Could Mike Keane and Patrick Roy be reunited again?

In light of Roy accepting the head coach and vice-president of hockey operations role with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, the subject on the minds of many members of the media revolved around who might join the Hall of Famer on his staff.

The first name that came to my mind was Keane, a Winnipegger who won two of his three Stanley Cups as a teammate of Roy — first with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 and then with the Avalanche in 1996.

Not only did Roy and Keane win together, they were traded together to the Avalanche and both men share a similar passion for the game a remarkable drive to win.

Since playing his final season with the Manitoba Moose in 2009-10, Keane has kept a close eye on the NHL, watching games throughout the league intently.

While it’s true that Keane has no actual coaching experience, his two decades of professional playing experience carry plenty of weight and give him plenty of insight to pass along to youngsters and veterans alike.

Keane’s ability to carve out a successful career in the NHL as an undrafted player who went on to win three Stanley Cups with three different teams make him the kind of person the Avalanche should want to have around a young core of players who are looking to restore the franchise to the Glory Days of the late 90s and early 2000s.

As a first-time NHL head coach, it’s expected that at least one of Roy’s assistants is going to have NHL experience behind the bench, but the legendary puck-stopper is an outside-the-box thinker who understands what Keane can bring to the table, so I doubt he’d have any reservations about bringing him on board.

Keane also has a strong relationship with Joe Sakic, who now holds the final say on all hockey decisions, so that might work in his favour.

Although he hasn’t expressed his desire to join the coaching fraternity publicly, sources said Keane was among those who put his name forward to join Claude Noel’s staff as an assistant with the Jets in the summer of 2011.

While he won’t be lobbying for a job through the media, you can expect Keane to put his name forward to the Avalanche as well.

Denver is a city that remains near and dear to his heart and bringing a guy like Keane back into the fold seems like a logical move for the Avalanche to consider.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Riding the Amtrak between Washington and New York City to continue coverage of the Stanley Cup playoff series between the Capitals and Rangers, it was time to share a few thoughts on the season-ending presser Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff held on Wednesday.

As mentioned in our last post, the Jets face a lot of questions going into the off-season and Cheveldayoff held court for nearly half an hour.

While I wasn’t in attendance, columnist Paul Friesen handled our coverage and was kind enough to provide a transcript of the Q and A, while Dave Minuk of Illegal Curve also supplied the audio for me.

Plenty of attention was given to the usual topics — the play of G Ondrej Pavelec, the inconsistency of Dustin Byfuglien and the pending free agents — but the status of head coach Claude Noel raised a few eyebrows as well.

Noel recently completed his second season as a full-time NHL head coach and while he’s missed the playoffs in both of those, count me among those who feels he’s done a good job, given the talent on the Jets’ roster.

Yes, he didn’t play his fourth line enough during this shortened season and some of the Jets’ top guns dealt with fatigue and various points of the campaign but overall, Noel did a good job keeping the Jets in the playoff discussion until the third period of their second-to-last game.

The reason eyebrows were raised is that Cheveldayoff chose not to fully endorse his head coach, who is entering the final year of the three-year contract he signed at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn.

That doesn’t mean Noel is about to be fired. It just means Cheveldayoff is going through the evaluation process and hasn’t decided whether to give him an extension, allow him to stay on with his deal or to dismiss him and replace him with someone else.

Potentially placing “lame-duck” status on a first-time NHL head coach could bring some issues in terms of the “buy-in” process for a team that is trying to take the next step.

It’s not my money or my decision, but the Jets would be best served by either offering Noel a one-year extension or moving on — don’t leave him in limbo.

On a side note, after spending the past six days watching the Capitals take a 2-0 over the Rangers, it’s only reinforced how much the Jets have to do in order to take the next step. But that’s a discussion for another day, the point is that despite the strides the Jets made this season, you can’t make an argument they were better than the Capitals — who roll four lines, having six contributing D, are getting elite-level goaltending from Braden Holtby and boast the top power play in the NHL.

I’ve said it before, the Jets’ roster needs an upgrade to get above the playoff line. It all depends on how they look at training camp, but it’s hard to imagine that 2011 first rounder Mark Scheifele and 2012 first rounder Jacob Trouba won’t be pushing for a roster spot in September.

Trouba is coming off a great season and is suiting up for Team USA at the World Championship, while Scheifele’s Barrie Colts play Game 2 of the Ontario Hockey League final with the London Knights today (Sunday). Scheifele had an empty-netter and added an assist in a 4-2 win in Game 1 on Friday and continues to lead the OHL scoring derby, with nine goals and 29 points in 16 games.

It’s clear Scheifele took his demotion in stride and has been doing the things the Jets were hoping would help prepare him for his third NHL training camp.

If the Colts can win the series, you can expect plenty of Jets fans to make the drive to Saskatoon later this month to see Scheifele play in the Memorial Cup.

Speaking of Scheifele, you have to think he’s the guy the Jets see playing alongside Evander Kane but it’s too early to tell if he’ll be ready for Top-6 minutes next season. Whether it’s Scheifele or a return to form for veteran Olli Jokinen, Cheveldayoff knows he needs a new RW to play with Kane, who fought through injuries to his wrist and foot during the stretch drive but had another productive season.

“I would have loved to have found a speedy right winger that could fit in both with Evander for both the short-term and long-term,” said Cheveldayoff. “I wasn’t able to find that. Will that be something that gets drafted… gets traded for? Gets signed in free agency?”

You can bet Kane — who is entering the second year of his six-year contract extension — is hoping that player comes in a trade or free agency.

You can’t expect Cheveldayoff to tell the media which players he might target, but he did give an indication there’s a wish-list he and his scouts are putting together.

“It’s hard to predict. It’s a different summer… the first year the salary cap is coming down. So there’s going to be some interesting nuances that come into play there,” said Cheveldayoff. “There will be some movement. Will the opportunities be the right ones that match what we’re offering… or fit for our needs, that’s the interesting part of the summer.

“There’s lots of work that needs to be done.”

He’s certainly right about that.

Byfuglien remains a lightning rod, providing an end-to-end rush or a booming one-timer and then carelessly leaving an opponent unattended in front of the net for a tap-in goal at a critical time.

I’m on record as saying Byfuglien is the type of guy who would be hard to replace if you decide to move him and you better get a significant return if you go down that road. The status quo isn’t acceptable and we’ll soon find out if the Jets believe Byfuglien can turn the corner or if they’re ready to move on.

“Dustin had a pretty inconsistent year as well. At times he was very, very impactful…. he’s got the ability to make the ‘Wow” plays and pull people out of their seats. He’s a very tough player to handle when he has the puck, the plays he can make.

“Guys continually mention (in their exit meetings) how a guy like Buff can get the puck to them… and helps the breakouts. Certainly on the defensive side of it you’d like Buff to be better. I can say that about a lot of our defence. The guys that have great defensive plays I could say I would love them to be high offensive players. We have to find a way on the depth side to surround the players that compliment each other. We can’t be totally satisfied with anyone’s play this year. Everyone’s got to be pushed, him included.”

In the coming weeks, I’ll work on a list of players who could be good targets for the Jets via free agency or trade — and remember, some interesting names could be in play with the salary cap going down.

The play of Pavelec continues to generate much debate and I’m not with the advanced statistics folks. I see improvement in Pavelec’s game, even if the goals against average or save percentage numbers don’t support the theory.

Neither does Cheveldayoff.

“We did play him pretty hard, but he actually enjoyed that opportunity and there was zero hesitation in his mind that he was going to the World Championships,” said Cheveldayoff. “Did we play him too hard? That’s the way the game had to be played for us to try to get in. I’m very happy with his play, very happy with how Ondrej has begun to mature as a professional athlete. The best years for him are still ahead. He learned a lot.”

Yes, Pavelec still has plenty of room for growth and must get better but I see him trending upward.

Although Pavelec was a workhorse for the second straight season, but this time I don’t think he faded down the stretch because of fatigue — to me, that’s a sign of improved conditioning. Pavelec benefits from being around Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty and I think he’s going to take his game up another notch or two sooner than later.

