In Winnipeg Sunday night, the two top teams in the Central Division clashed for a preview of the post season.
The visiting Nashville Predators came in riding a two-game skid and could not hold a 4-3 lead heading in the third period.
Blake Wheeler scored for the Jets with 59 seconds gone in the frame and the Jets held the Preds off the board to force extra time and a shootout where the Jets defeated 
Nashville, 5-4.
Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves to pick up the win as the Jets clinched a playoff berth after missing the last two seasons.
“You have no idea,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said of the relief. “The worst part of the year has been having to watch these games that mean a lot, both coming down the stretch and into the playoffs. That stung, and unfortunately (we) have watched a lot of it. Just been biding our time for our opportunity.”
Mark Scheifele was credited with the deciding goal in the skills competition.
“Sure, I’ll give you that one. It was good. I also want to live in the moment. Even-keel is fine, as long as your heart rate is at 170 (beats per minute),” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “We’d like to stay there. It’s not sleeping through the games. Nobody gets too excited, you should be excited. We relaxed in the second period and got back to enjoying the game and the way that game was played. It was a fun environment. Good crowd, lots going on on the ice. Lots of great plays … all of it. It was all there. So, it was a fun game to be a part of.”
Kyle Connor, Dustin Byfuglien and Bryan Little also scored in regulation for the Jets.
“Last time, I think we clinched on a loss in Colorado so it was kind of a strange feeling, and we were battling for the last month and a half of the season just to scrape in,” Little said. “This time, it’s nice to have some games left to prepare and get ready knowing we’re playing for a longer season.”
Roman Josi, Kyle Turris, Ryan Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson scored for Nashville who dropped to 48-16-10.
“Today, I thought was our best of those three [losses],” Predators’ Mattias Ekholm said. “It was a back-to-back situation against a really good team. There’s nothing more we can say. I thought we battled hard. Both teams deserved a point. We’re disappointed that we didn’t get the second one, but it’s a big point for us.”
[WATCH: All Predators vs. Jets highlights]
Juuse Saros made 43 saves for the loss.
“Two of the top teams in the League,” Ellis said. “They’re a high-flying team. We think we’re a high-flying team too. One team seems to score and the other one comes right back.”
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