{"id":23259,"date":"2025-05-04T14:05:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T14:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/23259\/"},"modified":"2025-05-04T14:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T14:05:12","slug":"jets-season-will-be-judged-on-game-7-outcome-were-focused-on-the-present","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/23259\/","title":{"rendered":"Jets\u2019 season will be judged on Game 7 outcome: \u2018We\u2019re focused on the present\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

WINNIPEG \u2014 At the end of last year\u2019s playoffs, Josh Morrissey spoke the words that Winnipeg Jets<\/a> fans badly needed to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have levels that we need to find this offseason. I hope it stings for all of us into the summer and we use it as motivation,\u201d he said, still sweating, shortly after the Jets\u2019 first-round loss to Colorado.<\/p>\n

Those words caught fire, inciting multiple stories about how the Jets had finally found their way after two straight quality regular seasons were followed by disappointment in the playoffs. Morrissey\u2019s teammates committed publicly to offseasons spent on self-improvement, and that commitment translated to the best season in franchise history.<\/p>\n

But Morrissey doesn\u2019t think about those words anymore. He doesn\u2019t think about the President\u2019s Trophy, the Jets\u2019 new records for most wins and points, or any of Winnipeg\u2019s regular-season accomplishments, nor has he considered that, for many observers, Winnipeg\u2019s season will be measured by whether the Jets make it out of Round 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past is the past,\u201d Morrissey says. \u201cWe\u2019re focused on the present right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It just so happens that the present moment is the biggest game in Jets history: Winnipeg hosts St. Louis in Game 7 Sunday night. If the Jets win, they will earn a second-round matchup with the Dallas Stars. And yes, the Jets have made it further than this, including a Game 7 win against Nashville in 2018, but that Jets team was thought to be on a meteoric rise. This one is looking to prove itself after successive playoff heartbreaks.<\/p>\n

If they lose, the Jets will face judgment, doubt, and an offseason spent wondering if this core truly found that \u201cnext level\u201d \u2014 or whether it can achieve it at all. The result will forever have a disproportionate impact on how Winnipeg\u2019s regular-season accomplishments are viewed. If the best regular-season team in the NHL \u2014 coached by a Jack Adams Award finalist, backstopped by a Hart Trophy finalist and built so deeply it gave up the fewest goals in the NHL this season \u2014 can\u2019t win a first-round series, can we still believe the answers are in the room?<\/p>\n

The question is not entirely fair, but it\u2019s one Jets fans have been grappling with since Winnipeg\u2019s Game 6 implosion<\/a>. NHL history is full of teams that pushed themselves as far as they thought they could go only to be beaten by a better team at the critical hour. Wayne Gretzky tells the most famous version of this story: When the upstart Edmonton Oilers were swept by the dynasty New York Islanders in 1983, Gretzky experienced the moment he says taught him what winning was all about.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe walked by their locker room in the corridor and saw after they won, they were too beat up to really enjoy it and savor the victory at that moment,\u201d Gretzky has said<\/a>. Some of that lore is debated, but Gretzky\u2019s point is clear: Even perhaps the greatest dynasty in NHL history needed to experience great loss to understand how to attain great victory. This story is still relevant \u2014 the defending Cup champion Florida Panthers made it to the final and lost right before winning it all.<\/p>\n

But there are multiple levels between a first-round exit and a Stanley Cup final appearance.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg\u2019s President\u2019s Trophy win is an accomplishment. These Jets took multiple steps forward from last year and deserve to play Game 7 in front of their raucous home crowd, with the streets outside Canada Life Centre as loud as the thunderous crowd within.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How will the first home Game 7 in Winnipeg Jets history end? (Cameron Bartlett \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It would be difficult to believe that the Jets made the most of their breakthrough season if it ends Sunday night. They overcame adversity to win Game 5 after losing two in St. Louis. They\u2019ve battled through injuries, with Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers returning to the lineup and Mark Scheifele a \u201cgame-time decision,\u201d per Scott Arniel. Depth players like Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Iafallo have stepped up, while stars like Scheifele and Kyle Connor have produced points.<\/p>\n

But it takes two months of this kind of battle to win the Stanley Cup. If there really are championship lessons to be learned in this city \u2014 and more levels to attain \u2014 then this core needs to burst through the Round 1 ceiling right here, right now. Playoff lore is determined by lessons learned while battling for championships, not for a single series win.<\/p>\n

