no white out this year
The Winnipeg Jets 2025-26 season is over, and it did not go out with a bang. In fact, it went out with such a whimper, it was barely audible.
Thursday night at Canada Life Centre in front of 15,225 paying customers – many of whom left after the second period – the San Jose Sharks blasted the Jets 6-1.
With an exclamation point, there will not be a White Out this April.
Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks 19-year-old superstar, was the story of the night, scoring a goal and adding two assists to finish the season with 115 points, breaking Joe Thormton’s Sharks record of 114 points set in the 2006-07 season.
Meanwhile, the Jets finished the 2025-26 campaign with a record of 35-35-12, having lost their final four games by scores of 7-1 to Philadelphia, 6-2 to Vegas, 5-3 to Utah and 6-1 to San Jose. It was a sad way to finish an already disappointing year, but it did secure one thing – a Top 10 selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Despite scoring first, this was a disappointing evening for the Jets. When patrons start leaving the building early on Fan Appreciation Night, you know it wasn’t the outcome that anyone had planned.
The Jets opened the scoring at the 3:28 mark of the first period when Cole Koepke turned on the burners, blew past the entire Sharks team and beat San Jose netminder Alex Nedeljovic with a big shot to the corner. It was Koepke’s eight of the year and was unassisted.
However, even though the Jets outplayed the visitors and outshot them 12-7 in the first period, San Jose got goals from Igor Chernyshov (on the power play) at 6:26 and Will Smith at 16:54 as Eric Comrie was out of position on both shots. Celebrini assisted on both goals – his 69th and 70th assists of the season.
The Jets had a handful of great chances but either shot wide, shot it over the net or made ill-advised when a shot was more appropriate. The problems that have tarnished the Jets offence all year long were certainly evident in the first period of the final game of the season.
San Jose made it 3-1 at 5:51 when Collin Graf was allowed to walk in to the Jets zone unchallenged, cut across the middle (again unchallenged) and rip a wrister past Comrie. The goal came right after the Jets Gabriel Vilardi hit the post and at this stage of the period, San Jose had outshot Winnipeg 8-1. It started to appear as if the Jets were now playing for a higher draft pick. In fact, a loss and the Jets will get the seventh pick in the draft.
The nail was put into the coffin for the season when Michael Misa scored for the Sharks at 18:01 of the second frame. There was little doubt the play was offside but the Jets bench didn’t even bother to look at their screens in order to challenge. It was over and everyone knew it.
William Eklund scored at 19:55 of the second just to rub a little salt in the Jets wounds. It was absolutely ugly at this stage.
At 1:14 of the third period, Celebrini scored for the Sharks to make it 6-1 and, thus, break Thornton’s record. It was his 45th goal of the season and while his team failed to make the playoffs, his personal performance during the 2025-26 campaign was superb.
In the end, San Jose outshot Winnipeg 33-26 and outhit the Jets 15-10. Sad to say, but the Jets looked ready to dust off the golf clubs and forget thus season ever happened.
Winnipeg needs to make some significant moves this off-season. Hard to imagine we’ll recognize this team next September.
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