Starting next season, the Jets will hit the midway point in their unofficial five-year plan and here’s Cheveldayoff’s general assessment of where they stand.

“We’re very proud of our organization and what we’ve accomplished in the last two years,” said Cheveldayoff. “We’ve established ourselves as one of the premier buildings in the league. We’ve established the fans in this building care about the team, care about the game. For a player, that’s important. But at the end of the day we need to find a way to get better.”

The 2013 NHL Entry Draft will be the next priority for the Jets and I’ll be focusing plenty of attention during the next month to learn about who could be available around the 13th selection.

With six picks in the first three rounds, might the Jets try to move into the Top-10? It all depends on what their draft board looks like.

There’s certainly plenty of food for thought and the work done leading up to the end of June and the beginning of July will ultimately determine whether the Jets’ roster is going to get a minor tweak or a major overhaul.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, don’t forget to share your thoughts and have your voice heard in The Winnipeg Sun’s: You Be The Boss: 2013 Jets Edition

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/05/02/you-be-the-boss-2013-jets-edition

The Winnipeg Jets held their garbage-bag clean-up day that also featured exit meetings on Friday afternoon.

The obituary on the 2013 NHL lockout season has been written and the players have weighed in with their thoughts.

It’s clear that the winds of change might be sweeping through the Jets’ dressing room before the team re-assembles in September for training camp.

With nine pending unrestricted free agents — goalie Al Montoya, D-men Ron Hainsey, Grant Clitsome, Derek Meech and forwards Nik Antropov, Kyle Wellwood, Antti Miettinen, Mike Santorelli and Aaron Gagnon — along with nine pending restricted free agents — D-men Zach Bogosian, Zach Redmond, Arturs Kulda, Paul Postma and forwards Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Alex Burmistrov, Eric Tangradi, and Anthony Peluso — it’s a given that not all players will be back.

But just how dramatic will the roster turnover be?

Only GM Kevin Cheveldayoff knows for sure and not even he will know before mid-summer.

We’ll look deeper into what the roster might look like in the coming days/weeks but it’s clear the Jets need to upgrade their talent level in order to take the next step into the playoffs.

Jets head coach Claude Noel said the exit meetings weren’t overly sentimental.

“Hockey is what it is. They all know. You say bye to them as a group knowing you won’t see them again. I don’t think you say good luck or anything of that stuff,” said Noel “Not hugs and kisses going around.”

Paul Friesen and I worked the dressing room as best we could on Friday and not surprisingly most of the free agents polled expressed a desire to return (why wouldn’t they?). Really appreciated the honesty of Miettinen, who knew full well that he had underachieved during his two seasons here and thought it was unlikely he’d be back.

The move to claim Miettinen off waivers from Tampa Bay didn’t turn out, but he’s a stand-up guy and nobody feels worse about his inability to make a bigger impact than he does.

I need a bit more time to assess the bigger picture but there’s no doubt in my mind Montoya would be a good fit to remain as Ondrej Pavelec’s back-up for another couple of seasons.

“I learned a lot. It was a good team, a good atmosphere here. I think my game grew in a positive direction,” said Montoya. “I learned a lot playing with (Pavelec) here and working with the goalie coach (Wade Flaherty). That was great for me, helping get my game to where I wanted it to be. For me, it’s only positive going forward. I want to contribute more to this team.

“You really worry about what you can control during the season. I think I did that and the rest will take care of itself. We’ll see where it goes from here. I know what I’m capable of. I’ve won in this league year after year. Hopefully I keep doing what I’m doing, keep growing and becoming a better player.”

Bogosian held court with reporters for the first time since suffering a suspected concussion after taking a high hit from New York Islanders RW Kyle Okposo, who didn’t get a penalty or suspension after delivering the blow to the chin.

Bogosian played when asked if the injury was actually a concussion.

“I said that I’m not going to say what anybody else didn’t say.” said Bogosian. “Whatever you want to take from Claude (Noel) and his interviews, that’s what it was.”

I asked Bogosian for his thoughts on the season overall and if he felt he was able to take another step forward in terms of his overall development.

“I think I did. I really made strides forward on the offensive side of things,” said Bogosian, who had five goals, nine points in 33 games while averaging 23:07 of ice time per game. “When you’re a defenceman, you want to be that guy that is relied on to be playing against other teams top lines and I did that quite a bit this year. I’m happy with where my game is going. Obviously, as a professional and an athlete, you want to be the best that you can be. Obviously, there’s a lot of room for improvement, like every other player. But I’ll just try to work hard every day and get the job done.”

As for the hit, Bogosian wasn’t interested in sharing his true thoughts on the matter.

“I did see it. It’s tough,” said Bogosian. “I’ve been in those situations, won the other end of them where it’s been kind of questionable. But the league did what they thought they needed to do. I’m not really going to comment on it or get into an argument in the media with it. What’s done is done. I just have to move forward from it.”

When asked if he thought the Jets have the personnel to be a playoff team, Bogosian reinforced his belief in the core group.

“Yeah, I believe so. Obviously, we didn’t get the job done this year. There’s a lot of guys up for contracts, so you don’t know what the team is going to look like moving forward,” said Bogosian. “It’s tough going through a situation like we did this year. Moving forward, just being in the hunt and being right there, you can take a lot out of that too.”

What’s the biggest thing that needs to improve?

“Consistency. It’s something we’ve talked about but any time you let things slip a little bit, like we did, is never a good thing,” said Bogosian. “We made good strides this year in playing on the road, last year, not so much. Just consistency would be the No. 1 thing.”

Pending UFA Nik Antropov expressed his belief in the direction as well, making it clear he’d like to be part of the solution moving forward.

“Absolutely, I want to be part of this. I thought we did a pretty good couple of steps forward from the past year,” said Jets centre Nik Antropov. “It’s disappointing not making the playoffs, I thought we had a playoff team. But there were a couple of games we should have won that we didn’t and we paid for it right now, being out of the playoffs.”

Bogosian’s value to the Jets is obvious, but here’s what one of his longtime teammates said when I asked about the D-man the Jets are likely to lock up for the long-term.

“He’s a special kid, a special talent,” said Jets winger Chris Thorburn. “Not many people can do what he can do, as far as skate, move the puck, get out of trouble. He’s big and physical. He’s got all aspects of the game that you want from a top defenceman and he’s still young. He’s got a lot of drive and he’s just a good person too. He’s a great piece of the puzzle and he’s an important piece.”

As Jets D Toby Enstrom held his scrum with reporters, you could hear the frustration in his voice and it was easy to understand why.

The mobile Jets defenceman was flying out of the gate in the condensed season, picking up two goals and 12 points over the first 10 games.

Three games later, Enstrom was hit by Pascal Dupuis of the Pittsburgh Penguins, sustaining a shoulder problem that left him on the shelf for six weeks.

Upon his return, Enstrom chipped in a pair of goals but in his 22nd game of the season, he took a hit from Buffalo Sabres forward Steve Ott, leaving him with a back issue that ended his season seven games early.

“It’s just been a tough year with the injuries and everything,” said Enstrom. “I’ve been feeling great and playing well. It was tough being out and being on the side watching. I really wanted to be in and help the team push for a playoff spot.

Despite missing 26 games due to injury, Enstrom was tied for eighth in team scoring with Kyle Wellwood at 15 points.

The 28-year-old has surely heard the questions about his durability, but it’s important to note that he appeared in all 82 games during his first three seasons and missed 10 in 2010-11 before missing 20 last season and 26 this year.

That’s trending in the wrong direction, but Enstrom is confident he can get healthy and do his part to help the Jets improve going forward.

The next thing Jets fans will be keeping their eyes on is Monday NHL Draft Lottery.

The Jets finished their season in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 24-21-3, their 51 points at least three behind the Ottawa Senators, who close out the regular season against the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

Here’s Noel’s take on the season overall.

