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All hands on deck

The Winnipeg Jets lost more than just a lead in their playoff series during Saturday’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven battle against the top seed in the Western Conference is a big enough hole to climb out of but they’ll have to do it without Josh Morrissey, their best defenceman and arguably their best player. That makes it an even taller, some might even say impossible, task.

The Jets don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves, not with a critical Game 4 to be played at home Monday night. With Morrissey out it’s on the rest of the team to make up for the loss.

“His mentality. His swagger. His vocal leadership on the bench and in the locker room. All that stuff will be missed,” said Jets defenceman Neal Pionk on Sunday. “It will be a next-man-up mentality, we’ll have to take a little bit more from everybody, because I don’t think one guy can fill those shoes. He’s been our best player all year, so we’ll have to pick up that slack.”

Hellebuyck stands tall and things get nasty against Wild as Jets secure post-season berth

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Being a fan of the Winnipeg Jets this season has certainly not been for the faint of heart. After a nailing-biting affair in the State of Hockey Tuesday night, the Jets are officially playoff bound.

Playoff picture coming into focus for Jets

The playoff picture for the Winnipeg Jets is starting to come into focus.

A Jets fan to the end

He was known online as Ice Dragon, a bright and funny young man whose love and loyalty for his hometown Winnipeg Jets ran deep.

But behind Justin Deleau’s charming on-screen persona in numerous online hockey chat rooms and message boards was a fierce personal battle, one he divulged to hockey fans from around the world in a startling post late last month.

“Figure if I’m dying I might as well give y’all a chance to meet me if you want,” Justin typed on April 28 as he lay in palliative care at the Grace Hospice.

“Anyways thanks for everything you guys. I’ve never felt so loved by a community. I’ll keep cheering on the Jets no matter what. I love you guys!! Pour one out for me at Portage and Main when the boys do win the Cup.”

Drive and determination pay off

A year ago, Domenic DiVincentiis had no idea where his career was headed. He was coming off a promising rookie season in the Ontario Hockey League, looking forward to the NHL draft and hoping a team might be willing to take a shot at bringing him into the fold.

Now? The seventh-round selection of the Winnipeg Jets is the most intriguing goalie prospect for the organization since Connor Hellebuyck was picked in the fifth round way back in 2012.

“The whole year, from the draft until today, has been a roller-coaster,” DiVincentiis, 19, told the Free Press on Wednesday in a telephone interview from his hometown of Bolton, Ont. “It’s been pretty eye-opening. A very cool year, overall. Something that I have obviously enjoyed and am taking a moment to recap and think about what a year it has been.”

He’s coming off the only low from that ride, a season-ending loss to the Peterborough Petes this past Monday in Game 7 of their OHL semi-final series. His North Bay Battalion ultimately ended up five wins short of getting to the Memorial Cup. The highs, however, were plentiful, including 68 games played (48 in the regular-season, 20 in the playoffs) and a combined 47-15-5 record. His goals-against-average (2.33 in the season, 2.41 in the playoffs) and save percentage (.919 in the season, .926 in the playoffs) were stellar.

Wheeler Jets King Clancy Award nominee

Veteran Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler is the team’s nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

The annual honour is given to the NHL player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

The 32 finalists were selected by their respective NHL teams.

The winner will be chosen by a committee of senior NHL executives looking at criteria that includes “clear and measurable positive impact on the community, investment of time and resources, commitment to a particular cause or community, commitment to the league’s community initiatives, creativity of programming and use of influence; engagement of others.”

NHL snubs Morrissey for Norris consideration

Josh Morrissey’s stellar season wasn’t enough to earn him consideration for some hockey hardware.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman is not a finalist for the Norris Trophy, which is awarded annually to the league’s best player at that position.

Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks, Adam Fox of the New York Rangers and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche have the honours, the league announced Thursday evening. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Nashville on June 26.

Morrissey, 28, had a career high 76 points (16 goals and 60 assists) in 78 regular-season games. That more than doubled his previous best of 37 points and established a new franchise-best for the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers organization.

The definition of insanity

There is no real vision. No detailed plan. No accountability or transparency. And, unfortunately for the Winnipeg Jets and their fans, little to no chance of sustained success.

