WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets are back on home ice, and suddenly there's a little life around this hockey club again. After enduring a nine-game winless streak, the Jets pulled off a comeback for the ages Tuesday night in Montreal, erasing a four-goal deficit in the final minutes before Dylan Samberg delivered the overtime winner in a stunning 5-4 victory. It was the kind of win that can change the mood in a dressing room, but the challenge now is making sure it wasn't just one unforgettable night.
"Just the resiliency of our group to stay in it and just find a way," said head coach Scott Arniel on Tuesday night.
"We needed something to happen, some kind of crazy thing to happen, and four goals and two minutes and six seconds. You know, that doesn't happen very often, if ever, if ever."
The Jets open a three-game homestand Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks (7 PM MT, TV: TSN 3; Radio: 680 CJOB/Power 97) with an opportunity to build on that momentum. The emotional lift from Montreal should be significant, but Winnipeg needs to carry that same urgency, desperation and offensive push into its own building. Can the comeback serve as a turning point for a team that desperately needed something to go its way, or will the Jets struggle to find that same level of play now that the pressure of the losing streak has been lifted?
"That was a pretty special feeling for our group in there," said Tyrell Bauer on Tuesday night.
"Listen, we know it's early in the year, but we want to build off that momentum and keep going.”
The Jets will have their morning skate at 10:30 AM. Check back here for more quotes from the dressing room and lineup information.
