WINNIPEG – Tonight the Winnipeg Jets will wrap up their 25-26 season a little earlier than expected when they host the San Jose Sharks at Canada Life Centre.
The Jets were officially eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday night, and it still is sinking in that they won’t be playing in the postseason a year after finishing first overall.
“I just think knowing we’re done after this, that sucks. But it’s our job, our responsibility to go out there and put our best foot forward. Try to get the win, try to play well in front of Coms, especially, with how we came out in Utah,” said Adam Lowry.
“That’s the motivation. We’ve got a long of young guys in the lineup that you want to give them a taste of winning in the NHL and playing the right way and seeing how hard guys work, even though the circumstances might not be as advantageous as you’d like.”
With the massive expectations for this roster to continue their step toward the ultimate goal, winning a Stanley Cup coming short. The realization that this will be the last time they will all be together is also settling in.
“It sucks. You come into training camp, coming off the season we had last year, it’s playoff aspirations, Stanley Cup aspirations. We came well short of that. There’s a feeling of disappointment. Obviously there’s going to be some turnover,” said Lowry.
“You never really return the same roster regardless of how the season ends. It’s tough to see things come to an end. The season hasn’t gone how we wanted it to go, but you still develop those relationships, those bonds. Seeing these guys every day for the last seven, eight months. It sucks, to be quite honest.”
Once again, the Jets will be going with a younger lineup. Eric Comrie will get his second consecutive start in goal. Brayden Yager will centre a line with Nikita Chibrikov and Cole Koepke, Jonathan Toews will be between Isak Rosén and Brad Lambert, Ville Heinola will play for a second consecutive contest.
