So it’s looking like it will be a 24-team tournament for the right to lift Lord Stanley’s mug. That’s going to be, well, different.

Hockey is a sport that has a lot of traditionalists. Actually, all sports have a solid following of traditionalists. Ones that say, “We can’t change anything because this is the way it’s always been”.

I get this argument. How can you compare generation to generation, or even year to year, if the game has changed? People will always try, even if it is impossible to do.

But this year is going to be different. It’s going to be different because 2020 has been different.

In a certain way, isn’t that kind of poetic? In a bizarre year when the economy has been turned on its head, people have been barricaded in their homes, and the unthinkable has occurred, why wouldn’t we turn the sports world on its head and uproot everything we thought was set in stone?

Yes. In the words of Larry the Enticer, sometimes, “You just gotta send it”.

But what will this do for the future? Is change going to be the new normal? After making a league-altering change like this, is it going to be easier to make changes on the fly in the future?

Or will this allow the league to set some rules on this topic? What if this isn’t the last global pandemic we see in our lifetime? It would be great to know that the league has planned for something like this should it happen again, thus averting some chaos.

I can’t see the league changing the rules on the fly again, but it’s worth the conversation to say how easy or difficult changing on the fly really is.

Hey, it’s 2020. Chaos is our normal for the time-being. But let’s not make chaos our normal for the long run. If it has to get us through the year, then great. Maybe a 24-team playoff is what we need this year to get our postseason fix. But after that, let’s right the ship and get back to normal.

Speaking of going back to normal, I get that divisional battles and rivalries are fun, but does anyone else want to see the teams seeded No. 1 to 8 conference-wide for the playoffs?

Craig's Corner: The New Normal?

<h2>Jets can't score, drop second straight game</h2>All streaks are meant to end. The Winnipeg Jets’ nine-game winning streak against the Minnesota Wild ended with a thud on Sunday afternoon.&nbsp;The red-hot Wild came to town on Sunday and shut out the Jets 3-0 as Winnipeg couldn’t solve the mystery of Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. Meanwhile, the Wild had no trouble beating Jets goalie Eric Comrie by shooting the puck high and often to the short side.&nbsp;It was the third time this season the Jets have been shut out – twice on home ice.&nbsp;Winnipeg has now lost two straight games, both at home, and will head out on a five-game road trip that could make or break the season. That’s right, it’s only November and the Jets could find themselves in big trouble if they don’t have a better trip this time. The six-game trip they took in early November resulted in a 2-4 record and dropped them from first to third in the Division. Losing two out of three on this homestand left the Jets at 12-9-0 and out of a playoff position for the first time in two years.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08380.jpg">Mark Scheifele and the Jets couldn't beat Jesper Wallstedt (Photo by Scott Stroh)The Wild, meanwhile, now have points in eight straight games and 10 in their last 11.&nbsp;All in all, for Winnipeg, Sunday afternoon’s whitewashing was an ugly loss.Granted, it didn’t help that the Jets lost defenceman Neal Pionk to a lower body injury after his first shift. That left Winnipeg with five D-men for almost the entire game.&nbsp;On top of that, this isn’t the same team with Connor Hellebuyck out for four-to-six weeks.&nbsp;The Jets played a solid first period, outshot the Wild 9-7 and yet couldn’t find a way to beat Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt. The period finished 0-0 and the fans appeared quite happy to head out for a beer.&nbsp;In the second period, the Jets were the better team and had the most chances, but the Wild took advantage of the two good ones they had.&nbsp;Minnesota’s Danila Yurov scored his third of the year to open the scoring at 8:23 of the second period as he took a pass from Yakov Trenin and beat Eric Comrie to the short side. Winnipeg defenceman Logan Stanley lost the puck to Trenin behind the net and then was caught flat-footed as Yurov whipped it past Comrie.&nbsp;Minnesota put the game away at 18:12 of the second period with the Jets on the power play. The Wild’s Marcus Johansson picked up a loose puck in his own zone skated into Jets territory and fed a perfect pass onto the stick of Brock Faber who beat Comrie bar-down. It was a beautiful shot, giving Faber his fifth of the season, and giving the Wild a 2-0 lead against a team that was not only struggling to score, but didn’t seem to have a chance against Wallstedt.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc05003.jpg">Jets captain Adam Lowry takes a shot at Minnesota's Marcus Foligno (Scott Stroh)In fact, Adam Lowry pounding on Marcus Foligno during a brief fight was the only bright spot for the Jets in the second period.&nbsp;At the 6:29 mark of the third period, the Wild made it 3-0 as Kiril Kaprisov scored his 13th of the year with a high shot to the short side. Comrie didn’t have a chance on the shot that went up over his shoulder and off the roof of the cage. It was a true goalscorer’s goal and it put a wrap on the proceedings.&nbsp;Winnipeg outshot Minnesota 32-29 and won 57.1 percent of the faceoffs. The Jets had plenty of scoring chances – they were zero-for-four on the power play -- but either they were gripping their sticks a little too tightly or Wallstedt was simply on top of the proceedings. The Minnesota goaltender was superb. &nbsp;&nbsp;The Jets play again on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C. Game time is 6 p.m. on Sportsnet West.