Such is the current state of the franchise, which appears to be approaching a critical offseason armed with nothing but a hope and a prayer that sticking as close to the status quo — starting at the very top — will somehow produce different results.

It’s hard to believe. And it’s going to be even harder to sell in a hockey savvy market that is finding it increasingly difficult to invest in the product, given the scores of empty seats we saw this season at the downtown rink.

But if there was any doubt we’re likely in for more of the same, Sunday’s 43-minute year-end media availability with general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff provided the smoking gun that this group is simply happy to be here, satisfied with mediocrity and not really serious about competing for a Stanley Cup.

Jets coach visibly frustrated with club after season-ending playoff loss

LAS VEGAS – Rick Bowness entered the media room at T-Mobile Arena on a mission, knowing exactly what he wanted to say before a single question was even asked.

The head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, his eyes watering with rage, had just watched his team put forth a lacklustre effort in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 that officially eliminated them from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“I’m so disappointed and disgusted right now,” Bowness started.

It was the first answer of a one-minute long post-game media availability by the Jets coach. When Bowness first sat down, he warned the assembled media that his time at the podium would be brief, resulting in just four questions asked by the Free Press.

Jets season ends with 4-1 loss to Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS – Ravaged by injuries and facing a superior opponent, the Winnipeg Jets’ bid to hoist the Stanley Cup came to an early end.

The Vegas Golden Knights delivered the final dagger Thursday night, winning 4-1 in Game 5 to end the first-round, best-of-seven NHL series.

It’s the second time in six seasons the Golden Knights have spoiled the Jets’ post-season party.

Led by Winnipeg product Mark Stone, who finished the night with a goal and a pair of assists, the Golden Knights scored early in the game and then often in the second period en route to the dominating victory. Chandler Stephenson scored twice and William Karlsson added another to round out the scoring for Vegas.

Scheifele ruled out for Game 5

LAS VEGAS — Following a violent crash into the end boards on his very first shift, a play that would ultimately sideline Mark Scheifele for the rest of Game 4, there was some belief that the Jets No. 1 centre would return for Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday night.

Speaking with reporters from the airport early Tuesday, Jets head coach Rick Bowness said he was hopeful that Scheifele would be able to play through the injury, which is suspected to be to his right arm or shoulder. By the end of practice on Wednesday, that hope was extinguished, as Bowness officially ruled out Scheifele for Thursday’s win-or-go-home affair, the Jets trailing the best-of-seven series 3-1.

“Just his range of motion,” Bowness said. “If that improves every day, we’ll rule him out for tomorrow, but we won’t rule him out for Game 6.”

There’s no guarantee there will be a Game 6, of course, not unless the Jets leave Vegas victorious. Winnipeg earned a convincing 5-1 victory to open the series but have since lost three straight, leaving them on the brink of elimination.

Ehlers looks ready for return in do-or die Game 5 against Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Nikolaj Ehlers has dominated a good chunk of the narrative coming out of the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series between his Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights.

All while not logging a single second of ice time, the result of an upper-body injury the speedy forward suffered late in a 3-1 playoff-clinching win over the Minnesota Wild in the second-last regular-season game of the year.

That could very well change as the Jets get ready to play a win-or-go-home Game 5 in Vegas Thursday night, with Ehlers once again being considered a game-time decision. It’s been the same status ever since Ehlers found himself on the receiving end of a dirty hit by Wild forward Ryan Hartman (Hartman was assessed a flimsy one-game suspension for the illegal play), including all four playoff games up to this point.

There’s a different feeling to this one, even if there’s a chance the result could be the same. With the Jets as battered as any team in the playoffs, and certainly more than most, the potential return of one of the team’s most talented offensive players brings some much-needed hope to a club that certainly could use some positive vibes right now.

Jets confident they can flip the script

Give them credit: The Winnipeg Jets are talking a good game despite being on the brink of playoff elimination.

“We have to be confident. We have to be. And we will be,” coach Rick Bowness said Tuesday as his team got ready to board a charter flight to Las Vegas where they face a must-win on Thursday night.

