There are days on the NHL schedule that just jump out at you. For the Winnipeg Jets — and the Dallas Stars, for that matter — this is one of them.
If you combine Friday’s game at Canada Life Centre with the rematch on April 10 between these two teams, you just might figure out who will win the Central Division.
And it’s hard to imagine that after more than 1,000 NHL regular-season games, and 67 games for the Jets, the season just might be distilled down to two games, but it’s a fact.
And since last Friday’s trade deadline, the need to finish first in the Central Division has become that much more important. Winnipeg, Dallas and Colorado have all become teams in this league with a target on their backs.
With the Jets at number one in the NHL, and the Stars and Avs at three and eight, respectively, the rest of the league looks with glee at this division, knowing that one of the league’s best teams will be out of the playoffs in 10 days.
And I’ve got news for you: this is not just a Winnipeg conversation. They are having the same discussion in Dallas and Denver. In fact, they are having the same conversation in those cities because of the Jets.
You see, it’s the Jets that have set the pace. The Jets’ consistency has been the envy of the division. What Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor have done this season hasn’t been accomplished by any other line in the NHL. Connor Hellebuyck is in his own category this season. No team is this league has accomplished the winning numbers this season like the Jets have — 45 wins and a goal differential of 77. Truly remarkable.
This is not like any other Jets team of this edition of the franchise. These athletes have become the pacesetters for the entire league, and Friday is one of those nights on the schedule when they can prove they belong on that level. These are the nights that every team wants on their schedule.
A chance to prove how good you really are. And that’s what this team has always wanted: a chance. And they have put themselves in a position to prove how good this team can be. You can’t ask for anything more.