“I like the way we played at times, but not consistently. But I did see growth in our team, which is what encourages me,” said Noel. “This was really good for us, a season of 48 games. It’s way different, and it’s stressful. As a team we could use the experience of dealing with stress or pressure. From that standpoint it was really, really good for us. It gives you a lot of information about your players about who can handle it and who can’t, or they have to learn a little bit more about it.”

Be sure to check out Sunday’s Sun and online at www.winnipegsun.com to see my annual Jets’ report card, the Sun 2013 Jets awards (needs a new name but chosen by me) and a story on what Jacob Trouba learned during his few weeks observing the Jets.

We’ll check in with some posts over the next little while here. Want to thank all of you who took the time to check out the blog throughout the season.

The body is still warm, but the Winnipeg Jets autopsy has already begun.

And there are sure to be a lot of topics explored during the coming days.

The day began with a glimmer of hope for the Jets, who needed a win over the Montreal Canadiens and some help from some Southeast Division rivals in order to remain in the playoff picture, if only for a couple more days.

For the most part, there was the requisite level of desperation from the Jets, who got an early goal on a one-timer from James Wright (who buried a sweet dish from Chris Thorburn) to get on the board first.

The Habs got the equalizer from Rene Bourque after a goalmouth scramble midway through the second, but Blake Wheeler produced a rebound goal of his own to put the Jets back on top after 40 minutes of play.

Late in the second period, it became clear that the Jets had only one shot into the playoffs, as the New York Rangers punched their ticket to the post-season on an overtime goal from captain Ryan Callahan – after Brad Richards tied the game on a power play late in the third period with a point shot that caromed off the end boards and then hit the skate of Dan Ellis in the waning moments.

That left the Ottawa route or bust for the Jets.

Wouldn’t you know it, the Senators and Washington Capitals also went to overtime and during a minor penalty to Caps C Mike Ribeiro, Sergei Gonchar blasted home a one-timer and in the blink of an eye, the playoff dream was over for the Jets.

One member of the media suggested the Jets may as well skip the third period and go straight to the jersey-off-your-back promotion.

Some members of the Jets already knew their fate before the third period and in some respects, it showed.

The Jets were sloppy early and when G Ondrej Pavelec had trouble catching a long slapper by Habs rookie RW Brendan Gallagher, you got the feeling it could be a long 20 minutes for the home side.

Before the period was over, the Canadiens had scored three unanswered goals — David Desharnais (on the power play) and Max Pacioretty (on a wrister that Pavelec got a piece of but not enough of) added markers —and skated to a 4-2 victory that helped put a little jump in their step after dropping five of the past six.

After battling their tails off for the past several months and holding down a playoff spot for nearly a month (from Mar. 17 to Apr. 4), the Jets were done.

I asked captain Andrew Ladd about the finality of the situation afterward.

“It’s the reality of the situation. It’s part of it, you don’t win enough games, you don’t get in. It’s on us,” said Ladd.

Ladd, Wheeler, Ron Hainsey and Ondrej Pavelec all had a good handle on a tough situation.

Talking about seeing your season come to an end after battling for so long is never easy, but there were some thoughtful comments from all of them.

Probably the most important thing that stood out to me was the disappointment. That was the subject I based my game column around, the fact this group isn’t willing to accept finishing in ninth place.

When you’re trying to break a culture of losing, having players that year to win and hate to lose is so important to making that happen.

It’s clear members of the Jets’ leadership core want to take the next step and it also seems clear to the captain that some personnel changes will be in the offing.

“Anytime you don’t get in, there are going to be changes. There should be changes, because it’s not good enough. I’m sure there will be an evaluation from that standpoint. That’s not our job. Our job is to show up and play,” said Ladd, who was also asked what the Jets need to do to take that next step. “I don’t know, that’s a management decision too. As players, we have to be more consistent in our effort, in the way we play and give ourselves a chance.”

Hainsey has still never qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs and didn’t hold back when asked if getting this close at the end of his contract with the Jets hurt a little more?

“As you get older, they hurt a little more,” said Hainsey. “But I wouldn’t know how to rate it.”

Jets winger Evander Kane was incredibly frustrated by season his season come to an early end once again, but wouldn’t going into detail about the injury he was dealing with during the stretch drive.

“I don’t have too much to say,” said Kane. “Like I said before, nobody is 100% at this time of the year, especially playing every other night. I had to battle through some things.”

When I asked him if it was something to do with his wrist, he re-iterated that he didn’t want to talk about it.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” said Kane.

After battling for so long, the discussion quickly turns to the future of the team and whether or not certain individuals are back or not.

Hainsey was asked if he wanted to be back with the Jets next season.

“I’ve kept all of that kind of thing between me and the team at this point and that’s how it will remain,” said Hainsey.

One other subject we’ll be watching closely is which members of the Jets are asked to participate in the 2013 World Championship in Finland, which is just around the corner.

A few players declined invitations last spring, but with the Olympics less than a year away, you can be sure that a few more guys are going to answer the call from their country in preparation for that.

Colleague Kirk Penton had the snapshots and delved into a variety of topics, while columnist Paul Friesen took a closer look at how some of the Jets found out they were eliminated during the second intermission. Penton’s sidebar was on NHL draft lottery, which takes place on Monday.

Be sure to check out another comprehensive package in Friday’s Sun and at www.winnipegsun.com.

The Jets’ players will hold their year-end exit meetings with coaches and management on Friday and will hold their final media availability of the season in the morning. Friesen and I will be on hand for wall-to-wall coverage.

And don’t miss our final Friday afternoon Jets live chat from 2 to 3 pm CT.

We’re only a few hours away from finding out if the Winnipeg Jets can keep their season alive.

The morning skate is in the books and the Jets are ready to face the Montreal Canadiens at MTS Centre in their regular-season finale.

The scenario is both simple and difficult at the same time for the Jets, who must earn at least a point and likely a victory to have any chance of a post-season berth.

As pointed out previously, the Jets (51 points) are one point behind the 7th-place Ottawa Senators (52 points, three games left) and 8th-place New York Rangers (52 points, two games left). A win by both of those teams — or a Jets loss in regulation — would mean the Jets would miss the playoffs.

It’s entirely possible the Jets could be eliminated before their game is even complete, as the Senators face the Washington Capitals and the Rangers face the Carolina Hurricanes in contests that start at 6 p.m. CT.

But the Jets will leave the what-ifs for a later discussion, the only thing on their minds is finding a way to defeat the Canadiens, who have enjoyed a fantastic season but have stumbled lately, dropping five of six contests.

The Canadiens won both previous meetings this season at the Bell Centre, winning 4-3 on Jan. 29 and 4-1 on Apr. 4.

For different reasons entirely, Thursday’s game should bring out the best in both teams.

“Our focus has to be on getting some points out of this game, any way that we can,” said Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey. “It’s mostly about us, but I would expect nothing but their best game. They haven’t put together a lot of wins lately and they’re looking to get themselves locked and loaded for the playoffs.

“We know we have to get points or we’re officially eliminated. We need to gather some points to keep ourselves alive.”

Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien made a rare appearance after the morning skate and was preaching calm.

“It’s another game that we’re here to do the job and win. We can’t really look at it any different. We have to go out there, keep the job simple and do your little things,” said Byfuglien. “It’s always about our game and that’s what we have to stay focused on.”

Byfuglien — a noted prankster — just grinned when asked if he might do something to help get his teammates loose for the big game.

“I might hide their equipment on them and stuff, make them panic a little bit,” he said. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

For all the talk recently about the big guns leading the charge, there’s no doubt the Jets can’t afford to have any players not pulling their collective weight in this one.

“We know the we have to play to have success. We need everybody,” said Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec. “We’re not going to win the game if just a few guys are going to show up. We have to show up as a team and I really believe we’re going to do it. We can do it. We’ve taken a step forward, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be about if we make the playoffs or not. It’s not going to be like, oh we were close. We have to win and then, we’ll see.”

I asked Pavelec what he thought of head coach Claude Noel’s comments that he thought the Jets could win a championship with him between the pipes.

“I just heard that for the first time today. That’s good to hear from the coach,” said Pavelec. “It’s good to know they have confidence in me.”