“We’ll be a very confident group going into that game. We’re going to have a swagger to us that says if we go out, it’s going to be one tough fight. When we play with that attitude, then I like our chances.”

Winnipeg trails three games to one in the best-of-seven series. They opened last Tuesday with a convincing 5-1 win in Las Vegas, but it’s been all downhill from there.

Golden opportunity for Jets blue-liner Stanley

One person’s bad luck is another’s golden opportunity. Perhaps that’s no truer than when it comes to injuries in professional sports.

With Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey ruled out for the remainder of their first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Logan Stanley has been sprung into action. Stanley suited up with the third pairing, playing alongside Nate Schmidt for Game 4 Monday night.

“It’s heartbreaking, especially seeing him after in the room. You just want to give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be alright,” Stanley told the Free Press following Monday’s morning skate, when asked about Morrissey’s misfortune. “We can’t replace Josh, but we can try as a group to do the best we can to eat up those minutes. It’s going to take all six of us on defence.”

It’s been a wild ride for Stanley this season, one filled with injuries and time as a healthy scratch when he couldn’t crack the game-day roster down the stretch. The 6-7, 242-pound blue-liner was limited to just 19 regular-season games, finishing with one goal and two assists and was a minus-1.

Monday’s downtown whiteout means street closures, traffic and transit changes

Downtown will once again be flush with Winnipeg Jets fans as Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights approaches.

The Jets’ fourth playoff game in their first-round series begins at 8:30 p.m. The City of Winnipeg is closing certain roads Monday to accommodate the team’s second whiteout party of the season.

Southbound Donald Street between Ellice and St. Mary avenues closed 9 a.m. Monday and will reopen Tuesday at 7 a.m.

Eastbound and westbound Graham Avenue, between Hargrave and Smith streets, will be closed from 5:30 p.m. until Tuesday at 1 a.m.

Jets let golden opportunity slip away in 5-2 loss to Vegas

LAS VEGAS — The good news for the underdog Winnipeg Jets? They’ve wrestled away home-ice advantage from the No. 1 team in the Western Conference, turning a best-of-seven into a best-of-five without an appearance yet from one of their most dynamic offensive players.

The bad news? They blew a terrific opportunity to take a commanding series lead on Thursday night, as a strong start gave way to a sloppy finish and resulted in a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

“Obviously we let that one slip away a little bit,” said forward Mark Scheifele.

After taking the opener on Tuesday night by a 5-1 score, the Jets essentially picked up where they left off in a dominating first period.

Vegas needs a bounce-back game

LAS VEGAS — The heat is suddenly on here in Vegas. The No. 1 team in the Western Conference knows it can’t afford to drop a second straight game on home ice following Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Concern? Sure. Panic? Not yet, anyways.

“I think everybody knows it’s not lost after one game, but you have to get better,” coach Bruce Cassidy said following Wednesday’s practice.

“For us. It’s obviously got to get a lot better, but we had 111 points this year. We did talk about that we’re not going to define ourselves by one hockey game.”

Jets rally round Barron

LAS VEGAS — Morgan Barron has quickly become the bloody face of the Winnipeg Jets. That’s a beautiful thing for a tight-knit team that has found a rather gruesome rallying point.

Barron, 24, was cut by the skate blade of Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit in the first period of the Jets’ 5-1 victory on Tuesday night.

“It looked like he got attacked by a shark,” Adam Lowry said of the incident, which came during a wild, goal-mouth scramble. “We’re all so worried about the puck crossing the line and then all of a sudden we see a trail of blood basically from the crease all the way to the bench.”

The scary incident quickly became the talk of the hockey world, especially after Barron returned in the middle frame sporting a full cage and approximately 75 stitches to close the deep wound near his eye.

Jets draw first blood in 5-1 win over Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Now THAT is the hockey team that took the Western Conference by storm in the first half — and not the one that stumbled for much of the second-half before a late-season surge got them into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Kolesar’s job is to be a Knightmare for Jets

LAS VEGAS — Keegan Kolesar loves being the kind of player other teams just hate to play against. And the Winnipeg product might just become Public Enemy No. 1 over the next couple weeks as his Vegas Golden Knights take on his hometown team.