one that would have made the score 4-2 Winnipeg with 22 seconds remaining – it’s easy to come to the conclusion that this just isn’t Winnipeg’s year.&nbsp;The Jets should have taken a 1-0 lead at 9:23 of the opening period when Gustav Nyquist went coast to coast and beat Minnesota netminder Jesper Wallstedt on the short side. But when Nyquist undressed Quinn Hughes at the Wild blueline, Nino Neiderreiter was offside. The goal was disallowed.&nbsp;The Jets finally scored the first goal at 11:36 of when Kyle Connor fed Josh Morrissey, who skated into the slot and unleashed a lazer under the bar that Wallstedt didn’t see until it came back out of the net. It was Morrissey’s sixth goal of the season as Connor and Gabriel Vilardi drew the assists.&nbsp;Shortly after the Jets scored, Logan Stanley and Jake Middleton played some old-time hockey. Stanley landed plenty of punches early, Middleton came back and the fight ended when Stanley fell on top of the big Wild defenceman. Both sat for five.&nbsp;But Minnesota tied it at 18:29 when the Jets’ hopelessly slow second line couldn’t get the puck out of its own end and eventually a seemingly meaningless shot from the side boards by Kiril Kaprisov was tipped by Matt Boldy and past Connor Hellebuyck.&nbsp;The Jets completely dominated the first period, outshot Minnesota 10-4, had three or four glorious scoring opportunities, won 63 per cent of the faceoffs and yet left the ice for the first intermission deadlocked at one.&nbsp;In the second period, the Wild took a 2-1 lead at 7:33 when Kaprisov walked around Dylan DeMelo, went in alone on Hellebuyck and beat the Jets netminder with a nifty move to the backhand. It was Kaprisov’s 21st of the season.&nbsp;The Jets battled back and tied the game at 17:40 when Mark Scheifele stole a Minnesota pass in the Jets zone, got the puck up to Vilardi who dragged the puck and a Wild defenceman behind the Minnesota net. Vilardi dished the puck back to Scheifele who fed a wide-open Kyle Connor in front and Connor made no mistake. He ripped it past Wallstedt for his 18th of the season. Vilardi (17) and Scheifele (27) earned the assists.&nbsp;Then came a bit of a miracle. With five second left in the period, Jonathan Toews won a faceoff in the Minnesota zone. The puck wound up on Scheifele’s stick and the Jets leading scorer skated to the front of the net and fired a shot past Wallstedt with just two seconds remaining in the period. It was Scheifele’s 18th goal of the season and Toews seventh assist. It also sent the teams into the second intermission with Winnipeg on top 3-2.&nbsp;The Jets were the better team once again, outshooting the Wild 9-6. Interestingly, after two periods, the Jets had outshot Minnesota 19-11 and had also hit an unbelievable five posts behind Wallstedt.&nbsp;In the third period, referees Pierre Lambert and Peter MacDougall must have been working their <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://bet365.com">bet365.com</a> betting apps because they did everything humanly possible to give Minnesota the game. And they ultimately succeeded.&nbsp;They called a penalty for slashing on Logan Stanley at 13:36 even though Stanley barely made contact with Vinnie Hinostroza who yelled at the official and convinced him to raise his arm.&nbsp;The Jets fought off that penalty, but they couldn’t fight off the next one. With 30 seconds remaining and the puck in the Minnesota zone, Dylan DeMelo was called for cross-checking behind the play. The official blew his whistle when Connor stole the puck from Quinn Hughes and scored an empty net goal. The goal was disallowed and the Jets were left a man short.&nbsp;With six attackers to four, Mats Zuccarello scored just eight seconds into the power play. That set up overtime and Boldy scored the winner just 39 seconds into extra time.&nbsp;The Jets outshot Minnesota 26-19 on the night, but stats didn’t matter in this one. Penalties were all that mattered and the Wild’s big power play goal with 22 seconds remaining was perhaps, the end of the line for the Jets season.&nbsp;Winnipeg plays again on Monday night at Canada Life Centre. The Edmonton Oilers come to town for a 7 p.m. start. Every game is a must-win for the Jets now.&nbsp;

