Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers

Note: The Jets needed to end their road trip with a victory in Columbus against a Blue Jackets team that also desperately needed two points for their playoff push. In the end the Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor duo proved to be the difference powering the visitors to a 2-1 victory. The team is off today.

Note II: The Moose were looking to bounce back against a Griffins team that doubled them up on Friday but it was even worse on Saturday when they two teams met in a re-match. Things started off strong for the home team but they were unable to score on those chances which proved problematic as the visitors did just that. The teams exchanged goals early in the 2nd as every time it looked like Manitoba would get into the game, Grand Rapids had an answer. They would go on to win the game 7-2. The good news for the home team is the out-of-town scoreboard proved helpful. They are off today.

Note III: Jets prospect Kieron Walton (2024 6th) looked like he had completed the comeback for Peterborough from a 3-1 deficit to a 4-3 lead with 4:41 left in 3rd with his third goal of the playoffs in a must-win Game 6 but North Bay tied the game with six seconds left and won it in double OT. That ended Walton’s season and likely his junior career. He is expected to join the Moose as he did last season. That means two prospects (Kevin He & Edison Engle) will advance in the OHL playoffs while two (Walton & Jacob Cloutier) will not.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Sun: Connor’s brace powers the Jets passed the Blue Jackets. That was the only result that could have kept their post-season aspirations alive.

Winnipeg Free Press: Big guns on target for Jets in Columbus. (Paywall). Winnipeg needed them to deliver and that’s what they did in a must-win game.

The Athletic Columbus: Blue Jackets hold players-only meeting as downward spiral continues. (Paywall). That loss really hurt the playoff odds, especially when the teams around them lost.

Columbus Post-Dispatch: Blue Jackets lose sixth straight game. Insight into the game from a writer that covers the Jets opponent. 

The Athletic Winnipeg: What if the Jets were ruthless? Reimagining 10 of the team’s most important moves. (Paywall). That is one big old ‘what if’. 

Jets video:

Sportsnet: Connor credits defensive effort for Jets’ close win over Blue Jackets. Kyle Connor joins Sean Reynolds to discuss the Jets’ close win against the Blue Jackets, how he and Mark Scheifele took over in the second period, the Jets’ defence after only allowing 15 shots on the night, and the team’s mindset moving forward.

Jets audio:

Illegal Curve Hockey Show: Saturday Podcast. We spent two hours on yesterday’s show discussing all things relevant to the NHL club of Winnipeg, took a look at what’s doing with the AHL club of Manitoba and touched on the prospects playing playoff hockey.