With practically no room for error, the suddenly streaking Winnipeg Jets can’t afford a slip-up tonight when they host the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Jets entered the day in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points back of the eighth-place Rangers (who have one game in hand) and three points back of the Islanders (who have played the same amount of games.)
Winnipeg -- with three wins in a row, and by a combined score of 15-4 -- has six games left to close the gap, including what could be a huge home affair Saturday versus the Isles.
“It’s a sprint now,” said Jets winger Blake Wheeler Tuesday, per the Winnipeg Free Press. “It boils down to just over a week and a half and if you’re not able to empty the tank in those six games then there’s another issue. Our team is excited about the opportunity we have. It makes it a lot more fun to be playing for something.
“The ultimate goal is making the playoffs and we’re within striking distance of that.”
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has dropped six of its last eight.