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Manitoba Moose preparing for division semi-finals against Grand Rapids Griffins starting May 2nd

Connor Baldwin — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:40:39 GMT

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While the Winnipeg Jets may not be in the playoffs, Manitoba’s other professional hockey team, the Manitoba Moose, have advanced to round 2 of the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. The Moose opened their Calder Cup Playoffs with a series against the Milwaukee Admirals, the affiliate of the Nashville Predators. The Moose hosted all three games of the best of three series as the higher seeded. After losing game 1 4-1, the Moose rallied over the weekend to win back to back 2-1 games to advance to the next round.

The Calder Cup Playoffs format is a little different to begin for each division in the AHL, but in the Central Division (the division with the Moose), has the winner of the 4/5 series advancing to face the number 1 seeded Grand Rapid Griffins. The Division Semi-Finals will be a best of 5, and the Moose will be in tough for this series against the affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. The Griffins finished 2nd overall in the AHL league standings, finishing the 72 game regular season with a record of 51-16-4.

In the opening series against the Admirals, David Gustafsson led the Moose with 1 goal and 2 assists in the 3 games. Parker Ford, who spent some time with the Jets this season, also was a key contributor in round 1, scoring two important goals. Domenic Divincentiis was the backup goalie in game 1, but in game 2 and game 3 he had two tremendous starts in goal. Divicentiis allowed just one goal in game 2 and one goal in game 3, posting a .962 SV% in his 2 wins with 50 total saves.

The Griffins were consistently one of the best teams throughout the AHL regular season. John Leonard, a former 6th round draft pick, led the Griffins in points with 54 in 47 games. Michael Brandsegg-Nygrad, a 20 year old forward for the Griffins, is among the top prospects in the Red Wings organization, and he finished his first pro season with an impressive 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 60 games. In net for the Griffins is a 1st round (15th overall) pick from the 2021 NHL Draft in Sebastian Cossa. The 6’7″ netminder had his best pro season yet, finishing the season with a 26-8-4-5 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .915 SV%.

Game 1 of this series will be played at Canada Life Centre on May 2nd at 2:00 pm CDT. Game 2 of the series will also be played in Manitoba on May 3rd, before the series shifts to Grand Rapids for the next 1-3 games. The Moose will enter this series as big underdogs, and it’ll be a chance for the players (including those who spent some time with the Jets) to gain some valuable playoff experience against one of the AHL’s best teams in the regular season.

Up Next

The NHL Draft Lottery will take place on May 5th, where the Winnipeg Jets will have a 6.5% chance of winning the draw for the 1st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

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Gustafsson’s late goal keeps Moose season alive

Evan Waldner — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 22:35:12 GMT

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With just under two minutes to go in the third period and their season on the line, the Manitoba Moose went to the power play when Milwaukee Admirals forward Oasiz Wiesblatt was called for elbowing at 18:08.

Manitoba’s power play had struggled all year, operating at just 11% in the regular season, dead last in the AHL, and they were 0-for-4 to that point in a must-win Game 2 of the best-of-three Round 1 series against the Admirals in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Moose had to focus on the opportunity in front of them.

Milwaukee did a decent job early on clearing the zone, but eventually Manitoba established possession in the offensive end. Kale Clague sent a pass to Winnipeg Jets prospect Brayden Yager, who crept through the middle of the ice and fired a shot on goal that found the stick of David Gustafsson. The 26-year-old redirected it past Matt Murray for his first goal of the postseason and the eventual game-winner with just 43 seconds remaining.

“Scoring playoff goals, that’s the thing you dream of,” said Gustafsson postgame. “At a time like that, it was awesome.”

GUS BUS COMES IN CLUTCH!!#MBMoose #NHLJetsNation pic.twitter.com/zS9RS0kCSv

— JetsNation (@NHLJetsNation) April 25, 2026

The Swede’s game-winning marker felt like the biggest goal in Moose history in quite some time. You could feel the energy from the supportive Winnipeg crowd of roughly 5,000 who came out to cheer on their AHL club despite the Jets not being in the playoffs this season.

