And with that, the focus shifted to the pivotal Game 3 between the Jets and Flames, which goes tonight at 5:45 pm CT.
"Our season was on the line, so that makes it special," Wheeler said after the 3-2 victory in Game 2. "It's one win in a long journey."
The Jets know they'll need every bit of Game 2's effort in Game 3. With no morning skate prior to Tuesday's game, it's unclear whether the Jets line-up will include any of the injured players who didn't play on Monday: Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, and Mason Appleton.
Warm-up will be the best indication of who is available for head coach Paul Maurice to use, but regardless of what the line-up looks like, Adam Lowry - who has three points in two Qualifying Round games so far - is confident in the group's ability to rise to the occasion.
"We approach every game knowing we have a real good chance to win," said Lowry. "You look at how our team is built, the amount of skill we have up front and the quality of guys we have on the back-end, and a world-class goalie in net who gives you a chance to win every night. We knew this was a really important game to get us back in the series. We're looking forward to Game 3."
Lowry played 15:43 in Game 2 and in addition to his goal and assist, he won 69 per cent of his face-offs and was a huge part of the penalty kill going six-for-six.
"He's a big powerful man. I've been an Adam Lowry fan for a long time, just the impact he can have," said Maurice. "You can hang two different wingers on his line like I did (Monday) and it doesn't affect what he can do."
The wingers Lowry had on his line were Jansen Harkins - who scored his first playoff goal in his postseason debut - and Jack Roslovic, who had two assists of his own in the game.
If the line-up stays the same, Maurice's group could look like this in Game 3:
Connor-Copp-Wheeler
Ehlers-Eakin-Perreault
Harkins-Lowry-Roslovic
Bourque-Shore-Shaw
Morrissey-DeMelo
Kulikov-Pionk
Beaulieu-Poolman
Stanley Cup Playoff history is full of stories of players all through the line-up stepping up, and it's expected to be exactly the same in Game 3.
That spark can come from anywhere. Maurice even indicated that the trio of Gabriel Bourque, Nic Shore, and Logan Shaw were a critical piece of the victory on Monday.
"There is so much more to this game than the slick plays these players can make. You talk about the grit of a group, the belief of a group, they were bang on. They brought the energy to the building," Maurice said. "They bring this energy to practice. They're chirping, they're barking. They do the same thing on the bench."
So injuries or otherwise, the Jets are ready to do whatever is necessary to keep the momentum rolling in Game 3.
"We're comfortable facing this adversity. Throughout the year we've had key guys out of the line-up and at different points in time there have been a handful of guys (out)," said Lowry. "That's a testament to our team's depth, and guys coming in and taking advantage of their opportunity."
-- Mitchell Clinton, WinnipegJets.com
Game Notes
The Winnipeg Jets meet the Calgary Flames Tuesday afternoon in the pivotal Game 3 of their best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifier Series. The Jets defeated the Flames 3-2 in Game 2 on Monday afternoon to even the series at a win apiece. Game 4 of the series is slated for Thursday, with the time not yet determined.
READ THE GAME NOTES