Minnesota Beats Winnipeg 3-0 as Jets Shut Out for Third Time this Season

<h2>Jets Fall 4-3 to Canes in ehlers' return</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets fell to 12-8-0 on the season with a 4-3 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.A sellout crowd of 15,225 took in the return of Nikolaj Ehlers, who signed a big contract in Raleigh this offseason after 10 years in Manitoba. He picked up the primary assist on the Hurricanes' game-winning, power play goal, as he set up Andrei Svechnikov for a cross-ice one-timer to give Carolina a 4-2 lead.Winnipeg responded back with Gabe Vilardi's second goal of the game, but ultimately came up short with Eric Comrie on the bench and running a six-on-four man advantage as time ticked down. Josh Morrissey had the other goal for Winnipeg, to which he extended his defensive point scoring streak to a franchise record-tying seven games (Dustin Byfuglien), and is now up to 11 points in his last seven outings. Comrie managed 24 saves on the 28 pucks fired his way, and will need to be better as he will get the bulk of the work going forward, with Connor Hellebuyck on the shelf after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery for a minor ailment that will sideline the reigning Hart and back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner four-to-six weeks.Next up is the final test of the three-game homestand, as the Minnesota Wild roll into town on Sunday afternoon. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992039975349871078">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992039975349871078</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992041655420289531">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992041655420289531</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992043747933348239">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992043747933348239</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992046844302803146">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1992046844302803146</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Friday's game vs. Carolina is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06227.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06239-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06095.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06716.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06771.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06406.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06480.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06568.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06597.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03998.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03993.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03959.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04098.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04089.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04098.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04134.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06834.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04221.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Gabe Vilardi on what went wrong vs. Carolina:“I don’t know if it’s what they did, I think it’s more about what we didn’t do. I think we know they play an aggressive style. We knew that coming in, obviously. I think we made a few too many mistakes at our blue line, at their blue line, just kind of feeding their transition.”Scott Arniel on the Hurricanes' transitional play:"Yeah. They're quick to go in the opposite direction, whether you turn the puck over in the offensive zone or coming through the neutral zone. They counter quick and they go the other way. I don't think it all turned into offence. It just turned into a lot more zone time than pure offence."WHAT’S NEXT:Next up for Winnipeg is a Sunday afternoon test against Minnesota before the Jets hit the road once again for a stretch of five games. Sunday's Central Division matchup will get underway at 3:00 PM central time.

