Fatigue can’t be an excuse anymore. The Winnipeg Jets have had three days off. Starting tonight against Florida, they really need to put some wins together.
The Jets (13-16-3) started the season in grueling fashion, with 32 games in 60 days. By the mid-point of November, it began to show. They went 4-9-1 from Nov. 17 to Dec. 11, making them the NHL’s worst team over that stretch.
“Sometimes you’d dig into the bank and there’s nothing left in there,” said forward Blake Wheeler, per the Winnipeg Free Press. “That’s kind of a bad feeling. You normally have that reserve to tap into and to have that gone on a given night, that makes it tough… There’s obviously an element of mental fatigue that goes with the travel and everything but the physical burden can sometimes be more challenging.”
Looking ahead, Winnipeg plays four times before the Christmas break, and all four games are winnable. Tonight it’s the Panthers at MTS Centre, Sunday the Avalanche pay a visit, then it’s off to Vancouver for a pair of games against the Canucks.
The Jets are only one point back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference; however, that’s a little misleading, since they’ve played four more games than the Predators.
Tonight’s opposition should also be a motivated group, as the Panthers too are fighting to stay in playoff contention. Whoever wins will get a much-needed two points. Whoever loses will fall further back and face more, tougher questions.
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