Winnipeg Jets almost officially eliminated from playoff contention after a huge 7-1 loss to the Flyers

The Jets did enough to hold on for a much needed 3-2 win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. The win helped the Jets playoff odds, but earlier today the Los Angeles Kings won, putting more pressure on the Jets to keep winning. Tonight in Winnipeg, on the final Saturday game of the season the Jets hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. The Jets entered Saturday morning three points out of the 2nd wildcard spot in the Western Conference, with just four games to go. The 35-31-12 Jets took on the 40-27-12 Flyers, a team barely holding on to the 3rd place spot in the Metropolitan Division.

The Jets line combinations looked the same as last game, as Morgan Barron was ruled out for the rest of the regular season earlier today. Adam Lowry remained as the 2nd line centre. Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov stayed on the 3rd line with Brad Lambert. Isak Rosen, Jonathan Toews and Cole Koepke remained as the 4th line. No changes to the defense pairings or starting goalie tonight.

After another solid start against the Blues, Connor Hellebuyck got the start in goal. The Jets lineup still has four players out due to injuries: Elias Salomonsson, Colin Miller, Morgan Barron and Gustav Nyquist. Hellebuyck entered tonight’s game with a 23-21-11 record, a 2.74 GAA and a .899 SV% and no shutouts. The Flyers took a very early lead in the 1st period, and eventually the Flyers ran away with this game to earn these very important two points.

1st Period

Tonight’s game started with the Flyers scoring on their first good chance of the game. Travis Konecny set up Porter Martone off a rush for a snap shot that went past Hellebuyck. Martone’s 3rd of his young career gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead just 77 seconds into this very important game for both teams.

The Flyers would get the next few scoring chances after taking the lead, and they were outshooting the Jets 5-0 after almost seven minutes. Seconds later, on the Jets first scoring chance of the game, Haydn Fleury tied this game at one. Jonathan Toews set up Cole Koepke, who fired a shot from near the point, and Fleury scored on the rebound for his 2nd goal of the season.

The Flyers squashed any momentum the Jets had from tying this game by re-taking the lead less than two minutes later. Matvei Michkov scored his 18th of the season on a wrister off a Flyers rush, and just 25 seconds later Sean Couturier scored after a failed Jets breakout pass to suddenly give the Flyers a 3-1 lead.

Scott Arniel used his timeout after the Jets went down 3-1. The game settled down for the next few minutes as the Jets tried to get back in this game as soon as possible. With just under six minutes left in the 1st period, the Flyers took the first penalty of the night, sending the Jets on a powerplay. The man advantage was unsuccessful despite a few decent scoring chances.

Mark Scheifele, sitting on 99 points entering tonight’s game, took a penalty less than a minute after the Jets powerplay ended. The Flyers couldn’t extend their lead, and the Jets went into the 1st intermission down 3-1. Shots on goal after 20 minutes were 13-10 for the Flyers, who won 14/21 faceoffs and out hit the Jets 11-8.

2nd Period

The Jets understood that the 1st period was far from their best hockey, and they’d need to come out flying in the 2nd to get back in this game. Teams traded chances throughout the first 10 minutes of the 2nd, with both teams playing better defensively. With just over 8 minutes remaining in the 2nd, the Flyers made it a 4-1 game. Sean Couturier and Rasmus Ristolainen set up Sanheim for a slap shot from the point which squeaked by Hellebuyck for Sanheim’s new career high 11th goal of the season.

The Jets needed to regroup after going down three goals, but they couldn’t get a quick response. The rest of the 2nd period almost went without anymore penalties and goals, before the Jets got their 2nd powerplay of the night with 1:44 remaining. The Jets couldn’t get a timely goal, and Noah Cates scored shorthanded on a rush to give the Flyers a 5-1 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the period.

The Jets outshot the Flyers 10-7 in the 2nd period, but found themselves now down 5-1 with 20 minutes remaining. After some other out of town scores didn’t go the Jets way, a loss would now almost officially eliminate them from a chance at making the playoffs.

3rd Period

The 3rd period started with Eric Comrie in net after Hellebuyck was pulled at the end of the 2nd after allowing 5 goals on 20 shots. The Jets got the first few chances of the 3rd, but the Flyers scored on their first shot of the 3rd period with around 13 minutes remaining. A deflected pass by the Jets was picked up in front of the net by Couturier, who made a great move to the backhand before finishing his 2nd goal of the night.

The Flyers didn’t get their next shot on goal until seven minutes later, but they scored again to make it 7-1 as Comrie remained with 0 saves. After a chance from Matvei Michkov went wide, Noah Cates picked up the puck and found Nick Seeler near the faceoff dot for a snap shot that went past Comrie for his 4th goal of the season.

Two minutes later Brad Lambert took a tripping penalty, giving the Flyers a late powerplay with a massive lead. The Flyers didn’t score on the man advantage. Eric Comrie finally made his first save of the period with less than two minutes remaining, and the Jets lost this game 7-1. Shots on goal in the 3rd were 8-3 for the Jets and 28-23 overall, but Dan Vladar did well to not let the Jets get any closer in tonight’s game.

Up Next

After this final Saturday home game, the Jets will have a day off on Sunday to prepare for a crucial back to back road games on Monday and Tuesday. Their regular season schedule continues on Monday against a team close to clinching a playoff spot, the Golden Knights. Puck drop for this game will be just after 9:00 pm CDT. Stay tuned here at Jets Nation for all of the latest Jets news (including the latest playoff odds), plus previews and recaps on each Jets game this season.

PRESENTED BY PRAIRIE TOYOTA DEALERS 

The Toyota Tacoma is the ultimate power play. Its standard i-FORCE engine delivers more power than ever and a towing capacity of up to 6,400 lbs. It helps you take on challenging landscapes with confidence with its available Panoramic Multi-Terrain View Monitor that provides a live, underfloor view of the terrain you’re tackling. It even makes loading and unloading gear effortless with its available Power Liftgate. Whether it’s for early morning practice or weekend away games, the Tacoma is a teammate you can rely on. Visit your local Prairie Toyota dealer during Red Tag Days for limited-time offers.