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It was St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday, as you know, but it would be difficult to suggest that a lot of Irish eyes were smiling on the Winnipeg Jets that night.
In a crucial contest that concluded a season-high, eight-game homestand against the team – the Nashville Predators – just above them in the standings, the Jets suffered their 11th extra time loss and slipped one point further back of fifth in their division.
Now of course, the out-of-town scoreboard was a little more kind and the Jets actually made up ground on Seattle – the team they’re currently chasing for the final wild card berth in the Western Conference and now sit four points back of.
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But for a club that is as close to must-win territory every night, not securing the extra point and dropping a one-goal decision at home was another staggering body blow, especially since they hit three goalposts in the game, including when Kyle Connor cracked the bar to end it in a shootout.
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As a result, instead of being just two wins away from a playoff spot, by not gaining the additional point on Tuesday, they’re now three wins away. In other words to eliminate tie-breaker scenarios, the Jets will need to make up three more wins on those ahead of them in the standings.
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And with only 15 games remaining on their regular-season schedule and 10 of those on the road starting Thursday, their sprinter’s kick to the finish line will be anything but linear.
But to their credit, the Jets have been on this type of path since mid-January and if they’re able to piece together a solid road trip out east starting, ironically, just a few days removed from St. Patrick’s Day in Boston of all places, then perhaps with a little luck, the Jets might actually find those Irish eyes smiling on them after all.
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