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.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As far as their franchise history goes, they probably don’t come much bigger than this one for the Winnipeg Jets.

Going back a few years to their days in Atlanta, the current Jets usually put up a good fight but were never really this close to the post-season — aside from the ones who made the playoffs in 2007. The Jets can get really serious about making the playoffs tonight with a win over the Capitals at Verizon Center.

The Caps can wrap up the Southeast with a regulation or overtime win. The Jets can’t clinch anything, but they can certainly scare them with a victory of their own and maybe even pull out the division title. Winnipeg plays against Montreal on Thursday, while Washington finishes against Ottawa and Boston. Those aren’t slam dunks for the Capitals.

Here are a few more pre-game thoughts …

• There were 16 Jets on the ice for the optional morning skate. They probably wouldn’t admit it, but I’m thinking some of them had to burn off some nervous energy.

• Nik Antropov wasn’t talking after the skate because he didn’t know if he was going to be playing or not. I’d put money on Antropov getting the nod in place of the injured Kyle Wellwood, who broke his hand on Monday night in Buffalo.

• According to my calculations, first place in the Southeast (also known as the Washington route) is the second best way into the playoffs for the Jets. The Ottawa route is still the best.

• The Jets have recorded at least one point in seven straight games, which ties them for the second best mark in franchise history. If they can pick up a point tonight, it would be one game shy of the franchise record of nine straight without a regulation loss.

• Verizon Center promises to be a madhouse tonight. Caps fans will come dressed in red and ready to make some noise. It’s a large building, though, so the Jets might be able to suck the life out of the place with a couple of quick goals early.

• Alex Ovechkin, who is the hottest player on the planet right now, is hoping the Caps get a boost from their fans. “We’re going to use it to the maximum that we can,” he said after his team’s morning skate in Arlington, Va. “It’s always nice to play at home in that kind of position and the situation as well. I hope the fans are going to be the best tonight.”

• Ovechkin is red hot, but Troy Brouwer isn’t far behind. He has six goals in his last five games.

• Winnipeg has to watch out for Washington’s power play, for obvious reasons. Ovechkin and Co. have seven PP tallies in their last five games.

• If the Capitals win in regulation or overtime tonight, they will snag their fifth Southeast Division title in six years.

• Tonight is the last regular-season Southeast Division game for the Jets. I’m thinking the Jets are going to miss the Southeast next year because of the teams, and the people who cover the team are going to miss the Southeast next year, too, but only because of the weather.

• Adam Oates didn’t mince words when asked about the Jets playing on back-to-back nights. He hopes and thinks it’s going to hurt them. “We’ve had the benefit of a little bit of rest that they haven’t, so hopefully it’ll show itself.”

• If you’re ever looking for the Capitals practice facility, it’s on the eighth floor of a mall in Arlington, Va.

• Here are my guesses for tonight’s line combinations and defence pairings. Not sure what the Jets are going to do up front assuming Antropov goes in:
WINNIPEG
Forwards
Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler
Evander Kane, Nik Antropov, James Wright
Eric Tangradi, Alex Burmistrov, Mike Santorelli
Antti Miettinen, Aaron Gagnon, Chris Thorburn
Defence
Derek Meech, Dustin Byfuglien
Ron Hainsey, Grant Clitsome
Mark Stuart, Paul Postma
Goalies
Ondrej Pavelec
Al Montoya

WASHINGTON
Forwards
Marcus Johansson, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
Martin Erat, Mike Ribeiro, Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera, Mathieu Perreault, Eric Fehr
Jay Beagle, Matt Hendricks, Aaron Volpatti
Defence
Mike Green, Karl Alzner
John Carlson, John Erskine
Jack Hillen, Steve Olesky
Goalies
Braden Holtby
Michal Neuvirth

BUFFALO — The game that everyone has been looking at for the last couple of weeks has finally arrived.

Winnipeg at Washington. Verizon Center. Tuesday, April 23. 7 p.m.

The Washington Capitals can lock up a playoff spot with a victory over the Jets, because they would be three points up and Winnipeg would have only one game left. The Jets would still have avenues to the playoffs ahead of the Senators, Rangers and Islanders even if they lose, but a win would put the Caps in chase mode.

“What we’ve done these last five or six games means nothing,” Evander Kane said. “We gotta get ready for (Tuesday).”

