Ah, the final game of the season. It sets the whole tone for the playoffs…they say. This game had a feeling of dread surrounding it because the Jets have been playing fairly uneven hockey. And then they were off to an ominous start. They were scored on early after a terrible Blake Wheeler turnover ended up in the back of the net. However, it would not end the Jets at all.
The Jets slowly started to respond and pull ahead thanks to Mark Scheifele in the first period to tie the game up. In the second period, the Jets put the peddle to the metal and scored three goals to pull ahead 4-1. Even as late goal in the third could not affect the outcome as the Jets won 4-2.
In all honesty, this was a better game than the Jets have had in a while. They should have Josh Morrissey back for the playoffs which will strengthen the defence. However, Nathan Beaulieu has filled in nicely in the interim and will available to the Jets in whatever capacity he is needed in.
This is what the Jets needed. They had a solid challenge on goaltender interference that kept the game from becoming a 4-2 game too early. They managed to score four goals in response to a bad giveaway from Blake Wheeler. They simply looked a bit better.
Now they head into the playoffs in decent shape. It will be interesting to see how Patrik Laine plays as he struggled this season, but still scored 30 goals. Kyle Connor looks primed for the playoffs and Kevin Hayes has been a great addition. Onward and upward.