Jets Snatch Defeat from the Hands of Victory, Falling 4-3 to Minnesota

<h2>WITH 3-2 OT LOSS Jets fall to 1-3-1 in last five games</h2>Just when you think you have it in the bag…&nbsp;Monday night at Canada Life Centre, the Winnipeg Jets held a 2-1 advantage over the Ottawa Senators with 1:54 left to play in the third period.That’s when Jake Sanderson scored to tie the game at two and then Brady Tkachuk won it at 2:11 of overtime as the Senators knocked off the Jets 3-2 in front of 13,566 at the downtown rink.It was an unfortunate loss for the Jets who started slowly, got hot for the final two periods but let it slip away at the end. Once again, a team that has spent multi-millions of dollars on goal scorers, didn’t get enough scoring.“That’s a game we should have won,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel. “At the end of the day, these are the games you've got to learn to win. We have to find a way, whatever way that is. If that's making the next play so that it gets out of the zone, if that's blocking a shot, whatever it is, those are the things we need to do. We need two points, not one point. We need points bad."The OT loss dropped the Jets to 15-15-2 on the season, three points out of the final Wild Card spot in the West. The Senators’ victory pushed Ottawa to 15-3-4, four points back of Boston for the final Wild Card berth in the East.The best player on the ice was Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle who, of course, set up Tkachuk with the overtime winner, a wrist shot from the right circle that went over Connor Hellebuyck’s glove.After a scoreless first period, Ottawa opened the scoring at 10:47 of the second on a goal by Nick Cousins, but the Jets bounced back later in the period as Neal Pionk scored from Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti at 15:37 to tie it. Connor’s assist extended his point streak to nine games. He has four goals and 13 points in that stretch.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/connor.jpg">&nbsp;Connor's assist extends points streak to nine (Photo by James Carey Lauder)The Jets took the lead less than three minutes later when Logan Stanley notched his sixth of the year from Morgan Barron and Gabriel Vilardi at 18:35.“We did a lot of good things tonight,” said Stanley, who is having a solid season on the Jets blueline. “Their goalie made some great saves. Mistakes are going to happen in a game, and two of them ended up in the back of our net. That’s been a theme for us, but this was a game that I think we should have won.”Stanley’s goal gave the Jets a 2-1 lead that held up until Stutzle set up Sanderson on a two-on-one with just 1:06 left to play in regulation.The Senators outshot the Jets 31-25 (4-1 in overtime), but Ottawa had outshot the Jets 17-9 by the time they scored the first goal of the game. Winnipeg played well enough to win down the stretch, but simply couldn’t hold the fort.Linus Ullmark made 23 saves to record the win while Hellebuyck made 28 stops and took the loss. He’s 1-0-1 since his return from knee surgery. The Jets are a shaky 1-3-1 in their last five (four of them at home).The Jets play again on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in St. Louis.

Jets Can't Hold 2-1 Lead, Lose 3-2 to Ottawa in Overtime

<h2>Jets pound capitals as hellebuyck returns to the net</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets are back in business.On Saturday, fans gathered at Canada Life Centre were treated to one of the first 'complete' Jets games of the season, from start to finish.Scoring five goals - two in the first period, another two in the second and one more in the third - Winnipeg picked up a 5-1 win over Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, improving to an even 15-15-1 on the season.Part of that revitalization? The return of Connor Hellebuyck after a three-week, 11-game (2-8-1) absence, and game No. 1,000 for Nino Niederreiter.Both players performed well, with Hellebuyck taking the cake. He turned aside all but one of the shots he faced - a power play marker late in the third period on a Capitals' five-on-three - and picked up a critical win in test No. 3 of a four-game homestand.The Jets received two goals from Gabe Vilardi, while Morgan Barron, Alex Iafallo and Logan Stanley also found the twine on the night.The win brought Winnipeg back to .500 on the season and the team will get right back at it on Monday night against Ottawa.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999971980322501104">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999971980322501104</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999986428512780618">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999986428512780618</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999987083956637946">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999987083956637946</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999997979072377170">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999997979072377170</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999999315306254517">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1999999315306254517</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000003357898080662">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000003357898080662</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000006254341529854">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000006254341529854</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000006837148750313">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000006837148750313</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000041091953746095">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000041091953746095</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000042695666847797">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2000042695666847797</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Saturday's game vs. Washington is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04481.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04441.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04376.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07485.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04633.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04532.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04556.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04940.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Connor Hellebuyck on his return to play:“I said Day 1 that it was going to take me three weeks. I know I’ve got a great team around me and I know how hard I was going to work. It was a lot of hours and a lot of dialling some things in and making sure I didn’t take any steps back. Every day I was taking big steps forward. I felt like I started ahead of schedule already, so like I said it was just a great job from everyone involved and I am very grateful to have them in my bubble.”Nino Niederreiter on his team's play:"Tonight is definitely the way we need to play for 60 minutes and for more than one game. That is something in which we gotta do and obviously Monday is another big day for us, and we have to make sure we play some great hockey until Christmas."WHAT’S NEXT:Next up for Winnipeg is the final test of the four-game homestand, as the Ottawa Senators roll into town for a Monday night affair at Canada Life Centre. It is an Amazon Prime game, so those wanting to view it live will need to get down to the arena or upgrade their subscription plans.

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