“It was awesome,” Gustafsson said of the Canada Life Centre crowd. “I hope all of them and a few more show up on Sunday.”

Much like Game 1, Manitoba heavily outshot Milwaukee but struggled to get the bounces, while Murray was solid in goal. The Moose outshot the visiting Admirals 43-24 on Wednesday and 35-20 on Friday.

Game 3, essentially a Game 7, will be played Sunday, where the Moose will look to carry the momentum from Game 2 as they try to advance to the second round to face the Grand Rapids Griffins. Puck drop is set for 2:00 p.m. CT at Canada Life Centre. The game can be watched on AHLTV.

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Four players the Jets should target if they select 7th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft

Connor Baldwin — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:45:21 GMT

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The Jets off-season has officially begun after their exit interviews following a disappointing season where they missed the playoffs. Five Jets players will be off to Switzerland soon for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, while the rest of the team and staff are off to begin their off-season routines.

Although the NHL Draft is still two months away, the NHL Draft Lottery is coming up on May 5th. The Jets are currently slotted in at the 7th overall pick, but with some luck they could be selecting 1st or 2nd overall. Assuming luck isn’t on their side in the lottery, here are four players that the Jets should target at 7th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Apart from Gavin McKenna going 1st overall and Ivar Stenberg going 2nd overall, it’s tough to shake out who will be selected from 3-10, leaving the Jets with good odds of selecting their next likely top prospect.

Viggo Bjork

Bjork is a versatile right handed shooting forward that has experience playing both at centre and right wing. Most mock drafts have Bjork being selected in the 6 to 9 range, meaning there’s a good chance he’ll be available for the Jets at seven. The 18-year old forward is on the smaller side, listed at 5’9″ and 177 lbs, but he makes up for the lack of size with his skill and hockey IQ. In 42 games with Djurgardens IF in the Swedish Hockey League, Bjork scored 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points.

Carson Carels

If the Jets decide to target a defenceman in the upcoming draft, Carels should be at the top of their list. Carels is one of the three or four defencemen expected to be selected between 4th and 10th overall. Carels is notable for his offensive talent as a mobile right shot defenceman. The 17-year old defenceman is listed at 6’2″‘ and 198 lbs. With the Prince George Cougars in the WHL, Carels put up 20 goals and 53 assists for 73 points in 58 games.

Albert Smits

Another defenceman the Jets could (and should) target if they pick 7th overall is the 6’3″ 205 lbs Latvian defender. I’m assuming that Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff will be off the board by pick seven, leaving the Jets with a good chance to pick Carels or Smits at 7th if they decide to focus on improving their blue line. The 18-year old left handed defenceman played with Jukurit Mikkeli and Munich EHC this season, and he’s an aggressive two-way defender who will be ready to jump into the NHL early in his development.

Tynan Lawrence

A final option that the Jets should target at 7th overall is one of the top centres available in Tynan Lawrence. Like many players projected to go in the 4-10 range, it’s possible Lawrence is already selected by the time the Jets are on the clock if teams ahead of them prioritize the centre position. The 17-year old left handed centre spent time with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Boston University this season. Lawrence is noted for his elite skating ability while being able to play a controlled game in various situations.

Up Next

With the NHL draft still two months away, they’ll be plenty of time to brainstorm who the Jets will target with the 7th overall pick. As round one gets closer, the final draft rankings should become a little more clearer, which will hopefully narrow down the Jets options. The 7th overall pick in a draft like this years is a good position to have, as they’ll have a chance to very likely pick a top 2 or 3 talent in that players primary position. The NHL Draft Lottery will take place on May 5th, where the Winnipeg Jets will have a 6.5% chance of winning the draw for the 1st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

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Five Jets confirmed to be playing at the 2026 IIHF World Championship

Connor Baldwin — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:05:41 GMT

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The NHL off-season has begun for the Winnipeg Jets, as they can only sit back and watch the playoffs unfold over the next two months. They’ll be lots of questions (and answers) about what went wrong this season, but for now, there’s some news about some Jets who will be continuing their seasons at the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Championship. The tournament will be played in Zurich and Fribourg in Switzerland between May 15th and May 31st, and there are currently five Jets confirmed to be playing at this “year end” tournament for international hockey glory.