Game On Game Recap: Winnipeg Jets 3 Carolina Hurricanes 4

<h2>Lowry, Morrissey, Scheifele, Comrie Lead Jets past jackets</h2>You could say it was surgical.&nbsp;Captain Adam Lowry scored his first goal of the season, leading scorer Mark Scheifele had three assists, Eric Comrie picked up his fourth win and the Winnipeg Jets won every statistical category that mattered as they pounded the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Tuesday night.&nbsp;It was Filipino Heritage Night at Canada Life Centre and the crowd was treated to one of the best performances by the Jets this season. In fact, there was absolutely nothing to criticize. The Jets simply did everything well and were rewarded with a convincing victory.&nbsp;“It’s nice, since I’ve been back, to get the first one at home,” said Lowry. “Offensively we were better tonight, but for us it starts in our end and the defence did a great job.”&nbsp;The Jets opened the scoring at 7:35 of the first period when Lowry took a slick pass from Nino Niederreiter and drilled a shot past Blue Jackets’ netminder Elvis Merzlikins from just outside the crease. It was Lowry’s first of the year in just his seventh game of the season since returning from hop surgery. Niederreiter and Neal Pionk picked up the assists.&nbsp;Columbus tied it at 18:27 of the opening frame when Brandon-born Damon Severson flipped the puck out of his own zone and Miles Wood outskated Dylan DeMelo for the puck, went in alone on Comrie and beat the Jets goaltender through the five-hole. Goalie Merzlikins picked up the other assist, his first point of the season and the sixth point of his seven-year NHL career.&nbsp;The teams went to the intermission tied at one. Both teams had 11 shots on goal.&nbsp;In the second period, Winnipeg took the lead at 1:12 as Mark Scheifele was sent away by Kyle Connor, streaked down the right wing and fired a hard pass across the Columbus crease right onto the stick of Josh Morrissey who tapped it into the wide-open net. It was Morrissey’s fourth goal of the season while Scheifele picked up his 14th assist while Connor garnered his 13th.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a0904go.jpg">Morrissey scores (Photo by Scott Stroh)The Jets went ahead 3-1 on the power play at 15:30 of the second period as Neal Pionk took a pass from Gustav Nyquist and fired a laser from 35-feet out that Merzlikins did not see. It was Pionk’s first of the season as Nyquist and Niederreiter picked up the helpers.&nbsp;The Jets outshot Columbus 8-4 in the second period (19-15 overall) and were much the better team in what was a rather pedestrian 20 minutes of hockey.&nbsp;However, in the third period, the action got hot and heavy early.&nbsp;Winnipeg made it 4-1 at 2:45 when Scheifele fed a pass to Connor at the Columbus blueline and Connor went wide on Blue Jackets defenceman Dante Fabbro. Almost at the goal-line and at an odd angle, Connor ripped a high-shot off the mask of Merzlikins and under the bar on the short side. It was Connor’s 11th of the year as Scheifele picked up his 15th assist of the year and Morrissey recorded his 17th.&nbsp;Columbus made it 4-2 on a goal by Zach Werenski at 4:04 and then Logan Stanley restored the three-goal Jets’ lead with a blistering slapshot high to the glove side of the Jackets’ netminder at 6:23. Scheifele picked up his third assist of the night while Luke Shenn was credited with his second assist and second point of the season.&nbsp;From that point on, the Jets played shut-down D, won most of the battles in the dirty parts of the rink and let Comrie pick up his fourth win in five starts this season. It was as close to a perfect hockey game as the Jets could play.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a1712go.jpg">Scheifele has three assists (Photo by Scott Stroh)&nbsp;The three stars were 1. Schiefele, 2. Lowry and 3. Morrissey. Pretty simple choices. Winnipeg outshot Columbus 30-22 (11-7 in the third), outhit the Jackets 14-12 and won 56.5 percent of the faceoffs.&nbsp;The 12-7-0 Jets play again on Friday night as Seth Jarvis and the Carolina Hurricanes come to town for a 7 p.m. start.

Jets Play a Near Perfect Game, Pounding the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 