What are the Canadiens expecting from the Jets?

“Well, they’re playing for their lives,” said Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien. “We’re expecting an intense game, an emotional game from both sides.”

“We know how desperate they are, we know how hungry they’re going to be to win this game,” added Canadiens rookie RW Brendan Gallagher. “It’s going to be tough, but it’s a perfect test for us. It’s going to be a fun atmosphere to play in front of. For us, it’s going to get us ready (for the playoffs).

“There’s a lot of desperation in our group as well, to get back on track and start playing the right way.”

Gallagher was grinning from ear-to-ear as he was swarmed by the media on Thursday, his passion for hockey shining through.

He supplied a good moment of humour as well when he was asked by a Canadiens beat writer to help him with his awards ballot, by asking whether he should vote for Gallagher or teammate Alex Galchenyuk?

“I’m not going to say myself, but I hate saying him too because he’s not going to let me live it down,” said Gallagher, who has 13 goals and 25 points in 42 games going into Thursday’s tilt. “He’s had a very good year. For me to be able to watch him and go through this together, it’s been a lot of fun for us. My vote would be for him, just don’t tell him I said that.”

The same question was posed to Galchenyuk, who has seven goals and 25 points in 46 games — including six goals, 10 points during the past 11 games after a slump earlier this season saw him go 18 games without a goal.

“I don’t know, it’s a personal decision but to be honest with you, I don’t really think about that because a really big distraction if you start thinking of personal stuff like that,” he said. “I’m just trying to focus on the two games (left) for us. As a young player, you dream to get drafted and then after that you dream to play in the NHL. It’s unbelievable, that’s for sure.”

I asked Therrien about Galchenyuk’s season on Wednesday and here’s what he said:

“He’s having a great season. For a young man that still has two years of playing in juniors (eligibility) and having not played much last year (because of a knee injury), we had a development program for him. We wanted to make sure that all season long he’s going to get better and that’s exactly what happened to Alex. He’s learning about the NHL, he’s learning about positioning on the ice. He’s got some great skill and his compete level is there. We really like the way the young man is playing for us right now.”

Speaking of awards, there’s been plenty of buzz about Canadiens D P.K. Subban being a strong candidate for the Norris Trophy. It’s a topic I pursued on Wednesday afternoon and almost every response revolved around maturity.

“He’s just been a more mature player,” said Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges. “He’s learned how to use his talents to the best of his ability and when I say that I mean, he knows when he has to skate and skate it to the other team’s end and when he has to make the simple, five-foot pass. At times, he tried to overcomplicate things early in his career. He’s definitely got the ability to do some great things out there, but the fact he knows when to and when not to has been the biggest difference.”

So is the Norris talk legit?

“Absolutely. When you talk about the Norris Trophy, you talk about the top defenceman in the league,” said Gorges. “His plus/minus is great, his points are great, he plays against the other team’s top lines. He’s got all the qualifications for it.”

“He definitely has natural talent. He’s just used his assets,” said Canadiens goalie Carey Price. “He’s got all the ability to be the best defenceman in the league.”

Here’s what Subban had to say on the matter when I asked him what it was like to hear name in Norris discussion?

“It’s great. Like I said, I’m 23. Just to be in the discussion with those types of defencemen is great,” said Subban. “I don’t know if I’ll win it or whatever, but it’s always great to be in those discussions. But obviously, right now, my focus with two games left is getting ready for playoffs.”

Subban said sitting out the first six games because of his contract holdout was tough, but that he kept himself in great shape and that’s one of the big reasons he got off to such a strong start.

As far as what part of his game has developed most this season, Subban wasn’t sure.

“I don’t think anything specifically. I just think it’s just maturity,.” said Subban. “My third year is almost finished and it always seems like people grow up a lot quicker in markets like Toronto and Montreal. I’ve learned a lot of things playing here, playing for this organization and for this city and things have worked out positively.”

That’s going to do it for the tee-up, enjoy the game.

Based on the pre-game warm-up, here’s how we expect both teams to start Thursday:

JETS
Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler
Evander Kane, Nik Antropov, Mike Santorelli
Eric Tangradi, Alex Burmistrov, Antti Miettinen
James Wright, Aaron Gagnon, Chris Thorburn

Derek Meech, Dustin Byfuglien
Ron Hainsey, Grant Clitsome
Mark Stuart, Paul Postma

Ondrej Pavelec (Al Montoya)

CANADIENS
Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Brendan Gallagher
Michael Ryder, David Desharnais, Brian Gionta
Alex Galchenyuk, Lars Eller, Rene Bourque
Brandon Prust, Jeff Halpern, Colby Armstrong

Andrei Markov, P.K. Subban
Josh Gorges, Raphael Diaz
Francis Bouillon, Jarred Tinordi

Carey Price (Peter Budaj)

If you thought the Winnipeg Jets were going to be moping around and thinking about next season after losing to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night, you were wrong.

While the disappointment was evident when the subject of the 5-3 loss to the Caps was broached, to a man the players who met with the assembled media on Wednesday afternoon — Mark Stuart, Nik Antropov, Blake Wheeler, Grant Clitsome and Derek Meech — were all holding out hope about their slim playoff hopes and focusing solely on finding a way to defeat the Montreal Canadiens in their regular-season finale on Thursday night at MTS Centre.

“Every individual knows there’s nothing we can do about it now, that game is over with,” said Jets defenceman Mark Stuart. “It’s tough. That was the game we were looking toward. It was big. Everybody realized that. It hurts, for sure, to not get that one. I like how we battled back though, after we were down. It could have been anybody’s game there in the third. Now we’ve just got to turn the page though and win tomorrow and then, unfortunately, there’s some things out of our control. But we have to concentrate on that game.

“ Not a whole lot we can do, besides come out with a good effort tomorrow and win that game.”

Make no mistake, the Jets (9th place, 51 points) realize they’re in a real tough spot, needing a win and then to rely on opponents of the Ottawa Senators (7th place, 52 points, games with Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins remaining) and New York Rangers (8th place, 52 points,games with Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils remaining).

“It’s obviously frustrating to lose like that, it was a big game for us last night. We’re disappointed we didn’t get a win,” said Jets forward Nik Antropov. “Tomorrow is another game, the last game of the season and we have to win and see what’s happening elsewhere.”

“Obviously, we wanted to win last night but things didn’t go the way we’d planned,” added Jets defenceman Grant Clitsome. “We’re pretty proud of our effort lately, we’ve got a big game tomorrow night and we still have a chance to get in this.”

I asked Clitsome what was the biggest thing the Jets have learned about themselves during the stretch drive?

“It’s been great to see how, as a team, we’ve come together through adversity in so many critical games and emotionally-driven games and getting efforts from the whole team,” said Clitsome.

Jets winger Blake Wheeler was asked what his team could take out of this season and you could tell he didn’t like the line of questioning, but he took a deep breath and gave a thoughtful answer — though you could tell he’s still holding out hope the Jets can sneak into the post-season party.

“There’s going to be ups-and-downs in any season,” said Wheeler. “We had our ups and we had our downs. It’s true that we set ourselves behind the eight-ball. But with that said, what we’ve done down the stretch has been what I’m going to choose to focus on, that’s what everyone should choose to focus on. Had every team above us not won every single game, we might be talking about a very different situation here. But that’s not the situation, that’s not what happened. We lost five straight and we could have folded the tents. We didn’t. We dug in and we competed our asses off. That’s what we’re going to focus on. Whatever anyone else says is up for them to say.”

Jets head coach Claude Noel is confident his team can turn the page.

“I don’t think that’s going to linger,” said Noel.

A subject that was broached to Noel was the need to play better team defence and decrease the number of Grade-A scoring chances the Jets allow.

“In order to be above that line, there’s no one identifying factor, you’re not going to be able to say, it’s this, it’s that. It’s a combination of a lot of things,” said Noel. “At the end of the day, you’re goals for and against differential has to get there, you have to be on the plus side of that thing. That’s just one anaology of what has to change and that’s not because we don’t want to get there. It’s because we’re not able to right now. Whether that’s partially special teams, partially personnel, you have to get to that side.

