WINNIPEG - The day began with Nate Schmidt spitting out memorable quotes that could find their way onto a T-shirt and confessing that at times like these, he wouldn’t necessarily want to be the one sitting in the general manager’s chair having to make a number of complicated decisions.
There was also talk of the Winnipeg Jets being in control of their own destiny, a common refrain for teams at this point of the season, whether they’re close to the playoff line - or slightly below, where the Jets currently reside.
But in a season where putting together lengthy runs has been nearly impossible, the Jets stubbed their toe once again, losing 4-2 to the Boston Bruins on Friday night in an outing that in many ways, encapsulates many of the issues that have plagued this group through 62 games.
With an opportunity to win three consecutive games for just the third time this season and the first time since early January, the Jets once again failed to do so in what was essentially a tale of two games within one.
Following an evenly-played first period that resulted in a 0-0 tie, the Jets fell flat in the second, getting outshot 22-4 while giving up a pair of goals that left them squarely behind the eight ball.
There was a furious rally in the third, as the Jets scored twice in 85 seconds before the four-minute mark, infusing some life into the building and once again giving the hometown team hope to secure at least a point - and possibly two.
Instead, the Jets suffered a self-inflicted wound when Brenden Dillon was called for delay-of-game after shooting a rolling puck over the glass in the defensive zone with just over five minutes to go in regulation time.
There was Taylor Hall, winning a battle to the puck in front of the Jets net and jamming home a rebound on the backhand as he was falling to the ice.
Not only did Hall make a commitment to get to a hard area just outside the blue paint, but he also made a second effort to deliver the dagger in a game where it looked like the Jets had some momentum.
That’s what really good teams do, they dig a bit deeper and find a way to come out on top.
This is a Bruins team that prides itself on playing to its identity, even in a game where captain and two-way force Patrice Bergeron sat out with an injury.
“That’s a team that comes and plays hard, they make it tough to find time and space, especially in the offensive zone,” said Jets interim head coach Dave Lowry, who was also asked how his team can combat the issue of poor puck management. “(Eliminate) soft plays into the middle. When we talk about puck management, it’s awareness of where you are on the ice and where the pressure is coming from. Usually, teams get in trouble when they pop pucks into the middle and you hope that someone is coming through.”
Speaking of special teams, the Jets had a glorious opportunity to even the score and perhaps force overtime when Erik Haula was called for tripping with 1:26 to go in regulation but the Jets were unable to convert with the man advantage for the fifth time in the contest and gave up an empty-netter that put the game on ice.
Outside of the two quick strikes early in the third period, where was the vaunted Jets offence that had erupted for 22 goals during the previous five games?
Quite frankly, it was missing in action.
At a time when the Jets needed to have most of its big guns operating at an optimal level, it simply didn’t happen.
As a result, the feast or famine scale tilted back to the famine side, as Friday marked the 28th time in 62 games the Jets have been held to two goals or fewer.
And for all of the talk about goaltending during the past several weeks and even months, Connor Hellebuyck did more than his part on this night, finishing with 41 saves.
The offence let Hellebuyck down by not providing him with enough run support in a game against Bruins backup Linus Ullmark.
That leaves the Jets with a record of 28-24-10, leaving them four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights in the race for the second wild-card berth in the Western Conference.
The Jets are also three points behind the Dallas Stars for fifth in the Central Conference, though the Stars hold three games in hand.
With 20 games to go, the odds are most definitely stacked against the Jets.
In all likelihood, the Jets can’t likely afford more than five - or maybe six losses, provided they get some help on the out-of-town scoreboard.
For a team whose longest winning streak this season is four games (between Oct. 21th and 28th), that seems like an awfully big ask.
The Jets are about to enter a stretch that features five of six games against non-playoff teams - the lone exception being next Tuesday’s return match with the Vegas Golden Knights, who are dealing with a wide range of injuries and trying to hold off the Stars.
Which begs the question, is this the time when the Jets finally find a way to put things together and get on a roll?
It’s possible, but to say it’s likely would appear to be a stretch.
Which brings us back to Schmidt, who had a remarkable sound bite when asked about his personal approach to dealing with the NHL trade deadline, which arrives at 2 p.m. CT on Monday.
“I’m trying to figure out if I have more inside knowledge, or if you have more inside knowledge. I don’t know, right? At some point, I’m like the things I hear are probably not true. There is so much out there,” said Schmidt. “It’s hard to not get wrapped up in it. I try not to until it actually happens because there is so much that can happen. One team could be in on somebody, then all of a sudden someone comes out of left field. I’m not good at handling - I don’t watch drama on TV. I’m not great. I have the emotional range of a teaspoon. I can’t handle that much of a roller coaster.”
Asked to take the temperature of the team, Schmidt exuded a great deal of confidence.
“The temperature in our room is we control our own destiny. We truly believe that,” said Schmidt. “The guys in the room believe it and believe we’re right there. That’s what makes this time of year fun. Anytime you know you have a chance and, on your own merits, can get in. We still have 20-something games left. We can put ourselves in a good position. It’s funny that you see the things going on around the league right now. It’s that time of year. I’m happy I’m not a general manager. I’m a player.”
Well, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff seems to be approaching the NHL trade deadline by trying to strike a balance.
In order to make moves, he’ll essentially need to move money out to bring money in because of the salary-cap implications with the Jets already operating well into LTIR.
That makes it logical that one, if not both of Andrew Copp and Paul Stastny could be on the move to a contender.
Then the Jets could use the assets and draft capital obtained to look to do some further shopping of their own to try and fill those two forward spots in the middle-six.
Could other veterans or even prospects be involved?
Of course that could be on the table, especially when it comes to the surplus of defencemen in the system, most of whom are under contract for multiple seasons.
Can the Jets find a fit or several that could see them straddle the fine line between both buying and selling?
That’s a novel approach, but it’s one that will require some adept maneuvering for a franchise that is trying to retool on the fly while still finding a way to compete for a playoff spot this season while minimizing the damage of likely losing a pair of valued members of the leadership core.
To be clear, this is no easy task.
Should Cheveldayoff find a way to accomplish both of those goals, it would certainly provide a boost to his own job security while injecting some life into a group that has occasionally looked a bit stale.