Team Canada – Mark Scheifele, Dylan DeMelo, and Gabriel Vilardi

Mark Scheifele just concluded his best season of his career, but he feels there’s more to give at the World Championship. The 33-year old finished the 2025-26 season with 82 games played, 36 goals, 67 assists and a new Jets 2.0 franchise record of 103 points. After getting snubbed from the Canadian Olympic team this past winter, Scheifele wants to get on the radar for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey with this tournament coming up.

Dylan DeMelo has never represented Team Canada before at any level, until now. The 32-year old defender had an identical season to his 2024-25 season, finishing with 3 goals and 16 assists for 19 points. DeMelo was another one of the few Jets players who appeared in all 82 games this season, but clearly there’s more in the tank as he prepares to wear the Canadian colours for the first time in Switzerland.

Gabriel Vilardi was shuffled between the top and 2nd line throughout the season at times, and he still managed to have a career best season. The 26-year old had his first fully healthy season of his career, appearing in all 82 games. Vilardi set a new career high in goals (30), a career high in assists (39), and a career high in points with 69. Vilardi’s impact on the Jets this season may have been overlooked with the success of Scheifele and Kyle Connor, but Vilardi was easily the 3rd best forward throughout the season, and he’ll get a chance to build on his successful season with Team Canada.

Team Switzerland – Nino Niederreiter

The Swiss legend Nino Niederreiter will once again wear the Switzerland jersey this spring. Niederreiter has played on Team Switzerland in the World Juniors, the Olympics (including the 2026 Olympics) and at multiple World Championships. The 33-year old didn’t have a great season, and he missed some time due to injuries. Niederreiter appeared in 61 games this season, scoring 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points, a notable drop from his 37 points last season. Niederreiter will use this opportunity with Team Switzerland as an early tune up for next season, which will be the final year of his current contract with the Jets.

Team Finland – Ville Heinola

Apart from Dylan DeMelo, the most “surprising” player headed to the World Championship from the Jets has to be Ville Heinola. There’s some history with Heinola and Finland, as he was on the 2019 and 2020 World Junior team. The 25-year old continues to be working towards becoming a regular NHLer, but that doesn’t seems like it will happen with the Jets. Heinola is open to be moved via trade, but the Jets want to make sure the trade makes sense before moving on from the former 1st round pick. Heinola had 0 points in 5 games with the Jets, and 21 points in 44 games with the Manitoba Moose this season.

Up Next

The first “event” of the NHL off-season (which happens during the playoffs) will be the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5th, where the Winnipeg Jets will have a 6.5% chance of winning the draw for the 1st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in late June.

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Jets sign forward Cole Koepke to two-year contract extension

Evan Waldner — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:09:56 GMT

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As expected, Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Koepke is staying in Winnipeg.

The Jets announced yesterday that they have agreed to terms with the 27-year-old on a two-year contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.45 million.

TWO MORE YEARS OF KOEPS ✍️ pic.twitter.com/dsgoUvCdtF

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 18, 2026

Koepke was set to become a UFA on July 1 after signing a one-year, $1 million deal with Winnipeg for the 2025-26 season.

He appeared in 66 games for the Jets this season, recording eight goals and nine assists for 17 points along with 16 penalty minutes. In 165 career NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and Jets, he has totaled 19 goals, 18 assists, and 37 points with 35 penalty minutes.

The Two Harbors, Minnesota native was drafted 183rd overall in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning and spent time during four seasons (2020-24) with Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he produced 100 points (49G, 51A) in 183 games.

Koepke was one of the few bright spots among the pieces Winnipeg brought in last summer, perhaps alongside Jonathan Toews, who was excellent in the faceoff circle this season and contributed offensively to an extent. Other additions, such as Tanner Pearson and Gustav Nyquist, didn’t work out as well. Koepke, however, gave the Jets good value as a bottom-six grinder who provided some secondary scoring, something Winnipeg lacked for much of the year, along with physicality.