<h2>Lambert scores his first NHL Goal as the Jets beat the penguins 5-2</h2>For the Winnipeg Jets, it was another near-masterpiece.&nbsp;Gabriel Vilardi scored just 15 seconds into the game, Brad Lambert scored his first NHL goal and Kyle Connor had the first penalty-shot goal of his career as the Jets started early and never let their collective foot off the proverbial gas.&nbsp;As a result, the Jets whipped the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Canada Life Centre as Kyle Connor scored twice and Eric Comrie won his second straight start.&nbsp;With the win, the Jets third in a row, Winnipeg moved into first place in the Western Conference with a 9-3-0 record. Vilardi finished with a goal and an assist while Mark Scheifele added a pair of assists as the Jets big line contributed six points to the victory.&nbsp;It was another impressive victory for the Jets who were a tad shaky last week at home, losing two-of-three. But after beating the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in overtime in St. Paul to start the week, the Jets demolished the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 on Thursday night at home and were just as good on Saturday against a Pittsburgh team that was red-hot and is still in first place in the East.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Comrie had another great outing, allowing Connor Hellebuyck a bit of a rest before the Jets upcoming six-game road trip. The backup is now 2-0-0 on the season with a 2.33 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. &nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09137.jpg">Eric Comrie“All three of Comrie’s games have been really, really good,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “He’s going to play a lot more games this season and it’s good to see him playing the way he has.”&nbsp;Vilardi got it all started as the Jets rushed into the Pittsburgh zone to start the game. After Scheifele had a chance to score, Vilardi picked up the puck behind the Penguins net and banked it off goaltender Arturs Silovs skate for his fifth of the season. Josh Morrissey and Scheifele each picked up an assist, their 10th assists each this season.&nbsp;At 2:43, the Jets made it 2-0 as Brad Lambert took a pass from Parker Ford on the Pittsburgh doorstep and made no mistake to record his first NHL goal. Ford and Cole Koepke picked up the assists as the Jets took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.&nbsp;“Obviously I’ve been dreaming about that moment, back to when I was playing road hockey as a kid,” Lambert said, when asked about his first NHL goal. “It’s pretty special.”<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/brad-lambert's-first-nhl-goal.jpg">&nbsp;Lambert's First NHL GoalAt 1:17 of the second period, Vladislav Namestnikov scored his sixth of the campaign as he tipped home a perfect crossing pass from Jonathan Toews. Alex Iafallo also earned an assist while Toews picked up his fifth helper of the young season.&nbsp;Winnipeg made it 4-0 at 12:13 of the period on a very strange play. Silovs lost the puck behind his own net, Connor picked it up and just as he was going to deposit the puck into the empty net. Silovs threw his stick at the puck and knocked it across the crease and out of harms’ way. That resulted in a penalty shot and Connor made no mistake, deking Silovs out if position and flipping the puck over the sprawling goaltender and into the back of the net. It was Connor’s seventh goal of the year, and the first penalty shot goal of his career.&nbsp;“I kind of didn’t know what was going on,” said Connor, admitting it was the first time a goaltender had ever thrown a stick at him. “Missing an open net was going through my mind. I actually didn’t know the rule. They were discussing whether it was a goal or a penalty and I didn’t really expect a penalty shot. It’s nice to get another shot at it with the penalty shot.”&nbsp;Pittsburgh got back into it with 11 seconds to go in the period as Sidney Crosby scored his ninth of the year to make it 4-1 and then, at the 10:27 mark of the third, Blake Lizotte banged home a loose puck in the Jets crease to make it interesting at 4-2 as The Pas’ Connor Dewar picked up an assist.&nbsp;However, at 18:39, with Pittsburgh’s net empty, Scheifele got the puck to Vilardi who put it on Connor’s stick and the Jets veteran fired it from centre ice into the gaping cage to make it 5-2. Connor’s eighth of the year put the cork in the bottle as the Jets recorded their ninth win in 12 outings.&nbsp;Winnipeg outshot Pittsburgh 34-30 and outhit the visitors 29-18. Pittsburgh 54.2 per cent of the faceoffs. The Penguins went one-for-two on the power play while the Jets were zero-for-three.&nbsp;The Jets, who are 4-0-0 away from home this season, will now head out on a six-game road trip that starts Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The Game begins at 9:30 p.m. and can be seen on TSN3.

Connor scores twice and Comrie gets the win as Winnipeg whips Pittsburgh 5-2

<h2>Jets dismantle blackhawks in toews' first game vs. Chicago</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets have moved to 8-3-0 with a dominant 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday evening.The game was the first of two home contests before the Jets hit the road for a season-high six-game stretch through the wild west. Mark Scheifele, Gabe Vilardi and Kyle Connor each put up three points on the night, highlighted by Vilardi's two-goal outing. Winnipeg lost winger Gustav Nyquist midway through the first period on a battle play head coach Scott Arniel said "tweaked something" on his first-year Jet forward.Connor Hellebuyck made 21 stops on the 24 pucks sent his way, while Chicago's Spencer Knight did not look good, as he allowed six goals on 33 shots on net. The game marked the first of Jonathan Toews' career against the Blackhawks - the team he captained from 2008-23. He wasn't involved much in the offence, but did muster up one assist on Josh Morrissey's first goal of the season. Next up is a test with Sidney Crosby and the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 2:00 PM central time. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1984059761315512501">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1984059761315512501</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1984067279731224585">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1984067279731224585</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1984069928664887576">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1984069928664887576</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Thursday's game vs. Chicago is courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00067.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09937.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3732.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a7223go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a6063go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00873.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a5907go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3714.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08428.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a8673go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a8434go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/b00b18d7-142b-4828-b330-c9258175ef56.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01112.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3719.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9595go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a9466go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a7761go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a0388go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1h0a0312go.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Scott Arniel on Winnipeg's overall game:“Yeah, that was a real good game. I thought that, there's little things that happen over the course of a game, I don't know if there ever is a perfect 60, but that was one of our best of the year. I liked a lot of what we did, whether that was our coverage, whether than was our breakouts. I thought we were really good on our breakouts. They're a quick, young team and I thought we did a good job, for the most part, trying to stay over top of them and slow them down and, obviously, we capitalized on all our chances.”Gabe Vilardi on his vantage point for Kyle Connor's backhand goal:“It was a nasty view, I’ll tell you that. It was a pretty cool goal to see from there. I was just trying to make a wall - throw it back door, and maybe it hits me and goes in, but he did a nice play, that was nice.” WHAT’S NEXT:Next up for Winnipeg is a Saturday afternoon matinee with Pittsburgh. The Jets will then take off on the road for six-straight games through the midway point of November.