“If you look at the people above the line, their numbers, pretty much, all of them are in the plus side of the goal differential. You have to get to that (point).”

The numbers certainly support Noel’s theory as all eight teams in the East are plus in goal differential, while the Jets are -14 with one game left to play.

Although he didn’t come right out and say it, until the Jets add some offensive production, they’ll need to clean things up in the defensive zone next season.

Another topic that drew a response from Noel was his thoughts on the play of goalie Ondrej Pavelec and whether or not he believed that his workhorse starter had taken his game to a higher level.

Noel gave an emphatic response and I dealt with the subject in my sidebar.

My column advanced the game with the Canadiens, while colleague Kirk Penton added a column on the Jets’ special-teams struggles and added a notebook that included some some discussion on the play of Antropov as he returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a lower-body injury.

Be sure to check out our extensive game-day tee-up package in Thursday’s Winnipeg Sun and at www. winnipegsun.com.

Most of the Jets key performers stayed off the ice Wednesday, leaving five skaters — Jim Slater, Anthony Peluso, Zach Remdond, Jacob Trouba and Paul Postma — to join goalie Al Montoya for the optional skate.

As for the Canadiens, they find themselves in a bit of a tailspin, losing five of six games after nailing down their spot in the playoffs.

After playing better but losing 3-2 to the Devils on Tuesday, the Canadiens held a one-hour practice that featured plenty of battle drills and was filled with intensity.

“We need to play with more intensity, we all know. Especially when we start the game,” said Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien. “That aspect of our game, we went through the motions a bit too much and then we tried to react. For the most part of the season, we established a tone in the game and we have to get back to those good habits.”

Therrien was adamant when asked if the Canadiens still had time to turn things around, with two games left before the playoffs start and first place in the division still a possibility.

“Of course I do,” said Therrien.

The Canadiens will start Carey Price, while Pavelec makes his 43rd start and 44th appearance in this 48-game season.

The Jets figure to dress the same lineup as Tuesday night, since Jets head coach Claude Noel said D Zach Bogosian (suspected concussion) remains day-to-day “but it’s probably not THAT day.”

Therrien announced that rookie D Jarred Tinordi would be in the lineup and will be asked to provide a physical presence.

Tinordi played six games with the Canadiens earlier this season before he was returned to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.

“When he started with us, he was doing good. The excitement when you make your first step in the NHL is always there. After that, he lost a bit of his confidence,” said Therrien. “We want him to be more physical, part of his game for a big kid like that, he has to be a presence. We told him the message and he was more a presence on the ice in Hamilton to finish the year. We’ll give him an opportunity tomorrow and it’s up to the players to take it. We believe in the young man. He skates well, he’s having a good first pass and he could be a good presence. We want to make sure he does those things.”

Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges was asked if his team would be able to match the desperation level the Jets figure to have in what amounts to a legitimate must-win game.

“We have to expect their absolute best and that should push us to be even better than normal,” said Gorges. “Right now, we’re battling ourselves, more than anything. Every team goes through these difficult times, these funks, throughout the season and it’s a matter of finding a way to come out of it and still staying in the right frame of mind.  Right now, we just have to stay confident. We believe in the group that we have. We all know we have a great group of guys here, guys who want to play for each other. If we get back to playing that style, we’ll be all right.”

“We should have that urgency right now. This is the time of year that other teams have got it and we have to have it.”

Despite the recent woes, it’s obvious the Canadiens are having a lot more fun this season after enduring some serious struggles lat year.

“Going from 15th place to one of the top teams in your conference is a huge accomplishment and to be able to clinch playoffs with eight games left in the (48-game) season is pretty huge, with a couple weeks to go,” said Canadiens D P.K. Subban. “I don’t think it’s a switch you want to turn on and off. These next two games for us are going to be pretty huge to build our confidence and get into the right frame of mind.”

We now interrupt the Winnipeg Jets exciting playoff push for a story that warrants moving it back for at least a matter of moments.

Although we’ll quickly shift the focus to this afternoon’s pressure-packed tilt with the New York Islanders (2 pm) to close out a six-game homestand at MTS Centre, the return of Zach Redmond deserves to get its due this morning.

The amazing comeback of the second-year pro has been well-documented but Friday was another chapter as the Jets’ rookie played his first game since the scary skate-cut incident that severed his femoral artery in Raleigh, N.C. on Feb. 21, suiting up on a conditioning assignment with the St. John’s IceCaps of the American Hockey League.

Redmond was in the starting lineup and picked up an assist in a 4-1 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs at Copps Coliseum.

I spoke with IceCaps head coach Keith McCambridge this morning and he was thoroughly impressed by Redmond’s performance, noting that by the third period he looked to be back to where he was before his recall to the Jets.

Redmond skated well, made smart decisions and even saw time on the IceCaps power play, finishing with 16:58 of ice time and three shots on goal.

McCambridge said Redmond had some general soreness today and won’t play this afternoon against the Toronto Marlies, but the plan is for him to suit up again on Sunday in the IceCaps regular season finale.

Redmond will rejoin the Jets early next week.

Whether or not he plays another NHL game this season remains to be soon.

But the best news is that Redmond has taken another step in the process to resuming his NHL career, which is absolutely incredible when you think about what he went through since teammate Antti Miettinen accidentally stepped on him late in that morning skate two months ago.

Friday also marked the debut of Jets goalie prospect Juho Olkinuora, who was signed as a free agent earlier this month.

McCambridge said Olkinuora the first goal he gave up was one he’d like back, but the youngster responded by making a couple of big saves right after it, something that impressed the IceCaps’ head coach.

Olkinuora turned aside 22 of 25 shots (the Bulldogs fourth goal went into an empty net).

Back to the game at hand, after playing against teams that were below them through the first five games of this homestand, the Jets are in for another big test with the Islanders coming to town.

John Tavares in a legit MVP candidate and it will be very interesting to see how Zach Bogosian and perhaps Grant Clitsome match up against the line with Matt Moulson and Brad Boyes.

The Islanders are a fast team and another guy to watch for this afternoon is Kyle Okposo, who didn’t have a point in the last meeting but was a physical force and created plenty of opportunities.

Speaking of physical force, will Dustin Byfuglien bring the physical edge he played with on Thursday? You can bet Jets head coach Claude Noel is hoping so. When Byfuglien adds the checking element to his skill set, he becomes even more dangerous.

Can the Jets top trio of Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler (30 points during past five games), continue their offensive dominance? And can the Jets get some secondary scoring from the other three lines?

Remember, it was the Jets D corps that produced three of four goals in Thursday’s OT win over the Hurricanes (Bogosian, Paul Postma and Byfuglien with the GWG).

The Jets lost to backup Kevin Poulin in the last meeting, but we expect they’ll face starter Evgeni Nabokov this afternoon and he’s been playing great.

Getting ready for the CJOB pre-game show, so that’s about it for now.

Be sure to join our live blog at 1:30 and look for comprehensive coverage in Sunday’s paper and at www.winnipegsun.com later this afternoon.

Enjoy the game.

Here’s the updated playoff box (going into Saturday’s action):

*3. Washington Capitals (50 pts, 4 GR) — HOME (3): Winnipeg, Ottawa, Boston; AWAY (1): Montreal

6. Ottawa Senators (52 points, 5 GR) — HOME (3): Toronto, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. AWAY (2): Boston, Washington.

