It’s a playoff tune-up as the Winnipeg Jets play host to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
Both teams are locked into their divisional positioning heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Canucks are secure at the top of the Pacific while the Jets are set in stone in the second spot in the Central.
Winnipeg knows it holds home-ice advantage when the Jets welcome the Colorado Avalanche to town for Game 1 of their first-round series, but things remain up in the air for the Canucks.
Vancouver (50-22-9, 109 points) could play either Nashville, Los Angeles or Vegas, depending on a number of factors as third place in the Pacific and the final wild-card spot could still see some shifting. As well, if the Stars fail to earn a point Wednesday night hosting the Blues, first place in the Western Conference could be up for grabs.
“Honestly, I’m just happy the guys won the Pacific Division,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said after Tuesday’s win over Calgary that sealed the title. “The guys did a (heck) of a job all year. Let’s face it, nobody really picked us to win the division, so you’ve got to give the players a lot of credit. … I think they’re ready for the next part of this journey.”
The Canucks are also pleased to see the return of netminder Thatcher Demko.
He played Tuesday in his first game back since March 9 and looked solid, particularly in the second and third periods against the Flames.
“I feel pretty good. Definitely some stuff that I want to clean up, but I think the important thing is just getting back and seeing some game action,” said Demko after stopping 39 shots. “Getting the win was great … and clinching the division was great, so a lot of really good positives to take away.”
The Jets (51-24-6, 108 points) will head into Thursday night on a seven-game winning streak, seemingly peaking at the right time. Winnipeg is undefeated in April, outscoring its opponents 31-13.
“We kind of found ourselves an identity … this last month and shown what it takes to win,” said Jets forward Kyle Connor on how the team was able to turn a six-game winless slide at the end of March into a red-hot run.
“We took a deep look at our game and what was working and what wasn’t working … everyone looked themselves in the mirror at the point and realized we needed better from everybody.”
The Jets are taking a blue-collar approach to their final game of the season.
When asked how close he feels their game is at, Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers said, “Very close. … We got it done and that’s what’s important … no matter how close we get it’s never going to be perfect and we’ve got to keep working on our game.”
Jets winger Morgan Barron left Tuesday’s win over Seattle and did not return. He’s listed as questionable, and the team is expected to provide an update on their scrappy fourth-liner ahead of Thursday’s contest.
–Field Level Media