Game On Game Recap: Winnipeg Jets 6 Chicago Blackhawks 3

<h2>JETS APPEAR SLUGGISH AGAIN, FALL 3-2 to VISITING UTAH</h2>The Winnipeg Jets are really starting to miss Adam Lowry and Cole Perfetti.&nbsp;Once again, an anemic offence cost the Jets a game as the red-hot Utah Mammoth came to town, beat the Jets 3-2 and claimed their seventh straight victory.“We still haven’t put together a 60-minute game," head coach Scott Arniel said following the game. "For me, it’s pieces of the third. I liked a lot of what happened in the first (period), but the second was way too sloppy. Way too easy for the opposition.”The Jets, meanwhile, just lost two games in a three-game homestand after winning five in a row. This time they looked quite lethargic for the first two periods. Just as they did on Thursday night against Seattle&nbsp;The Jets are now 6-3-0 to start the season while the first-place Mammoth improved to 8-2-0. Right now, the Jets have only one line – Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor -- that can score consistently and if a team shuts it down, that team has a great chance to beat the Jets.&nbsp;On this night at Canada Life Centre, the Mammoth allowed the Jets big line to score twice, shut everyone else down and claimed another victory.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09039.jpg">“They came as advertised," defenceman Dylan DeMelo said of the Mammoth. "We knew that they have been playing really good hockey. A good up and coming team and every year they seem to get better and better. It was a tight game. It felt like we had some self-inflicted wounds that ended up costing us in the end.”The first period was a scoreless, pedestrian affair. In fact, it looked a lot like the Jets first period against Seattle on Thursday night, a game that ended with Winnipeg giving up two empty net goals to lose 3-0.&nbsp;The Jets had a half dozen of scoring chances (on two of them they shot wide) while Utah had none. Winnipeg outshot the Mammoth 8-6, but the fans didn’t rise out of the seats too often.&nbsp;In the second, the Jets got on the board quickly. Kyle Connor stole the puck in the neutral zone, carried it into the Utah zone, fed Josh Morrissey at the point who passed across to Dylan DeMelo who ripped his first goal of the season, at the 45 second mark, past Utah’s Vitek Vanecek. It was Connor’s seventh assist of the season and Morrissey’s sixth. It was also the 300th assist of Morrissey’s career.&nbsp;However, on their second d straight power play, the Mammoth tied it, as Nick Schmaltz won a faceoff, got it back to Mikhail Sergachev and he beat Connor Hellebuyck on the short side to tie the game at 10:03.&nbsp;One minute and four seconds later – on a two-on-one -- Michael Carcone took a pass from Kailer Yamamoto and beat a sprawling Hellebuyck to make it 2-1 Utah. At this stage, the Jets weren’t even in it.&nbsp;And yet, the Jets tied it on the power-play at 15:09 when Mark Scheifele scored his eighth of the season by whipping a wrister from the slot right between Vanecek’s legs. Morrissey and Gabriel Vilardi drew the assists, and this one was deadlocked after two periods.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/48d76217-aeed-4f74-b5b0-dd4bb556b470.jpg">The Mammoth outshot Winnipeg 14-7 in the second period and were up 20-15 overall. Frankly, the Jets were fortunate to be even after 40 minutes.&nbsp;In the first four minutes of the third period, Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor missed two glorious scoring opportunities, then during a four-on-four situation eight minutes into the period, Jonathan Toews, Hayden Fleury and Alex Iafallo were all foiled by Vanacek on the same rush. Those missed opportunities would come back to haunt the Jets.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_3262.jpg">&nbsp;At the 14:24 mark of the period, the Jets Hayden Fleury fell in the corner in his own end, lost the puck to J.J. Peterka, who fed Logan Cooley who fed Dylan Guenther who beat Hellebuyck on the short side once again to score what proved to be the winning goal.&nbsp;Utah outshot Winnipeg 32-27 on the evening,&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc09283.jpg">Once again, the officiating smelled like betting apps were involved, but it smells like that every night. Especially when Garrett Rank and Corey Syvret call a game. The Jets had two power plays to Utah’s four.