With Koepke now signed for another two seasons, the Jets have taken an early step in what should be a very important offseason. They still have several pending UFAs to make decisions on, including Jacob Bryson, Colin Miller, Nyquist, Ville Heinola, Eric Comrie, and of course Toews, whose future remains uncertain as he weighs whether to continue playing or retire.

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Connor from Jets Nation’s full 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions

Connor Baldwin — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 05:00:23 GMT

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Tomorrow afternoon, the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begin without the Winnipeg Jets for the first time since the 2021-22 season. It’s always nicer when your team is in the playoffs, but even though Jets fans won’t get to cheer on their team this time around, it’s still the most exciting time of the hockey season. Two months of playoff hockey is on the horizon, and it’s time for me to do my 3rd straight year of Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions here on Jets Nation. A reminder that these are just my own personal predictions for the playoffs, and they’re almost entirely based on a mix of what I think and what I want to happen throughout each matchup.

Looking back at my predictions article from 2025, I was way off yet again, selecting the Jets to defeat the Capitals in the finals. It was never going to be the two top seeded teams in the finals, but I can’t help but wonder if the top two teams could meet in the finals in this year’s playoffs. Although I did make my 2025 article shorter than my way too long 2024 predictions, I think I can be even more concise with my picks for this year. Let’s jump on in to Connor’s full 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions.

Round 1

Starting over in the Western Conference, I have the Colorado Avalanche quickly moving on to round 2 past the Los Angeles Kings. On paper this is easily the most one sided matchup, as it features the team 1st in the league standings against the team 20th in the league standings. The Kings finished the season with 90 points and only 22 regulation wins, going to overtime in nearly half their games this season while setting an NHL record with 20 overtime/shootout losses. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar will roll into the 2nd round, but I think the Kings will win one game with a great performance from either Darcy Kuemper or Anton Forsberg in net.

Avalanche win the series in 5 games.

The next matchup features the other two elite teams from the Central Division, the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild. Both teams probably deserve to be in the 2nd round of the playoffs this season, but because of the current playoff format they meet in round one. Both teams have well balanced lineups, but I think the slight edge has to go to the Stars with their previous playoff experience. Some of the games this series will be super high scoring, and others will be super low scoring, it’ll be a series where you don’t know what will happen next.

Stars win the series in 7 games.

Moving down to the Pacific Division against Wildcard One matchup, which should be another fairly entertaining matchup. I think the Utah Mammoth are better than people realize, and they’re lower in the standings mostly because they’re in the ultra competitive Central Division. The Vegas Golden Knights have been on a roll down the stretch after hiring John Tortorella, and I think that momentum and their previous playoff experience will carry them into the next round.

Golden Knights win the series in 6 games.

The final matchup in the West features the back to back Western Conference Champions: the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers won’t need to play the Kings in the first round for a 5th straight playoffs, which should make for a more interesting round one matchup. The inexperienced Anaheim Ducks did well this season to get back into the playoffs, but it will be a very tough matchup for them as they try to shutout the dynamic playoff duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Oilers win the series in 6 games.

Over to the Eastern Conference now, where each round one matchup offers something a little different. The Buffalo Sabres are back in the playoffs for the first time in forever, and they’ll have to take on a team that can’t seem to miss the playoffs despite not being predicted to be in the playoffs this season in the Boston Bruins. This series might be the most unpredictable of the first round because of this, but I think the Sabres proved enough throughout this season to be able to win a playoff round.

Sabres win the series in 6 games.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens should be another electric round one matchup, and can be somewhat comparable to the Stars vs. Wild series. Two great teams meet in the first round, and there’s different storylines for this series that could change the outcome. I’m going back to the reliable playoff experience again here, as the Lightning have a more well rounded and overall better team built to win playoff series.

Lightning win the series in 7 games.