7. New York Islanders (51 pts, 4 GR) — HOME (0); AWAY (4): Winnipeg, Carolina, Philadelphia, Buffalo

8. New York Rangers (50 pts, 4 GR) — HOME (2): New Jersey, New Jersey; AWAY (2): Florida, Carolina

————————————————————————————–

*9. Winnipeg (48 pts, 4 GR) — HOME (2): New York Islanders, Montreal; AWAY (2): Buffalo, Washington

11. New Jersey (42 pts, 5 GR) — HOME (3): Florida, Montreal, Pittsburgh; AWAY (2): New York Rangers, New York Rangers

Eliminated from playoff contention: Philadelphia, Buffalo, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida

* Southeast Division teams

And lastly, here’s how we expect both teams to start this afternoon:

JETS
Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler
Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen, Kyle Wellwood
Eric Tangradi, Alex Burmistrov, Mike Santorelli
James Wright, Aaron Gagnon, Chris Thorburn

Grant Clitsome, Zach Bogosian,
Ron Hainsey, Dustin Byfuglien
Mark Stuart, Paul Postma

Goalies
Ondrej Pavelec (Al Montoya)

ISLANDERS
Matt Moulson, John Tavares, Brad Boyes
Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo
Michael Grabner, Keith Aucoin, Colin McDonald
Jesse Joensuu, Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin

Thomas Hickey, Lubomir Visnovsky
Andrew MacDonald, Travis Hamonic
Mark Streit, Matt Carkner

Evgeni Nabokov (Kevin Poulin)

There was a significant bump in the road for the Winnipeg Jets, but ultimately it was another important win on this occasionally rocky highway.

Despite failing to hold a two-goal lead in the third period for the second straight game, the Jets found a way to get it done when it mattered most, squeaking out a 4-3 overtime win when Dustin Byfuglien potted a rebound on a 2-on-1 rush with captain Andrew Ladd at 1:23 of overtime.

The latest victory allowed the Jets to extend their season-high winning streak to five games, an impressive turnaround that comes on the heels of a five-game losing skid that put their playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.

“It’s good to win, we just need to be better in the last 10 minutes when we have two-goal leads. Obviously, it’s two in a row and all of the goals were in the last 10, we need to be better there. No question,” said Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey. “It’s nothing blatant, it’s a point shot, bounce off our guy and a rebound. But we’re spending enough time in our zone that eventually stuff can happen.”

“At those points, when they come back and tie (the game), you’ve got to be able to overcome that, stay positive, play your game and find ways to win,” added Ladd. “We’ve done that the last two games. We don’t necessarily like the way we’ve done that, you don’t like to give up a 3-1 lead but you find ways to win those games and it’s a little easier to take.”

Byfuglien was a major factor in this one, delivering the winning goal but also failing to provide suitable coverage on the game-tying marker from Alexander Semin that came with 1:12 left in regulation on a shift that also saw him get caught in the offensive zone after joining the attack with the Jets protecting a one-goal lead.

Perhaps the most impressive thing is that Byfuglien didn’t let the mistake get him down and he was able to come through when his team needed him most.

“When you’re going hard to the net, sometimes you get good bounces and I think Buff deserved to get the game-winner. He played a big game for us,” said Jets winger Blake Wheeler. “I don’t know. You have to ask him that. He might have got a little cranky or pissed off. Buff is normally a guy who is a happy-go-lucky, goofy guy. When you get him a little bit pissed off, it’s pretty scary. I had nothing to do with it.”

Byfuglien didn’t reveal much when asked why his intensity level was a little higher on this night, which led to a handful of booming hits.

“I had a couple opportunities to make some hits and I took them,” said Byfuglien, who played 24 minutes, had six shots on goal and seven hits in the contest. “I probably wouldn’t say I was mad, I had a couple opportunities to make some hits and I made them.”

Byfuglien was in a playful mood when he spoke with reporters and explained what happened on the game-tying goal by Semin.

“I had position and it bounced to him on the backside, right to him and right to his stick,” said Byfuglien. “That’s a guy whose stick seems to find the puck a lot. It wasn’t easy.”

He also talked about how much fun it is to be having success as a team at this time of the year, but noted there is more to be done during the final four games of the regular season.

“We’ve grown a lot in here, we’re learning to play the right way but there’s little things that we can work on to get us better too,” said Byfuglien. “This is the fun time of the year, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us still and we just have got to keep going.”

Byfuglien was a central figure in my game analysis story, but here’s a quote from head coach Claude Noel that I wasn’t able to sneak in.

“He was physical,” said Noel. “You notice some things from a physical standpoint. So he looked like he was involved, certainly from that standpoint. He did some good things and did some things that were not so good. I’d like all players to be consistent, but that’s a really hard thing to do.”

Here’s what Ladd said when I asked him what it means for the Jets when Byfuglien brings the physical dimension to the rest of the package.

“You see the excitement it brings, to our fans and our bench, it’s a big boost to our club,” said Ladd. “We’ve played a lot of games in a short amount of time and to have someone like that who can lift your bench up, with a big hit, is something you can rally around.

“He was great all night. He was all over the ice, physical and even defensively, breaking up plays. He had a great stick and did a lot of great things. He was a big reason that we won tonight.”

During his scrum with the media, Ladd cracked a few jokes, including one where he said he wouldn’t pass to Byfuglien in that situation.

Why not?

“I’ve seen Buff shoot before and he needs to be a little closer to the net,” said Ladd.

Jokes notwithstanding, the Jets top line of Ladd, Wheeler and Bryan Little showed the way offensively, combining for eight points (Ladd had three assists, Wheeler had a goal and two assists and Little had two helpers). That gives the top trio eight goals and 30 points (Ladd has four goals, 11 points, Wheeler has three goals and 10 points and Little has one goal, nine points) during the five-game winning streak.

The numbers are remarkable and the impact the line is having on the Jets’ fortunes is equally so.

“They’re playing as good as I’ve seen lately,” said Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey. “I’d love them to continue.”

Speaking of being in the zone, I’m guessing you’ve already seen it by now but Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec played a key role in this one as well and his second-period stop on ‘Canes D-man Justin Faulk was simply ridiculous. It essentially puts his save-of-the-year against Philadelphia Flyers F Jakub Voracek to shame.

With Faulk jumping in from the left point during a power play, Pavelec stretched across and stuck the paddle of his stick out and knocked the puck out of the air to prevent a sure goal that would have tied the game 1-1.

The save came after Pavelec stoned Faulk with his right pad earlier in the same power play and brought an electrified crowd to its feet for a standing ovation, an act the Jets’ workhorse netminder noticed and appreciated.

“It’s fun. I enjoy it but you have to focus right away for the next shot,” said Pavelec, who called the save itself lucky.

When I asked him if he thought it was the biggest save he’d made this year, Pavelec wasn’t 100% sure.

“Probably, it’s tough to say,” said Pavelec. “It doesn’t matter how you make the save, right? I was just happy they didn’t score from that power play. They had some chances there.”

Here’s what Wheeler thought of the save itself and the performance, in general.

“It’s huge. It’s one that should be in the back of the net. You feel like you almost got a free goal there, when they’re not able to capitalize. Sometimes you need those to get you over the hump,” said Wheeler. “He’s one of those goalies that they scored three goals on him tonight, but it could have been a lot more.

“Some of the saves he made, not many guys are capable of that. We’re lucky to have a guy like Pav-o on our side, because of the way he competes and the things he does for our team every night.”

It was interesting that Noel made an alteration on his defence pairings, moving Zach Bogosian and Grant Clitsome together while playing Byfuglien with Hainsey.

Bogosian opened the scoring at 12:13 of the opening period, taking a pass from Little on the rush and pushing the puck in with one hand for his fourth goal of the season. Bogosian added an assist for another two-point night.

Speaking of D-men, Paul Postma helped the Jets’ struggling power play get on the board at 8:27 of the second period, jumping up from the right point and taking a pass from Wheeler before roofing his shot for his fourth goal. Smart read, with nice finish.

Wheeler supplied the other goal for the Jets, taking a pass from Little through the middle of the ice and blowing past the Hurricanes’ defence before beating Justin Peters for his 17th goal of the campaign.

There wasn’t a lot of help on the out-of-town scoreboard, as the 7th-place New York Islanders spanked the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 and the 8th-place New York Rangers smoked the Florida Panthers 6-1 to hold their spots in the East, but the Ottawa Senators did the Jets a huge favour, snapping the Washington Capitals eight-game winning streak with a 3-1 win in the nation’s capital.

That leaves the Jets in 9th spot, but pulls them within two points of the Caps, with a game at Verizon Center looming large next Tuesday.

