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Will Special Teams prevent the Winnipeg Jets from making the playoffs?

The Winnipeg Jets have had dreadful special teams the past few seasons, but that does not mean that they cannot make the playoffs because of them. If they Jets play their cards right at five-on-five, they will be able to compensate for a bad power play. The penalty kill that has historically struggled will be another issue as the Jets want to not allow the other team to score, but it will be interesting to see the penalty kill perform with a NHL average goalie in net.

Special teams have been a part of the Jets downfall since moving to Winnipeg and possibly before. If they Jets can figure out how to improve the penalty kill, they could be golden. They might even be able to take it a step further and improve the power play as well by utilizing Patrik Laine more and realizing that while Byfuglien is really good, he is sometimes a detriment to the power play.

The Jets are in a weaker division and if they play their cards right, they should be able to sneak into the playoffs this season. The Jets do not need a good power play, although they can improve it. They urgently need an improved penalty kill, but that improvement might come from Mason being the starter. If the Jets have stronger special teams this year and no team goes on a PDO-fuelled bender in the Central, there is a very good chance that the Jets cannot miss the playoffs.

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