The Carolina Hurricanes against the Ottawa Senators series is similar to the Golden Knights vs. Mammoth series in some ways. The Senators are a better team than some may realize, and they had a good final stretch in the season to avoid slipping out of their wild card spot. The Hurricanes are almost at the point where it’s win a Stanley Cup or disappointment, as they’ve been unable to get out of the Conference Finals. The Hurricanes are a strong defensive team, and their home ice advantage will help them move on to the next round.

Hurricanes win the series in 6 games.

The final round one matchup features the 7th and 8th seeded teams in the Eastern Conference because of the current playoff format. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers have both exceeded expectations this season, and one of these teams will be in the 2nd round this season. Sidney Crosby in the playoffs is not an easy ask for an inexperienced Flyers team to stop. Both teams have concerns with defence and goaltending, which will make for a fun series that will go the distance.

Penguins win the series in 7 games.

Round 2

The Avalanche and Stars will meet in round 2, although this should be the Western Conference Finals if the format was set up differently. Both teams have proven throughout the season why they’re a level better than the other teams in the Western Conference. The Stars are in a similar situation to the Hurricanes right now, as they seem to always be “almost there” but not quite good enough to make it to the finals. The Avalanche move on in a tightly contested series.

Avalanche win the series in 6 games.

The Golden Knights and Oilers will be a pretty unpredictable battle of the top two teams in the Pacific Division. Both teams have struggled with goaltending this season. Both teams aren’t the same quality in terms of depth that they used to have in recent seasons. Playoff McDavid will find a way to get his team into a 3rd straight Conference Finals.

Oilers win the series in 6 games.

Over to the Eastern Conference, where a recent playoff beast in the Lightning will take on the Sabres, a team that had the longest playoff drought entering this season. The Sabres will put up a decent fight in this series, but the Lightning have too much depth and playoff experience, and that will lead them into the Conference Finals.

Lightning win the series in 6 games.

The Hurricanes and Penguins should be a fun battle between the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins will rely heavily on their experienced veterans in round two, but it won’t be enough to upset the well-rounded Hurricanes, who will be on a mission this season.

Hurricanes win the series in 5 games.

Round 3

The Western Conference Finals will be an epic matchup between McDavid and the Oilers and MacKinnon and the Avalanche. Arguably the two best players in the world will face off for a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Avalanche goaltending has been better than expected with the emergence of the Wedgewood/Blackwood combo, and the Oilers will be hoping that either Ingram or Jarry can be the difference maker against a stacked Avalanche team. The Avalanche will find a way to shut down McDavid and move on to the finals.

Avalanche win the series in 6 games.

The Eastern Conference Finals features two teams with a lot of recent playoff experience. Both the Lightning and Hurricanes will be determined to get to the finals, and they’ll be relying on different strengths to do so. The Hurricanes defence is their biggest strength, while the Lightning have a high powered offence led by Nikita Kucherov. The Hurricanes Conference Finals struggles will end with an epic win on home ice in game 7 to get to the finals.

Hurricanes win the series in 7 games.

Stanley Cup Finals

I keep telling myself not to pick the number one seeded teams in the finals, but I’ve somehow got to this point again in these playoffs. The Avalanche and Hurricanes will meet in the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals in a matchup that could go either way. The Avalanche have been the “team to beat” almost since the beginning of this season, and that will be the case until they lift the cup. The Hurricanes will be the more worn down team entering the finals after their matchup against the Lightning, and that will benefit the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon becomes the playoff MVP and Gabriel Landeskog lifts the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career.

Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 6 games.

The NHL 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday afternoon, so get ready to enjoy the beginning of another post season full of exciting and thrilling moments.

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Jets sign defenceman Garrett Brown to entry-level deal

Evan Waldner — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:48:16 GMT

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A two-time national champion has inked his entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets.

The club announced on Thursday that they have signed defenceman Garrett Brown to a two-year entry-level contract with an AAV of $1,050,000 in the NHL.

