DENVER – The Winnipeg Jets badly outplayed the Colorado Avalanche but lost 1-0 in a shoot out. Despite the loss they clinched their first playoff appearance since 2006-07 the one and only time the Thrashers made the post season and it will be the first time Winnipeg has witnessed Stanley Cup playoff action since the 1996 season when the Jets lost to Detroit in six games. The white out will be alive in Winnipeg as fans will turn the city upside down with excitement, a tradition in Winnipeg where everybody in the arena will wear white.
“It’s the happiest I’ve ever seen after a loss,” Winnipeg left wing Andrew Ladd said. “I don’t think we wanted to get in that way, but you take it any way you can. In terms of the regular season, it was one of the most grueling, probably the most adversity we dealt with. It’s a testament to the character we have in this room. It’s an exciting feeling to be back in the playoffs and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The Jets tied a franchise best with their 97th point of the season a mark that was set back in 2006/07.
As the game finished the Jets must have gathered to watch the conclusion of the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary game to see the Flames win 3-1 and clinch their own berth as well as eliminate the defending Cup champs from the postseason.
Lost in all the shuffle was the play of goalie Ondrej Pavelec who posted yet another shut out as he has now gone three straight games without giving up a goal. He stopped 21 shots tonight and only gave up goals in the shoot out.
“You have to give the guys credit,” Pavelec said. “[Colorado] didn’t have much. They had a few shots in the third and in overtime, but I think we controlled the game and played great defensively. Their goalie played really well, and then we got help from Calgary, so it’s a great moment for us.”
Not to be outdone in the hoopla was Avalanche goalie Reto Berra who stood on his head and kicked out 41 saves to get the well-deserved shutout also stopped two shots in the shoot out. He was on fire in the third as the Jets had 17 shots and many of them were top end scoring chances including a couple of Blake Wheeler breakaways.
“It was a great night,” Berra said. “I think the whole team played good. I feel pretty good right now, of course. The whole season was sometimes tough. I went through tough times, but it’s only my second year here, so I still have a lot to learn. Overall, I’m happy I have good form right now.”
The Jets lost Mathieu Perreault early in the game as he left when he twisted up his leg, hopefully he was kept out for precautionary reasons as he will be needed come playoff time.
“Our players deserve a lot of credit,” Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. “I am very proud of them the way that they handled the situation. It would be very easy for them to shut down. This is a special group, a group that I told you all year long they care, they want to do well, and they just showed you exactly that.”
Winnipeg will welcome back Dustin Byfuglien who served the final game of his four game suspension tonight , he will likely suit up for the final game vs Calgary.
“We played as hard as we could,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “We had absolutely nothing left. There have been two or three times over the course of the year when we’ve faced some pretty big adversity.”
Things seemed to be tense as the Jets were gripping those sticks tight early as the pressure of needing a win to clinch was on their minds although they didn’t have their best game they still dominated for the most part. A lot of speed got them a lot of pucks to the net. A very entertaining game for the fans as there was a lot of run and gun pond hockey going on, if not for the goalies this may have been a very high scoring game.
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