So yes, Connor Hellebuyck needs to find himself in time to save the series. Winnipeg\u2019s defence corps needs a bounce-back game after contributing directly to Friday\u2019s implosion in St. Louis. Hellebuyck, Gabriel Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Cole Perfetti need to keep pressing in all three zones, while Winnipeg\u2019s bottom six needs to play a disciplined game and find itself on the scoresheet again.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also still waiting for Morrissey\u2019s signature moment. He has three assists in six games so far, but Morrissey has not been his best self, including during Game 6, when he contributed directly to Nathan Walker\u2019s goal to make it 2-1.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to find an elite level and be a positive difference maker (for) us,\u201d Morrissey said. \u201cThat\u2019s what the playoffs are all about. It\u2019s exciting when you get into those moments to try to take advantage of them and step up for your teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there someone in Winnipeg\u2019s room who can find the right words before Game 7, like Morrissey did after last season had ended?<\/p>\n

\u201cThose things happen authentically,\u201d Morrissey said. \u201cThose moments aren\u2019t as rare, perhaps, as people think because of the nature of not having a live feed to the locker room all the time. There are moments in games and series where emotion comes out.\u201d<\/p>\n

NHL Game 7 history<\/p>\n

Winnipeg and St. Louis are playing in the NHL\u2019s 200th Game 7.<\/p>\n

Here are the vital stats from the previous 199 games, including Dallas\u2019 4-2 comeback win against Colorado on Saturday:<\/p>\n

The team that scores first is 150-49 (.754)
\nHome teams own a 117-82 (.588) edge
\n103 of the 199 Game 7s (51.8 percent) have been decided by a one-goal margin, including all four in 2024
\n49 Game 7s have required overtime (24.6 percent). Home teams have a 26-23 edge in those contests (1-0 in 2024)
\nWinnipeg Jets Game 7 history<\/p>\n

This is Scott Arniel\u2019s first Game 7 as head coach. He\u2019s won three and lost three as an assistant and associate coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou put a lot of work in over the course of the season to build to this moment,\u201d Arniel told reporters in Winnipeg on Saturday. \u201cAnd then, you go out and take advantage of it, enjoy the moment. Enjoy it, live it, be the best version of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are Winnipeg\u2019s player stats:<\/p>\n

As mentioned, this is the first Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to be played in Winnipeg. The Jets beat Nashville 5-1 in the second round of 2018 in this franchise\u2019s only other Game 7 appearance. The original Jets franchise played in two Game 7s, both on the road, losing to Edmonton in 1990 and Vancouver in 1992.<\/p>\n

Hellebuyck is 1-0 in Game 7s and stopped 36 of 37 shots in that 2018 win in Nashville.<\/p>\n

The Blues, meanwhile, have won four game 7s in a row, including the 2019 Stanley Cup final against Boston with Jordan Binnington in net.<\/p>\n

Arniel himself has acknowledged that this season will be judged by what happens in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Heading into Sunday\u2019s game, he was asked about coaching the team\u2019s first Game 7 at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully it has a great ending to it,\u201d he said. \u201cAll year long, we\u2019ve put our work in to build towards this. We\u2019ve talked about these situations and certain things that have happened over the course of the year that we don\u2019t know when it\u2019ll rise in the playoffs but now it\u2019s here. Now it\u2019s here. It\u2019s Game 7. We\u2019ve gone through building blocks to get here. To get to this moment. Whether that was through the 82 games, or the six games we have just played, these are all things that now (we) put it on the line here for Game 7 and I\u2019d like to think our group\u2019s prepared. Now we go out and do what we do best.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last word goes to Hellebuyck, who will be judged as much by this outcome as any other player, despite the fact that hockey is a team sport.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go back to a one-on-one conversation outside the Jets dressing room during one of the last times he struggled at length, in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine, just imagine, a team that has the whole city behind their back \u2026 How good they\u2019re gonna feel. And how much easier it is to come out of bad weeks or bad years and to work on themselves, not only as people but as hockey players,\u201d Hellebuyck said.<\/p>\n

The Jets have that city \u2014 and province \u2014 behind them now with their season on the line. What better place than here?<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Cole Perfetti: Connor Hamilton \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WINNIPEG \u2014 At the end of last year\u2019s playoffs, Josh Morrissey spoke the words that Winnipeg Jets fans…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2051],"tags":[7,226,1917,255,2321,2097,6,4474],"class_list":{"0":"post-23259","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-jets","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-jets","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-jets","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkjets","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114449948777685571","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}