Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/jets-werent-bad-but-for-the-biggest-game-in- franchise-history-they-needed-to-be-great-482074813.html Jets weren't bad, but for the biggest game in franchise history, they needed to be great By: Paul Wiecek The fans remaining stood stunned at the Jets 4-0 loss against the Nashville Predators after the 3rd period Monday night. We’ve got the loudest fans, we tell ourselves. We’ve got the most passionate fans, we tell ourselves. We’ve got the most patient and deserving fans, we tell ourselves. And maybe we do. But someone forgot to tell the Nashville Predators. And in the biggest game in franchise history on Monday night, the Winnipeg Jets simply didn’t. A 4-0 Predators victory in Game 6 at Bell MTS Place — the Jets second straight loss at home this series — let Nashville off the ropes and sent the series to a seventh and deciding game in Nashville Thursday night. It says something about where these two franchises are in their development curves that Nashville brought their very best game to their very biggest game, while the Jets didn’t. Down 3-2 in this series and facing elimination Monday night, the Predators — from netminder Pekka Rinne out — were superb in Game 6, looking every bit like what they are: a seasoned and experienced team that had been in plenty of games just like this one during a run to the Stanley Cup final last season. And the Jets? They also looked every bit like what they are: a young and inexperienced team that had never played in a game with this kind of magnitude. Three times in this series, the Jets have had a chance to put their foot on Nashville’s throat — in Game 2, in Game 4 and in Game 6 — and all three times they couldn’t do it. Make no mistake, the stakes were huge for the Jets Monday night: a win by Winnipeg would have eliminated the best team in the NHL during the regular season; secured Winnipeg home- ice advantage through the rest of the playoffs; and, in all likelihood, prompted bookmakers in Vegas on Tuesday morning to make Winnipeg — yes, Winnipeg! — the new favourite to win this year’s Stanley Cup. With all that on the line Monday night, the Jets wilted. Now, the Jets weren’t bad, by any means, on a night they didn’t get the breaks and the Predators did — a fluky first goal for Nashville set the tone for the night. But the Jets weren’t great, either, and on this night — and in this moment — they needed to be. To me, they looked like a team that still lacks the killer instinct, although head coach Paul Maurice specifically rejected that assertion after the game, mumbling something about how nobody would say Pittsburgh lacks killer instinct simply because they were eliminated by Washington Monday night. Well, no — nobody is saying that about the Penguins because the Penguins won the last two Stanley Cups in a row and have already demonstrated a killer instinct that would make Ted Bundy a little uncomfortable. If they handed out Stanley Cups to fans, the parade down Portage Avenue would be today. But they don’t, and so now we wait. Maurice left unexplained how anything Pittsburgh has done — or hasn’t done — is relevant to the Jets, who to this point have proven nothing more than that they are a very good regular- season team with loads of potential. What is relevant, however, is that three times in this series, the Jets have had a chance to put their foot on Nashville’s throat — in Game 2, in Game 4 and in Game 6 — and all three times they couldn’t do it. And because they couldn’t, it’s the Predators who now have a chokehold on this series, headed back to Tennessee for a Game 7 that sports history tells us the home team wins more than 75 per cent of the time. Those aren’t great odds for the Jets, but then this hasn’t been a typical series. The Jets, who had the best home record in the NHL this season and had won 12 in a row at home coming into this series, lost two out of three at home to Nashville — and would’ve lost all three were it not for a historic comeback in Game 3 that saw the Jets storm back from a 3-0 first period deficit. Meanwhile, Nashville, who had the third-best home record in the NHL during the regular season, hasn't been any better, also losing two of three at home during this series. It may be that the Jets have the Preds right where they want them in Game 7 — which is to say in Nashville’s building rather than their own. Or maybe — and it’s probably not a bad idea for this city to at least prepare itself for the possibility — this is just the ghost of Oilers past playing out in this city all over again: another great division rival standing in the way of another promising Jets team fulfilling its potential. If that turns out to be the case and the Jets' season ends prematurely Thursday night, well, you can blame it in part on Gary Bettman and a dopey playoff format that forced the second best team in the NHL this regular season — the Jets — to play the best team in the NHL this season — the Predators — in the second round of the playoffs. In no other major professional league in North America would that be allowed to happen. But then in no other major professional league in North America would a player like Brad Marchand be allowed to make the league look like a joke. But that’s an excuse. The fans in this city did for the Jets these last few weeks what every parent hopes to do for their children — create an environment that gives them the very best chance to succeed. If they handed out Stanley Cups to fans, the parade down Portage Avenue would be today. But they don’t, and so now we wait. For weeks, there has been a singular refrain in this town: Go Jets Go. Well, they’ve gone all right — to Nashville. The question now is whether they’ll keep going after Thursday. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/will-game-7-earn-jets-a-trip-to-third- round-heaven-482111883.html Will Game 7 earn Jets a trip to third-round heaven? By: Mike McIntyre You'll forgive fans around these parts if they don't quite know what to do with themselves when facing a Game 7. After all, these kind of winner-take-all battles on the ice are a rare commodity in Winnipeg. A quick look at the history books shows that Thursday night's showdown in Nashville will be just the fifth such event in Jets history. There were two in the World Hockey Association days, and two more with the original version of the NHL Jets. The last time fans experienced the drama was way back in 1992. And you have to travel back to 1977 for the first —and only — time Winnipeg came out on top. Yes, they have a 1-3 record in Game 7 history and will be in tough to improve on that as they take on the NHL's No. 1 regular- season team in Nashville. Here's a quick — and somewhat painful — reminder of how each of those previous series played out: • 1976-77: Beat the San Diego Mariners. In this first-round series, the home team won every game. And that certainly benefited the Jets as they took the elimination game by an impressive 7-3 score at Winnipeg Arena. • 1976-77: Lost to the Quebec Nordiques. The Jets were looking to win a second straight Avco Cup championship and were coming off a dominant 12-3 win in Game 6 on home ice to force the one-game battle for glory. But the Jets were promptly steamrolled on the road 8-2. • 1989-90: Lost to the Edmonton Oilers. This first-round series is best remembered as the one where the NHL Jets blew a 3-1 series lead against the mighty Oilers, who went on to capture yet another Stanley Cup that spring. Edmonton had squeaked out 4-3 victories in Game 5 at home and Game 6 in Winnipeg, then pulled away with a 4-1 win on home ice in Game 7. A crushing defeat for the Jets, who could never escape the Smythe Division and were eliminated for a sixth time by the Oilers. • 1991-92: Lost to the Vancouver Canucks. It was deja vu all over again for long-suffering Jets fans. Once again, Winnipeg raced out to a 3- 1 series lead only to fail to put the Canucks away on three different occasions. And it wasn't really close. Winnipeg was smoked 8-2 in Vancouver in Game 5, humiliated 8-3 on home ice in Game 6 and then pummelled 5-0 in Game 7 on the West Coast. ••• In terms of some more modern numbers, here's a look at a few Game 7 facts for Winnipeg and Nashville. • This will be the first Game 7 in franchise history for the Atlanta Thrashers / Winnipeg Jets, who had never won a playoff game prior to this year. • This is the third Game 7 in Predators history, but the first played in Nashville.