Before that possible date with destiny, the Jets face the Islanders on Saturday afternoon.

It’s going to be an exciting tilt, as the Islanders play an up-tempo game and are really fun to watch.

John Tavares has to be considered for the Hart Trophy right now and the Jets are in for the stiffest test of this six-game homestand that has provided some stress but ultimately led to them taking 10 of a possible 10 points.

Leave it to Hainsey to help keep things in perspective.

“We were coming off a five-game losing streak, so it’s a five-game winning streak,” said Hainsey. “It’s 5-5 over the last 10, so it’s just average.”

I’m off on Friday, leaving Jets coverage to colleagues Kirk Penton and columnist Paul Friesen.

Don’t forget to join them for the weekly live Jets chat from 2 to 3 p.m.

I’ll be checking in from MTS Centre on Saturday to help tee up Jets/Islanders.

Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel was in a good mood during his session with the media on Thursday morning.

For me, that meant being on the end of one of his zingers.

When there’s “Joy in Joyland” Noel occasionally takes some shots at the members of the media and today was my turn and the remark came during a conversation about his philosophy about matching his top line of Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler against the top line of the opposition.

“First of all, you have to see if it works and if it’s working, that’s what I normally do,” said Noel. “For example, last game we went head-to-head, so there was a lot of jockeying around there. You probably never noticed because usually you sleep during the game…Just kidding.

“You watch, you see how it goes and if you sense it doesn’t go, then what’s your other alternative? You find another.”

I countered by saying that I had noticed Noel getting his top line against the fourth line of the opposition of late as well.

“Is that a compliment? Thank you,” said Noel. “This is what happens when you win a couple games in a row, you get some laughter. Sometimes it’s pretty sombre in here.”

In all seriousness, the Jets were all business in the dressing room as they dealt with the monotony of having to talk about getting about for another huge game.

It should be noted that it’s another huge game against another opponent that’s out of it, something that’s happened with some regularity during this four-game winning streak on what will be a six-game homestand.

“It’s not like they’re just going to come out and go through the motions,” said Little. “When you’re out of the playoffs, you’re still playing and you still want to spoil other teams’ post-seasons. We’ve been in that position before, so I don’t expect them to lay over. They’re going to try to come out and beat us.

“They always give us trouble and their top line (Eric Staal, Alexander Semin and Jiri Tlusty), when they’re going is one of the better lines in the league.”

The high stakes have been a frequent topic of conversation, but the Jets’ players realize it comes with the territory and is better than the alternative of talking about playing out the spring or getting ready for the following season.

“(Talking to the media) comes with it, but it’s easier to do than you’re winning hockey games and talking about positive things,” said Ladd, who has been a force of late. “You just try to build on the games you’ve had and the feeling that comes out of those games.

“You look at the situation we’re in and the pressure that comes with every game, you should be hungrier every game. With the success, it makes it easier to be excited every night, to be a part of the race and to push to make the playoffs. In our minds, we control our own destiny, which is a nice feeling but we don’t have much wiggle room either. If you lose a game, that could easily be taken away from us. We want to stay on top of that and be in control of our own destiny throughout this process.”

If the Jets need a reminder of how dangerous the Hurricanes can be, they will surely remember that they’re one of only two teams to lose to Carolina during the past 17 games. And how valuable would an extra two points look for the Jets in this frenetic race to the finish line right now?

“The cliche is true, we’ve got to worry about this one tonight,” said Wheeler. “As long as we keep passing every test, the magnitude grows and that’s fun. That’s playoff hockey right there and we’re in the midst of a chase. That’s fun to be a part of.”

The Jets will dress the same lineup, while the Hurricanes will dress 11 forwards and seven defencemen.

Ondrej Pavelec makes his ninth consecutive start for the Jets, while Justin Peters gets the call for the Hurricanes.

Peters was solid in the last meeting, making 34 saves in a 3-1 victory for the visitors.

With all due respect to Peters and Dan Ellis, the Hurricanes simply haven’t been able to recover from the loss of goalie Cam Ward to injury.

“They’ve had a bit of a losing spell in the last month or so, it’s a team you want to take advantage of when they come in here. We’re on a roll now and we want to use our energy. It’s about establishing your will to win the game. Obviously, they want to be spoilers,,” said Jets forward Kyle Wellwood. “It seems to be a lot different because they can’t seem to win. A lot has to do with Ward (being out), but their goalie in net now (Peters) is capable of stealing a game at any time. I’m sure he’s hankering to show everyone that he can play.”

Ladd is a former teammate and remains a close friend of Ward, so I asked the Jets captain about how different the Hurricanes are without him between the pipes.

“You learn to appreciate what Cam brings to the Hurricanes,” said Ladd. “He’s just a rock back there and has been as long as he’s been there. He’s their last line of defence and allows you to make some mistakes. When he’s not there, maybe those mistakes become a little more magnified.”

“He’s one of the better goalies in the league, so when he’s not in net your mindset changes a bit,” added Little. “You try to get more shots on net and try to test whoever is in there. Whoever is in net can have a great night, on any given night. It’s not a guarantee we’re going to pile in the goals.”

Despite the struggles that have seen his team drop out of top spot in the Southeast Division, Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller likes the effort his team has put forth during this tough stretch and figures they deserved a better fate on many nights.

“I’ve got to admit, I’m really pleased with the way they’ve been playing during this stretch, they’ve been playing hard. Quite honestly, we deserved points in probably 11 of the games. We only had three games where we haven’t played well, so it has been frustrating. We’ve had some really strong games where we’ve walked away with nothing ,” said Muller, whose club is a disappointing 4-12 vs Southeast Division opponents this season. “We’re playing with a lot of focus and energy. We’ve got some young guys in the lineup and what it’s about for us is getting better every day and building with our core group and not picking up any bad habits. Playing the game the right way and playing it hard.

“All our games from here on in are going to be against opponents that are fighting for (playoff) spots. It’s a loud crowd here and it’s a tough place to come in and play. We’ve got to be ready for a fast-paced game.”

The road team is a perfect 3-0 so far in the season series, with the Jets winning twice in North Carolina and the Hurricanes winning in the lone game at MTS Centre last month.

Muller said forward Jeff Skinner had returned to Raleigh, N.C. to have an upper-body injury looked at (the result of a hit by Ottawa Senators D Jared Cowen) but initial results suggest Skinner could be back by the weekend, which means he didn’t suffer a concussion.

The Jets go into tonight’s action in ninth place in the East, but are tied in points (46) with the New York Rangers, who hold a game in hand.

For those wondering what’s happening on the out-of-town scoreboard, there are three other games of interest to the Jets’ playoff hopes tonight: Islanders at Maple Leafs, Panthers at Rangers and Capitals at Senators.

Unlike earlier this week, a Jets win, coupled with a Rangers loss can actually move Winnipeg back above the playoff line.

The Rangers are also in action on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres in a huge game for both teams. That will also be the game in hand the Rangers have on the Jets and it’s coming in a back-to-back situation.

Here’s how we expect both teams to start on Thursday night:

JETS
Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler
Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen, Kyle Wellwood
Eric Tangradi, Alex Burmistrov, Mike Santorelli
James Wright, Aaron Gagnon, Chris Thorburn

Dustin Byfuglien, Grant Clitsome
Ron Hainsey, Zach Bogosian
Mark Stuart, Paul Postma

Ondrej Pavelec (Al Montoya)

HURRICANES
Alexander Semin, Eric Staal, Jiri Tlusty
Tuomo Ruutu, Jordan Staal, Chad LaRose
Nicolas Blanchard, Riley Nash, Patrick Dwyer
Tim Wallace, Kevin Westgarth

Tim Gleason, Justin Faulk
Jay Harrison, Joe Corvo
Bobby Sanguinetti/Marc-Andre Bergeron, Jamie McBain

Justin Peters (Dan Ellis)

Say this about the Winnipeg Jets, they’ve found a way to keep things awfully interesting during this playoff push.