Jets Lethargic again, fall 3-2 to Utah Mammoth

<h2>Jets put out lowly flames in friday night showdown</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets took care of business on Friday night in a 5-3 home win over the visiting Calgary Flames. Winnipeg was the site of the second game in two nights for the Jets and middle game in a span of three games in four days.After falling to Seattle on Thursday night, Winnipeg bounced back to improve its record to 6-2-0 on the year before getting ready to take on the Utah Mammoth for the first time on Sunday evening. Josh Morrissey had three assists, while Gabe Vilardi and Mark Scheifele each had two points on the night. Winnipeg got its goals from Vilardi, Kyle Connor, Alex Iafallo, Vlad Namestnikov and Jonathan Toews, who scored his first goal at home while playing for his hometown team. Calgary responded with three tallies, but it wasn't enough, as Namestnikov put the cherry on top with an empty-netter as time ticked down.Six-foot-seven Logan Stanley fought six-foot-eight Adam Klapka at centre ice in one of the largest fights ever, while Eric Comrie picked up his second win of the season as he gave Connor Hellebuyck a day off in advance of Sunday's contest vs. Utah.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981875888649298280">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981875888649298280</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981879584275730488">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981879584275730488</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981893806158233610">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981893806158233610</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981895717733236933">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981895717733236933</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981898318046531650">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981898318046531650</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981912384005648813">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981912384005648813</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981914045621174369">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981914045621174369</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981926306721005767">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981926306721005767</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981927323973881968">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1981927323973881968</a> PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Friday's game vs. Calgary is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08415.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06969.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08468.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc08519.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07187-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07083.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06694.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07319.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07388.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Jonathan Toews on his standing ovation following his first goal of the season at home:“It’s a lot of fun to play in this building. I’ve always loved coming here in the past and it was always great energy. There are no better hockey fans in the world. It’s nice to be on the right side now and to score a goal and hear the crowd. It definitely gives you some jump out there.”Josh Morrissey on Jonathan Toews:"That's pretty awesome. I mean, I think the thing I've really noticed since the we signed him is just the love for &nbsp;him in the city and province and &nbsp;then also, as I've gotten to know him, that love is reciprocated. It was really exciting, for him to sign back here, and meant a lot for him to be coming back to Winnipeg and his home province. So, we &nbsp;knew it was a matter of time before he'd get the first one here at home. And it's pretty special, I'm sure, for him and his family, and for us to witness that as well."WHAT’S NEXT:Next up for Winnipeg is the final test of the stretch of three games in four nights, as the Utah Mammoth make their way to Canada Life Centre on Sunday.

