After the humbling 7-1 loss to Philadelphia Saturday night, the Winnipeg Jets’ streak of three straight playoff appearances is about to officially come to an end.
But the final 96 hours of the season could still prove to be compelling for Jets Nation.
With just four days remaining on the schedule, Winnipeg sits 10th in the overall standings — right at the edge of “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” when it comes to the May 5 NHL draft lottery.
If the Jets were to finish in the same position they are Monday morning, the odds of getting the No. 1 pick are 3.5 per cent, which is better than the less than one per cent chance they have of making the playoffs after Saturday’s “Philly Flop.”
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Now, before you draw comparisons to Lloyd Christmas getting a yes from Mary Swanson and Winnipeg’s hopes of winning this spring’s draft lottery, the New York Islanders defied those exact odds just a year ago to snag the first overall pick in Matthew Schafer.
But if San Jose, St. Louis and maybe even Florida were to pass Winnipeg this week — and I’ll provide context in a moment on how that could happen — then the Jets’ odds of winning the draft lottery almost double to 6.5 per cent.
Winnipeg is in Vegas Monday night, facing a Golden Knights team that is 5-0-1 under John Tortorella and now in control of its destiny for winning the Pacific Division. Tuesday night, the Jets wrap up their road schedule in Salt Lake City, where they are 0-for-3 since the Mammoth relocated to Utah.
Meanwhile, the Blues host the cruise-controlling Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild, who are locked into second and third place in their respective divisions, before finishing up at Utah. The Panthers have home games versus the non-playoff-bound Rangers and Detroit. And the Sharks play in Nashville and Chicago, setting up what could be a very interesting season finale at Canada Life Centre — if the Jets and San Jose remain tied at 82 points.
Advancing a position or three in the lottery draft certainly doesn’t make up for missing the playoffs. But it could be a consolation prize of sorts for the fan base.
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