Welcome to Winnipeg, Garrett! ✍️

We have signed defenceman Garrett Brown to a two-year contract! pic.twitter.com/fWC00m1vIH

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 16, 2026

Brown’s deal will begin in the 2026-27 season, and he has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Jets’ AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.

In his third season with the University of Denver Pioneers, he recorded two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 33 games. The Buffalo, New York-born defenceman recently helped the Pioneers capture their second NCAA Championship in the past three years and picked up a pair of assists on Denver’s two goals in the National Championship victory over Wisconsin on April 11.

He has recorded four goals and 20 assists for 24 points through 83 career games over the past three seasons with the Pioneers while also racking up 59 penalty minutes. He was also a two-time NCHC Academic All-Conference Team selection (2023-24 and 2024-25).

The 6’2″ defender was drafted by Winnipeg 99th overall in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

He should be able to get some reps in with the Moose after signing an ATO for the rest of the season, though Manitoba only has two games remaining, tonight and tomorrow in Iowa, so we’ll see if he can get there in time.

Manitoba already punched its ticket to the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, but nothing is confirmed yet regarding where they’ll finish in the standings or who they’ll play. We’ll know more after these back-to-back matchups with the Iowa Wild.

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Jets blown out 6-1 by Sharks in season finale

Evan Waldner — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:06:05 GMT

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I don’t think the Winnipeg Jets closed out their season tonight in the most ideal way, allowing six consecutive goals after opening the scoring in a 6-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks at Canada Life Centre in front of a second straight sold-out crowd.

Winnipeg did get off to a promising start when Cole Koepke showed off some speed on a breakaway, beating Alex Nedeljkovic for his eighth of the year to make it 1-0.

Goal Koepke!#NHLJets #NHLJetsNation pic.twitter.com/o4M961ncp4

— JetsNation (@NHLJetsNation) April 17, 2026

After that, the Sharks’ youth took over. They took a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission and then carried a 5-1 lead into the second intermission. Sharks star Macklin Celebrini recorded a goal and two assists and surpassed Joe Thornton’s franchise record with his 115th point of the season. His 45th goal of the campaign came in the third period.

San Jose handed the Jets their second straight 5+ goal loss on home ice, both in front of sold-out crowds, and the saddest part of it all, there will be no whiteout this spring.

“Everybody should be pissed off,” said head coach Scott Arniel. “Not just about tonight, but that we didn’t make the playoffs.”

The closest the Jets got to a playoff spot was within one point, but losing costly points and not getting much help on the out-of-town scoreboard didn’t do them any justice. The Jets also lost four straight to close out the year and gave up 24 goals over those four games.

“I thought there was a lot of good and I think their intentions were right, trying to do the right thing out there. The effort was there. Honestly, we probably would have loved to get a little bit more practice time and get acclimated that way,” said Dylan DeMelo. “You kind of get thrown into the fire playing every other night and back-to-backs. But there are some really encouraging signs, and we’ve got some good youth coming up.”

Eric Comrie made his second straight start for the first time since Connor Hellebuyck was out for surgery back in early December. Comrie made 27 saves in his final start of the season.

Winnipeg had five players appear in all 82 games this season: Gabriel Vilardi, Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Toews, and DeMelo.

Player exit interviews will take place tomorrow, while GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Scott Arniel will speak next week.

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Season finale at Canada Life Centre: San Jose Sharks vs. Winnipeg Jets game day

Connor Baldwin — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:24 GMT

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Tonight at Canada Life Centre, on Fan Appreciation Night, the Jets will play their 82nd and final regular season game of the 2025-26 NHL season. After three straight losses, the Jets will look to end their season on a positive note before their off-season begins. The Sharks are in town on this final day of the NHL regular season, a team who won’t be going to the playoffs this season, but they’ve made some very positive strides towards being a playoff team soon.

The Jets will battle against a team that is 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, sitting two points ahead of the Jets in the league standings. The 26th overall 35-34-12 Winnipeg Jets and the 24th overall 38-35-8 Sharks will both be looking to conclude their season with two points.