Game On Game Recap: Winnipeg Jets 5 Calgary Flames 3

<h2>Jets shut out by joey daccord, drop to 5-2 on the season</h2>The Winnipeg Jets five-game winning streak came to an ugly end on Thursday night.&nbsp;With two empty net goals in the final two minutes of the contest, the Seattle Kraken beat the Jets 3-0 in a sleepy affair in front of 13,690 at Canada Life Centre.&nbsp;The less said about this one the better. The Jets simply laid an egg, Seattle took advantage of a surprisingly flat Winnipeg team to grab a road win against one of the hottest teams in the league. The locals will have to pick it up on Friday night when the Calgary Flames come to town."Hopefully we can be a mature group here and take what we can from that game and not get too down on ourselves for not getting on there," forward Kyle Connor said after the game.The Jets looked a tad sluggish in the first period, but they did have the best chance to score. With only seconds left on the clock, Scheifele hit the cross bar behind Seattle’s Joey Daccord, but that was it.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc05535.jpg">Seattle's Joey DaccordWinnipeg outshot Seattle 10-9 in what was a pretty pedestrian opening period.&nbsp;In the second, Seattle’s Jaden Schwartz opened the scoring at 2:28 as he banged home a loose puck in the slot. It was his third goal of the season.&nbsp;The second period ended with Seattle up 1-0 and the Jets just didn’t look like a team that was going to do much if anything on this night. Seattle outshot Winnipeg 11-8 in the second period, and really, it was a giant nothingburger.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9027.jpg">&nbsp;In the third, the Jets came out with some jump and outshot the Kraken 10-1 to start the period, but they just couldn’t solve the riddle of Joey Daccord.&nbsp;Seattle put a cork in it at 18:20 as Schwartz scored his second of the night into an empty net to give the Kraken a 2-0 lead. Jordan Eberle scored another empty-netter just 33 seconds later and the building emptied.&nbsp;Winnipeg outshot Seattle 32-28, 12-7 in the third. The Jets outhit Seattle 32-13 and won 57.4 per cent of the faceoffs, but proved once again that stats are for losers.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/img_9026.jpg">It was a disappointing loss and must be forgotten quickly. After a,,. the Calgary Flames come to town on Friday night for a 7 p.m. date. The Jets have to be better.

Jets Five-Game Winning Streak Halted by Seattle

<h2>SCHEIFELE FIRST STAR AS JETS WHIP PREDS 4-1</h2>The Winnipeg Jets are on a heater.&nbsp;Saturday night in front of a near-sellout (14,309) at Canada Life Centre, the Jets played an outstanding game and got terrific performances from Vladislav Namestnikov, Connor Hellebuyck, Jonathan Toews and Logan Stanley (yes, Logan Stanley) as they whipped the Nashville Predators 4-1.&nbsp;It was Winnipeg’s fourth straight win as the Jets improved to 4-1-0 early in the 2025-26 season, but it was also a statement game for a number of players.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02839.jpg">Mark Scheifele scored his sixth goal in five games and became the all-time leading scorer (813 points) in Jets 2.0 history, surpassing Blake Wheeler; Toews played his best game of the year, picked up two assists and appears to be shaking off the rust from two seasons out of the game; and Stanley, well Stanley was simply terrific.&nbsp;In the second period, the oft-maligned 6-foot-7 D-man easily handled big Michael McCarron in a second-period semi-fight (the penalties were assessed for “fighting,” but the semantics could be argued) and then added his second goal of the year early in the third period.&nbsp;When one considers that the three stars were Scheifele, Stanley and Hellebuyck, you get an idea what the evening was like. In all, it was a terrific Hockey Night in Canada for the Jets.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc07738.jpg">Winnipeg opened the scoring on the power-play at 2:39 of the first period as Scheifele drilled a one-timer past Juuse Saros. It was a perfect three-way passing play as Scheifele scored his sixth of the year from Kyle Connor and Alex Iafallo.&nbsp;At 10:25 the Jets made it 2-0 as Vladislav Namestnikov laid a perfect stretch pass onto the stick of Nino Niederreiter who went in alone on Saros and made a wide deke to score his second of the season. Dylan DeMelo also drew an assist.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02801.jpg">Winnipeg outshot Nashville 11-4 in the first period and pretty much dominated play.&nbsp;In the second period, Nashville outshot Winnipeg 16-4, but it was a superb period for the Jets. Yeah, I know, that sounds like an oxymoron, but when you consider the Jets started the period with three chintzy minor penalties then picked up the chintziest of all penalties late in the period, Winnipeg’s penalty-killing unit was splendid.Winnipeg started the period with Morgan Barron in the box for tripping at the 20:00 minute mark of the first period. Then Parker Ford picked up a tripping penalty at 4:40 when Michael Bunting just fell down (sometimes it pays to be a lousy skater) and then with 44 second left in Ford’s penalty, Tanner Pearson was handed an interference penalty when Nick Blankenburg just nonchalantly skated in front of Pearson then fell down.&nbsp;The Jets gave up a few shots while a man (or two) short but there were only a few good scoring chances and reigning MVP Connor Hellebuyck cleaned those up.&nbsp;At the 19:43 mark of the period, Josh Morrissey picked up the stupidest penalty in 15 seasons of Jets hockey when he was assessed a minor for playing without a helmet. Referees Kendrick Nicholson and Graham Skilliter were just making them up as they went along at this stage.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03160.jpg">To their credit, the Jets killed off all the penalties in the second period and still led 2-0 after 40 minutes.&nbsp;In the third, the Jets fought off the Morrissey penalty, then at 5:26, Logan Stanley scored his second goal of the season when he unleashed a shot clocked at 94.4 miles per hour that Saros never saw until it came flying out off the back of the net. Gustav Nyquist picked up his third assist of the season and Jonathan Toews contributed his second (NOTE: Connor McDavid has zero goals this season. Logan Stanley has two).&nbsp;The Jets played exceptional defensive hockey for the remainder of the period, but at 16:52, the second power-play unit struck. Toews laid a perfect pass onto the stick of Namestnikov who ripped it top-shelf past Saros. It was Namestnikov’s second of the year and second point of the night. Toews picked up his third assist of the year and second of the night and Niederreiter picked up his third assist of the year and second point of the night.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc03226.jpg">Sadly, Hellebuyck lost his shutout at the 18:56 mark of the third when Michael Bunting squeezed it past the reigning Vezina Trophy winner to make the final score 4-1.&nbsp;Nashville outshot Winnipeg 31-24, outhit Winnipeg 19-16 and won 58.5 per cent of the faceoffs, but amazingly they were never really in the game. It was a great night for Winnipeg, but an odd one on the statistics sheet.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc05902.jpg">&nbsp;The Jets play again Monday night in Calgary (8:30 p.m. on TSN3) and then play at home again on Thursday night as the Seattle Kraken come to town. Game time is 7 p.m.

