Game 85: February 12, 2016the Initials Game

  



  1. Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Games
  2. Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Game Show
  3. Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Game On
  4. Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Game 6

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Initials: B.H.
Host: Cory Cove
Players: Chris Hawkey, Paul Lambert, Aj Mansour, Mark Parrish

ItemNameCorrectCluesIncorrect
1Bill HaderChris Hawkey3
2Beverly HillsChris Hawkey?
3Black HillsChris Hawkey4
4Beverly HillbilliesAj Mansour?Paul Lambert
Chris Hawkey
5Brian HoyerChris Hawkey5
6Bob HopeChris Hawkey?Paul Lambert
7Boko HaramChris Hawkey?
8Brett HullMark Parrish1
9Bounty HunterAj Mansour4
10Bryce HarperPaul Lambert2
11Black HoleAj Mansour?Chris Hawkey
12Buddy HollyChris Hawkey2
PlacePlayer1C2C3CBF
1Hawk7INCORRECT1C2C3CBF
2Aj3INCORRECT1C2C3CBF
3Parrish1INCORRECT1C2C3CBF
3Sauce1INCORRECT1C2C3CBF

[Stats legend]

And so the quest to put together a winning streak continues for the Winnipeg Jets.

February

Staring down the possibility of the first three-game winning streak of the season, the Jets blinked and fell apart into a familiar effort, dropping a 6-2 decision to the Boston Bruins at MTS Centre Thursday night.

It was the eighth time Winnipeg (24-27-3) has come into a game on the strength of a couple of wins. Feeling good. Feeling right. Yeah, not quite. The Jets have yet to get over that momentum hump.

February

Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Games

What has to really stick in the craw of the faithful is the timing of Thursday's output, as the Jets appeared to be playing their best hockey of late. Those road wins in Colorado and St. Louis were only mirages, it appears, as falling back into mediocrity seems to be the default setting for this club.

At one point on Thursday, around the halfway mark of the game, the Jets led the Bruins in shots by a 30-11 margin. Boston then went on to out-shoot the home side by a 26-1 count, and pull away on the scoreboard. That's not ideal. Also not good: Winnipeg is 2-8 in its last 10 at home. Oh boy.

Meanwhile, the Jets remain seven points back of the playoff line. Let's flush Thursday's game and look at where things are concerning that.

Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Game Show

How big exactly is the mountain the Jets are thinking about climbing over the next couple months to qualify for a post season berth? Are we talking Mt. Everest or a gentle ridge at Riding Mountain? Start with the schedule.

Winnipeg has a grand total of 28 games left—14 at home and 14 on the road. Of immediate concern for fans might be the coming docket. The Jets embark on a four-game road trip this weekend, starting with a date in Edmonton Saturday before flying across the continent to Carolina next week. In fact, six of the next seven will happen in the road whites.

That sounds bad for a club needing to find wins early and often. However, Winnipeg has been a pretty tough out as the visitor of late, going 5-1-1 in its last seven road games.

Complicating matters is the little matter of the approaching trade deadline. Decisions need to be made on which course to take this roster for the remainder of the season before Feb. 29.

Andrew Ladd—ever heard of him?

His situation will have to be cleared up before then and chances are, with the Jets captain classified as a potential rental player, Winnipeg won't be seeing any roster help coming back the other way. That will make any March playoff march difficult. Losing a player of Ladd's calibre certainly doesn't project well for a club yearning for anything that resembles NHL depth.

Game 85: February 12, 2016the Initials Game

That takes care of what the road looks like in front of Winnipeg.

What about the external factors? You know, the other teams wrestling with the same playoff desires and dreams.

As of this writing, there are three teams between the Jets and the second wildcard spot in the conference. With 51 points in 54 games, Winnipeg is on pace for 77 points. One suspects they'll need at least a dozen or so more than that total to climb up to and stay above the playoff line.

Of course, the other clubs ahead of them are trending a little higher through Thursday's action. Here's a quick look at some simple projections:

  • Colorado, 7th place, 86 points.
  • Nashville, 8th place, 88 points.
  • Minnesota, 9th place, 85 points.
  • Vancouver, 10th place, 85 points.
  • Arizona, 11th place, 84 points.

Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Game On

Note: Calgary entered Thursday's action tied with the Jets 51 points; the Flames were in San Jose late Thursday.

That's a lot of traffic to navigate through.

On one hand, the teams listed in this group suffer through the same inconsistency the Jets do—that's why everyone in this group is hanging out down at the bottom of the standings. Birds of a feather, or something like that. But if Winnipeg can find that something they've been missing all season, if they can maybe string a handful of wins together, then who knows? Anything is possible.

On the other hand, it's hard to ignore what happened against the Bruins Thursday night.

Game 85: February 12 2016 The Initials Game 6

Or more accurately, what didn't happen.