CHICAGO — Scott Arniel clearly understood the challenges of facing the 31st team in the NHL standings were considerably different than facing the top team, like the Winnipeg Jets did in their past two games.

But the head coach gave his group a quick mathematics lesson as part of his message before they faced the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

“Two points against Chicago are the exact same two points against Colorado,” said Arniel. “We have to make sure what we did the other night is a constant. It isn’t changing because we’re playing a different team.”

Well, the outing wasn’t quite as crisp as the recent 4-2 triumph over the Avalanche in Denver, but the final outcome brought the two points Arniel was seeking after a 4-3 overtime victory that pulled the Jets within one point of the final playoff spot in the western conference.

So close. And yet, so far.

The Winnipeg Jets blew a golden opportunity to make up ground in their playoff chase on Thursday evening, dropping a hard-fought 3-2 decision to the No. 1 ranked Colorado Avalanche at Canada Life Centre.

Nathan MacKinnon took over the game in the third period, scoring his league-leading 47th and 48th goals of the season to snap a tie. The Jets managed to claw back within a goal later in the final frame, but couldn’t find the equalizer — or even gain control of the puck in order to pull goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for an extra attacker.

“We battled to the end,” said centre Mark Scheifele. “Showed a lot of resilience against a really good hockey team. We were right there.”

NEW YORK — This time, the Winnipeg Jets didn’t shoot themselves in the foot.

Head coach Scott Arniel invited plenty of second-guessing Saturday when he kept his team’s biggest offensive weapons on the bench in favour of Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist — two questionable choices who both misfired in a costly 5-4 extra-time loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Less than 24 hours later, Arniel was back in the same spot, staring down another breakaway competition to settle the deadlocked score. This time, there was no hesitation. Out came the big guns — Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi — and both delivered, lifting the Jets to a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers.

“I like the fact two good shooters, KC and Gabe, picked the corners nice,” Arniel told the Free Press inside Madison Square Garden.

That glimmer of hope hasn’t been fully snuffed out yet, but the Winnipeg Jets slim playoff hopes have taken another significant hit.

Fresh off a lacklustre effort against the Anaheim Ducks, the Jets fell 6-3 to the New York Rangers on Thursday at Canada Life Centre, slipping to 26-28-10 overall. The Jets are 3-2 on this season-long eight-game homestand.

“This team’s not going to just fold,” said Jets left-winger Kyle Connor. “There’s a lot of compete and a lot of will in this room, a lot of belief, too.

“Yeah, we need to respond.”