With that in mind, here are a few thoughts from Monday’s game against the Sabres and the huge clash with the Caps:

• Kyle Wellwood suffered a hand injury that will keep him out “long term,” according to head coach Claude Noel. Wellwood blocked a Thomas Vanek shot with his right hand in the second period, and you can only assume there’s a broken bone in there somewhere. Oddly, it’s the second straight year he’s suffered a season-ending injury in the last week of the season.

• As for the Sabres game, the Jets deserve credit for sticking to it. Jhonas Enroth was stubborn all night long, but Antti Miettinen, who had been scratched from the last six games, scored the winner with seven and a half minutes to go.

• The Jets needed to win the game, and they should have won the game, and they did the game. That being said, they need to be much better on Tuesday night. “It wasn’t the easiest game for us,” Miettinen said. “To be able to win that is great. We just gotta be a little better when we go into Washington.”

• Blake Wheeler probably could have had a few goals on Monday night, but he was foiled by Enroth. Wheeler also took a lazy hooking penalty that led to Buffalo’s only goal on the power play.

• Evander Kane admitted he’s not 100%, which is obvious considering he has stopped participating in morning skates. “I don’t think anybody this time of the year,” he said. “You gotta play through some injuries and through some pain. This is the time of the season where you gotta step up and play for your teammates.”

• The Jets had a little fun with rookie defenceman Jacob Trouba on Monday. They apparently took his helmet from him and then made him lead the team out for the pre-game skate. And of course they stopped behind him and let him step onto the ice and skate for a while before joining him. Trouba took the skate but didn’t play in the game.

• Ondrej Pavelec’s best save of the night was his glove hand robbery of Vanek with five minutes to go. Pavelec admitted he just put his glove there and Vanek hit it. He’s being modest. He was in pretty good position and showed plenty of patience.

• Here’s a look at the Eastern Conference playoff race. I still think Ottawa is the best path to the playoffs for the Jets.

*3. Washington Capitals (52 pts, 3 GR) — HOME (3): Winnipeg, Ottawa, Boston; AWAY (0)
6. New York Islanders (53 pts, 3 GR) — HOME (0); AWAY (3): Carolina, Philadelphia, Buffalo
7. New York Rangers (52 pts, 3 GR) — HOME (1): New Jersey; AWAY (2): Florida, Carolina
8. Ottawa Senators (52 points, 3 GR) — HOME (1): Philadelphia. AWAY (2): Boston, Washington
——————————————————————————————————————
*9. Winnipeg (51 pts, 2 GR) — HOME (1): Montreal; AWAY (1): Washington

• Noel made it sound like Nik Antropov will be returning to the lineup in place of Wellwood on Tuesday night. It would probably be best to have him in there, considering he’s probably been in similar, pressure-packed situations a few times. Jim Slater is not yet ready to go as he recovers from a broken hand.

• I’ll be flying to Washington on Tuesday morning, so stay tuned to my Twitter feed for updates leading up to the big game.

BUFFALO — It’s a nice, sunny day here in the Niagara region, and the Jets hope to feel the same way after tonight’s game against the Sabres.

It’s just the opposite with the Sabres. The situation around the team has been described as “toxic” on more than one occasion by the local media lately, so they should be in disarray. They got pummelled 8-4 by the Rangers on Friday night, and goaltender Ryan Miller was mocked by the fans. Everyone thinks he’s done here in Buffalo. The situation is not good — unless you’re the Jets and their fans. There are no excuses for Winnipeg tonight, who will face Sabres backup Jhonas Enroth.

A few other thoughts before tonight’s tilt …

• There were tons of players on the ice at the Jets morning skate, including Jim Slater, Nik Antropov, Anthony Peluso and Zach Redmond, who was officially recalled from his conditioning stint today. It doesn’t sound like Redmond will be getting into a game any time soon, though. Head coach Claude Noel wants the defenceman to get his strength up, and then they’ll go from there. Unless they make the playoffs, it sounds like the next time we see Redmond in a Jets uniform will be next year.

• Derek Meech and Antti Miettinen will draw into the lineup tonight in place of the injured Zach Bogosian and Olli Jokinen. Meech will be paired with Byfuglien, so he knows what he’ll have to do. “He likes to get up on the rush, so I’m going to have to focus on a little more of the defensive side of things and take it from there,” Meech said.

• James Wright will centre the second line between Evander Kane and Kyle Wellwood. He spent plenty of extra time this morning practising his draws after going 0-for-5 on Saturday. “I had a tough game last game,” Wright said. “Usually I’m better than that, but I got Welly I can count on to take face-offs, too. But it’s definitely a lot easier when you’re starting with the puck.” Wright played centre quite a bit in the AHL this year and was also in the middle when he played for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.