Tuesday night provided the latest example as the Jets shook off the rust of a four-day break with a strong start, ended the first period on even terms after a blunder by Ron Hainsey and then took charge in the second period on goals from Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd.

When holding a lead after 40 minutes of play this season, the Jets were an impressive 16-1 coming into the contest, so you got the feeling that the struggling Lightning might not offer much resistance during the third.

Turns out that wasn’t the case at all.

After Dustin Byfuglien failed to clear the zone, former Manitoba Moose LW Pierre-Cedric Labrie bounced a rebound off Byfuglien and in for his second goal of the season and at 11:17, Steven Stamkos whistled home a shot to the blocker side to even the score.

A two-goal cushion was lost and the tide had turned.

Was this the moment the Jets were going to come apart at the seams?

Nope. Instead of folding, the Jets collected their thoughts, got the game to overtime and won it in the shootout.

What was said after the Lightning tied the contest?

“We needed to settle down, that was pretty much all it was,” said Ladd, who was an absolute force in this game with two goals and an assist before clinching the game with the second shootout goal. “We were still there and had a chance to win the hockey game. That was the message.”

Mike Santorelli, claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers back on Apr. 3, also scored in the shootout — making his biggest contribution in the five games since joining the Jets.

This shootout success shouldn’t come as a big surprise, since he was 9-of-18 during his NHL career when he was acquired and is now 10-for-19.

Success in the penalty-shot contest was only one of the reasons the Jets picked him up and being able to deliver in such a big spot brought a smile to the face of Santorelli, though he seemed a bit uncomfortable when pressed about what’s allowed him to have positive results in the shootout.

“I don’t know, I just kind of read off the goalie. I’ve got a couple moves, I go in there thinking of one and stick with it. Luckily it went in,” said Santorelli, who has one assist in five games with the Jets. “I don’t know what to tell ya. I can’t tell you the secrets. I’m happy I got the chance to go out there and do it.

“Today was my first one (with the Jets), so I was a little nervous. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. It was great to get that (goal) and to get the extra point, which is great. Every point is huge right now. There’s only five games left and you need all the points you can get. It’s a tight race. It’s going to go right down to the wire.”

Columnist Paul Friesen looked closely at the shootout in his game column tonight, so be sure to check that out.

Here’s Noel on having Santorelli shoot second (after Wheeler):

“He’s been a scorer his whole career, first of all. So his background is good. You’d have to be asleep at the wheel not to know he was a scorer in shootouts in Florida. You just do your work, you know,” said Noel. “He pulled the trigger again. He’s done it. He’s clipping along at like 50%. So that’s why we put him out there.”

One thing that shouldn’t go unnoticed were the two right pad stops by Ondrej Pavelec, who historically is not a big fan of shootouts.

You wouldn’t have known it from Tuesday’s results, as Pavelec stopped Teddy Purcell and Richard Panik by pushing to his post and extending his right leg to prevent close calls.

Pavelec has now allowed just four goals on 18 chances in shootouts this season (77.8% save percentage), pretty decent numbers.

Although it was the top trio of Ladd, Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little that led the charge on Tuesday, there was plenty of praise dished out by players and head coach Claude Noel toward Santorelli, Eric Tangradi and Alex Burmistrov, who played more than 20 minutes for the first time this season.

Tangradi made an excellent move in the first period and Santorelli clanged his shot off the crossbar, but the line was able to generate a few other chances offensively and produce some important zone time as well.

Kirk Penton examined the play of the third line in his sidebar tonight.

Noel made it known that Santorelli is more than just a shootout specialist.

“You guys are focused on him and the shootout. I get where you’re coming with the stories, but he’s played well for us,” said Noel. “He hit the crossbar one time, he’s got some good chemistry, he skates, he’s good on the forecheck. He’s done some good things for our team past the shootout. He’s a guy that has shown he can score at this level.”

Wheeler also showered some praise on Santorelli.

“That’s huge, it’s awesome. He’s been playing well for us and that line has been playing well for us, they created a lot of scoring opportunities and a lot of momentum for our team,” said Wheeler. “(Santorelli) is a guy who is confident in those situations, we’ve seen it playing against him. He’s pretty nasty in those shootouts.”

Santorelli and Tangradi each had four shots on goal, while Burmistrov had two of his own.

Tangradi also took exception to a hit by Nate Thompson on Burmistrov, dropping the gloves in a scrap that was mostly a wrestling match. It was sure to earn points with his teammates for Tangradi, as sticking up for a teammate always does.

One of the biggest questions coming into the game surrounded how the Jets would handle the four days between game.

No doubt they were well-rested, but how long would it take to shake off the rust?

Turns out, not very long as Ladd scored his first goal at 1:23 of the opening period after taking a drop-pass from Wheeler at the blue line and snapping a shot through the legs of Ben Bishop.

“It’s a little strange, actually, because you get four days off and your body kind of doesn’t know how to react to it, I guess,” said Jets defenceman Grant Clitsome. “We did a good job coming out with some energy early on.”

The Jets second goal was a thing of beauty, as Ladd outworked Victor Hedman along the boards and found Wheeler in the slot. Wheeler showed great patience and waited until Bishop was down and out before lifting a shot over him at 8:37 of the 2nd to make it 2-1.

“(Ladd) gave me the puck and I saw a defenceman coming at me and I saw (Little) on the backdoor. I wanted to hold onto (the puck) and get it onto my forehand,” said Wheeler, who added five hits in the contest to go along with his three points. “My first instinct was to pass it to (Little) but they got back pretty quick, so I decided to wait (Bishop) out.

“I waited just long enough and was able to put it home.”

The ability to keep their composure is something the Jets can take out of this game as they push forward.

“Sometimes when a team grabs the momentum from you like that, you have to re-assess things,” said Wheeler. “It was still a 3-3 game, points are at a premium right now, so there’s no reason to panic. You can’t start doing things that are out of character for our team. You have to start with hanging on to get the one point and then try to win the game in overtime the shootout. Good teams are able to do that. They’re able to refocus when things are going a little south.”

Ladd wired home a wrist shot with two seconds left in a minor penalty to Vinny Lecavalier late in the 2nd to make it a 3-1 advantage.

The focus of my column was about how Ladd showed the way in this important game, but here’s a quote from Noel that I couldn’t sneak in.

“He drives the bus. He was a pretty effective player tonight. He was real good, he made some good plays,” said Noel. “His shot obviously really was going. But that’s what (Ladd) can do. (He) can do those things and really help your team, both in the game, on the ice and off the ice. He’s real good.”

Speaking of Clitsome, he had a potential goal disallowed with 6:58 left in the second period as referee Dean Morton waved off the marker immediately, ruling that Ladd was in the crease and had interfered with Bishop.

A slow motion replay showed that Ladd made contact with Bishop initially but backed off seemingly before the shot was taken.

The call sent the MTS Centre crowd into a fury and Noel reacted with plenty of anger and presumably some harsh words for Morton.

No penalty for goalie interference was called on the play, but the face-off went outside the zone.

Ultimately, the ruling didn’t hurt the Jets and there weren’t any complaints from the dressing room afterward but there may have been had the shootout gone the other way.

In the end, the Jets were happy to collect their two points and go home.

Both Ladd and Wheeler said at this time of year, there’s no need to critique the wins and that W’s are all that really matter.

Noel said the same thing.

“I would’ve rather taken it in regulation, but that’s just my own personal preference,” said Noel. “The two points are just as valuable any way you can get them at this point.”

With the win, the Jets improve to 22-19-2 (46 points) but remain ninth in the East for the time being. The Rangers are 8th but hold a higher winning percentage as they hold a game in hand.

The Jets have five games left in the regular season and return to action on Thursday against the struggling Carolina Hurricanes, who were leading the Southeast Division at one point but have only posted two wins during their past 17 games.

It’s important to note that one of those wins came at MTS Centre against the Jets on Mar. 30 in a 3-1 setback for the home side.

Taking Wednesday off, but Penton and Friesen will have full coverage on Jets on Wednesday.

Check it out in Thursday’s paper and online at www.winnipegsun.com.