{"id":542404,"date":"2026-04-05T17:28:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T17:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/542404\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T17:28:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T17:28:24","slug":"jets-week-ahead-schedule-storylines-must-win-time-offensive-drivers-and-more-the-hockey-writers-winnipeg-jets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/542404\/","title":{"rendered":"Jets Week Ahead: Schedule &#038; Storylines &#8211; Must-Win Time, Offensive Drivers and More &#8211; The Hockey Writers &#8211; Winnipeg Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a look at the key storylines for the Winnipeg Jets right now and their upcoming schedule as they make a critical late-season push in the 2025\u201326 NHL regular season.<\/p>\n<p>The Desperate Western Conference Playoff Push<\/p>\n<p>As of April 5, Winnipeg (33-31-12) sits at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/standings\/2026-04-04\/wildcard\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">78 points<\/a>, just three points out of the final wild-card spot in a highly competitive Western Conference.<\/p>\n<p>Following a disappointing 3-0 shutout loss to the Dallas Stars on April 2, they bounced back with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/news\/winnipeg-jets-columbus-blue-jackets-game-recap-april-4-2026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">crucial 2-1 victory<\/a> over the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 4 to keep their playoff hopes very much alive. Every game this week is effectively a must-win.<\/p>\n<p>Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele Driving the Offense<\/p>\n<p>The offensive load is being carried by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsn.ca\/nhl\/article\/jets-not-feeling-any-pressure-in-push-for-the-playoffs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jets\u2019 top-line veterans<\/a>. Kyle Connor is red-hot, having just scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Columbus \u2014 including the game-winner in the third period \u2014 to bring his season total to 36 goals. Mark Scheifele assisted on both of those markers, hitting the 60-assist milestone for the season. Their chemistry and production will be the deciding factor in whether Winnipeg plays hockey past mid-April.<\/p>\n<p>Injuries on the Blue Line<\/p>\n<p>While goaltender Connor Hellebuyck continues to be a steady anchor in the crease, the Jets are dealing with some defensive strain. Highly touted young defenceman Elias Salomonsson recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsn.ca\/nhl\/article\/jets-d-salomonsson-ruled-out-vs-stars\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">entered concussion protocol<\/a>, testing the team\u2019s depth at the worst possible time in the schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Jets Upcoming Schedule <\/p>\n<p>The Jets have three pivotal matchups in the next seven days. Getting four to six points out of this stretch is practically mandatory to secure a wild card spot.<\/p>\n<p>April 6 vs. Seattle Kraken: A winnable home game against the Kraken (32-32-11), who are struggling and below the Jets in the standings. Winnipeg needs to capitalize on home ice here.<\/p>\n<p>April 9 at St. Louis Blues: This is a massive four-point divisional game. The Blues (32-31-12) are trailing right behind the Jets in the Central Division and wild card races with 76 points. This matchup could make or break either team\u2019s season.<\/p>\n<p>April 11 vs. Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers are having a solid season (38-26-12) and will be a tough inter-conference test as the Jets wrap up their week back at the Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n<p>DateOpponentLocationTime (EDT)Monday, Apr. 6Seattle KrakenCanada Life Centre (Winnipeg, MB)7:30 PMThursday, Apr. 9@ St. Louis BluesEnterprise Center (St. Louis, MO)8:00 PMSaturday, Apr. 11Philadelphia FlyersCanada Life Centre (Winnipeg, MB)7:00 PM<\/p>\n<p>AI tools were used to support the creation or distribution of this content, however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of The Hockey Writers editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/editorial-standards\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Editorial Standards<\/a> page.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.substack.com\/s\/winnipeg-jets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"122\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Jets_Banner-1200x122.jpg\" alt=\"SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE TO OUR WINNIPEG JETS SUBSTACK NEWSLETTER\" class=\"wp-image-1567228\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/anaheim-ducks\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Anaheim Ducks\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/boston-bruins\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Boston Bruins\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/buffalo-sabres\/\" 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xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/pittsburgh-penguins\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Pittsburgh Penguins\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/san-jose-sharks\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"San Jose Sharks\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/seattle-kraken\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Seattle Kraken\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/st-louis-blues\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"St. Louis Blues\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/tampa-bay-lightning\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Tampa Bay Lightning\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/toronto-maple-leafs\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Toronto Maple Leafs\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/utah-mammoth\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Utah Hockey Club\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/vancouver-canucks\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Vancouve Canucks\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/vegas-golden-knights\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Vegas Golden Knights\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/washington-capitals\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Washington Capitals\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/winnipeg-jets\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Winnipeg Jets\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here is a look at the key storylines for the Winnipeg Jets right now and their upcoming schedule&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":542405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5121],"tags":[2095,5,78,1290,3522,4,77,18,5288],"class_list":{"0":"post-542404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-winnipeg-jets","8":"tag-elias-salomonsson","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-jets","11":"tag-kyle-connor","12":"tag-mark-scheifele","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-winnipeg","15":"tag-winnipeg-jets","16":"tag-winnipegjets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116353285208883897","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/542405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}