• Andrew Ladd was named the NHL’s first star of the week today after recording two goals and six assists in three games. He also scored a pair of shootout goals. Ladd needs just four points in the final three games to tie his point total of 50 from last season, and that was in 82 games.

• It was easy to tell that Ladd is still more than a little peeved that Kyle Okposo got away with his hit on Zach Bogosian on Saturday. Okposo appeared to deliver a rising hit on Bogosian that made first contact with his head, and now No. 44 is out of the lineup with a suspected concussion. Okposo, meanwhile, got no penalty during the game or afterwards. “It’s tough. We lose one of our best players,” Ladd said. “As a player, I guess you feel a hit to the head is a hit to the head. That’s a tough one to take, especially this time of year when we really need him in the lineup. And that’s a team we’re battling for the playoffs with, and they still have their guy playing. So I don’t know. I don’t really have much more to say about that, but it’s tough to lose Zach.”

• If you want the Jets to make the playoffs, you’re cheering for the Pittsburgh Penguins to beat the Ottawa Senators tonight.

• Here’s my best guess at tonight’s line combinations and defence pairings:

WINNIPEG
Forwards
Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler
Evander Kane, James Wright, Kyle Wellwood
Eric Tangradi, Alex Burmistrov, Antti Miettinen
Mike Santorelli, Aaron Gagnon, Chris Thorburn
Defence
Derek Meech, Dustin Byfuglien
Ron Hainsey, Grant Clitsome
Mark Stuart, Paul Postma
Goalies
Ondrej Pavelec
Al Montoya

BUFFALO
Forwards
Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson, Thomas Vanek
Steve Ott, Kevin Porter, Brian Flynn
Nathan Gerbe, Jochen Hecht, John Scott
Drew Stafford, Mikhail Grigorenko, Marcus Foligno
Defence
Christian Ehrhoff, Andrej Sekera
Adam Pardy, Mark Pysyk
Mike Weber, Chad Ruhwedel
Goalies
Jhonas Enroth
Ryan Miller

Saturday has come to an end, and the Jets are one point closer to eighth but one point further from third.

The Jets fell 5-4 in a shootout to the upstart New York Islanders at MTS Centre, which means they have lost control of their situation. They now need some help to catch either the Washington Capitals or New York Rangers with only three games remaining.

Here are a few other thoughts from Saturday’s game …

• The Jets were lucky to get a point, really. They trailed 3-1 and 4-3 late, but they showed plenty of pluck in getting the game to extra time and picking up a point.

• Claude Noel didn’t feel like providing many answers after the game. He completely avoided the question when asked why Evander Kane didn’t take the pre-game warmup. “Sometimes things happen before where you have to miss warmup, and that’s it. There’s really no explanation other than that. Sometimes it’s medical attention, sometimes it’s other things. Sometimes it’s equipment problems. There’s all kinds of things that come up. I’ve seen guys miss complete warm-ups lots of times and then they’re on the scoresheet. So there’s all kinds of things that go on. That’s just the way it goes. I don’t put much stock into it.”

• If anyone can translate what Noel said there, please let us know.

• Kane appeared to injure his right hand against Carolina on Thursday night, so that’s probably why he didn’t take the warmup.

• Nobody asked me, but I don’t like that the Jets decided to switch up the defensive partners this week. I think it hurt them on New York’s first goal, as Dustin Byfuglien and Ron Hainsey went after the same player, allowing Frans Nielsen to go in all alone on Ondrej Pavelec and score. Noel gave another odd answer, at first saying it didn’t matter and then basically saying it did. “I don’t see it. It’s the same thing with lines. It takes a little while to develop chemistry. That’s just a natural thing. Sometimes there’s a mixup, but that’s natural. People aren’t born as partners.”

• I haven’t seen Kyle Okposo’s hit on Zach Bogosian since the one replay right after it happened, but it sure looked like one of those hits that the NHL is trying to get rid of from the game.

• Bogosian left the game for a while, likely to go to the quiet room, but he wasn’t gone very long. And then he ended up leaving again in the third period. That shows there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to diagnosing head injuries. One thing for certain is it’s not easy.

• There was no reason to question Noel’s decision to pull Pavelec with 2:08 to go. It was the start of a power play, and the face-off was in New York’s zone. It was the perfect time to pull Pavelec, and it paid off.

• I’m off to follow the Jets to Buffalo and Washington, so give me a follow on Twitter (@PentonKirk) if you’re not already to stay up to date.

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)