Scheifele, Stanley, Toews and Hellebuyck Stand Out as the Jets Beat Nashville 4-1

<h2>Jets Beat KINGs at home</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets have found their first victory of the 2025-26 NHL season. After dropping their opener 5-4 to the Dallas Stars on Thursday, Winnipeg bounced back with a 3-2 home win over the visiting Los Angeles Kings in a matinee affair on Saturday. The Jets jumped ahead early on a first period power play marker before falling asleep for 19 minutes of the second period.After giving up two goals to the Kings in the middle stanza, Mark Scheifele scored with 1:03 remaining in the period to tie the game at twos.He then found the winner midway through the third period, redirecting a soft, floating point shot from Josh Morrissey, pulling Winnipeg ahead 3-2 - to which the game would end.The Jets were tested heavily once again on the penalty kill, but the four and three-men units would stand the test of time, denying all five Kings power plays, with Hellebuyck slamming the door on 29 of the 31 shots he faced. Next up is a two-game road trip out east, where the Jets will face New York on the Island on Tuesday morning before facing the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. Both games can be found on TSN. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977068596246479309">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977068596246479309</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977072614557598036">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977072614557598036</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977093058228584510">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977093058228584510</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977103441207128302">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/1977103441207128302</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Saturday game vs. Los Angeles is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00483.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00608.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00629.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc06035.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00798.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00829.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00876.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00938.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc00974.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01144.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01099.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01135.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01174.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01254.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Josh Morrissey on the game-winner:"Yeah, I think if you look at the flow of the game, we came out great. We had a great first period, second period, they got to their game. And, &nbsp;I'd say one sort of majority of that second period, and then in third it's up for grabs. And, you know, we got out there had some really good ozone shifts, kind of, I thought, started to turn momentum there. And then, we got out there with Scheif’s line, we're trying to be aggressive, trying to put the pressure on them. And, it was big, big goal at a big time in that game to kind of give us a chance to close it out and win that hockey game."Mark Scheifele on getting a better start than last game:“I don’t know actually. We weren’t happy with the last game. We know L.A. is a tough team. They make it a hard day all around. We knew we had to come out strong and we were happy with the way we started. We kind of had a little lull, but kudos to the boys for sticking with it.” WHAT’S NEXT:Next up for Winnipeg is two-game, Eastern Conference road trip through New York and Philadelphia. They will face off on the Island at 12:00 noon on Tuesday and 6:00 PM central on Thursday in Philadelphia.

Craig's Corner: The New Normal?

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