The Jets and Sharks have met two times already earlier this regular season. The season series started back on November 7th in San Jose, when the Jets lost 2-1. The Jets lost again to the Sharks 2-1 (this time in overtime) again in San Jose on March 1st. This game could’ve had a different feel to it if there was something to play for, but with both teams eliminated it should be a fun season series finale that should see more goals than their previous two matchups.

The injury report for the Winnipeg Jets has six names to end the season: Morgan Barron, Vladislav Namestnikov, Gustav Nyquist, Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo, and Elias Salomonsson. All six players will be out tonight, and all six are expected to be fully healthy early into the off-season. The Sharks will conclude the season with three names on their injury report. Two of the three are non-rostered long-term injuries, and the other is Ryan Reaves, who is out tonight with a hand injury.

Jets Projected Lineup

Connor – Scheifele – Rosen

Perfetti – Lowry – Lambert

Chibrikov – Toews – Vilardi

Niederreiter – Yager – Koepke

Morrissey – DeMelo

Samberg – Bryson

Heinola – Miller

Comrie

Hellebuyck

Injured: Morgan Barron, Vladislav Namestnikov, Elias Salomonsson, Alex Iafallo, Neal Pionk, and Gustav Nyquist

The unconfirmed starting goalie is Eric Comrie (12-10-1), who will likely make his second straight start to end the Jets season. The Jets lineup made some slight line combination changes for last game, and as this is now game 82, there could be some more changes to the lineup to experiment in this final game. Stay tuned to the Jets official X/Twitter account for any late lineup additions or changes prior to puck drop.

Sharks Projected Lineup

Chernyshov – Celebrini – Smith

Eklund – Wennberg – Sherwood

Graf – Misa – Toffoli

Goodrow – Ostapchuk – Gaudette

Mukhamadullin – Orlov

Dickinson – Ferraro

Cagnoni – Desharnais

Askarov

Nedeljkovic

Injured: Ryan Reaves

The Sharks young players have stepped up in prominent roles this season, and they’ll look to add some veteran pieces in the off-season. Looking at the Sharks’ player stats through 81 games, Macklin Celebrini leads the way (by 55 points!) with an outstanding 112 points in 81 games. Yaroslav Askarov is the unconfirmed starting goalie. In his first full season as an NHL starter, Askarov has been inconsistent at times, but has also shown flashes of being a very good goalie in the near future. Askarov has a 21-19-4 record with a 3.56 GAA and a .885 SV% and no shutouts.

Jets player to watch: Nino Niederreiter

Mark Scheifele has hit a handful of Jets “best” milestones this season, but another player who has hit some personal milestones this season is Nino Niederreiter. In 60 games, Niederreiter has 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points, a dip down from his 37 points last season where he stayed healthy and played all 82 games. After appearing in his 1000th NHL game earlier this season, Niederreiter reached 250 assists in his career with his 10th assist of the season. Niederreiter probably won’t hit 250 goals in his career this season unless he scores two goals tonight. The milestone that Niederreiter could hit tonight is 500 points in his career, as he just needs a single point in this season finale to reach that mark.

Sharks player to watch: Macklin Celebrini

It’s hard to find words to describe just how good of a season Celebrini has had in his 2nd year in the NHL. Celebrini has an outstanding 55 points more than his next highest scoring teammate. Celebrini is 4th in NHL league scoring with 44 goals and 68 assists for 112 points in 81 games. There was no “sophomore slump” at all for Celebrini this season, as he greatly improved on his 63 point rookie season in the 2024-25 season. Watch for Celebrini to leave it all out their in his season finale, as he’ll look to show off his skills one more time before likely receiving some MVP votes before Awards Night.

Puck drop in Winnipeg, Manitoba is set for just after 7:00 pm CDT. Tonight’s game will be a night for the Jets to celebrate their fans at Canada Life Centre, as they say their farewells to the team for the 2025-26 season. Stay tuned here at Jets Nation for a recap of the action, as the Jets look to pick up a win for the fans in game 82 to end the season in the win column.

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Moose still have work to do despite clinching playoff spot

Evan Waldner — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:08:35 GMT

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On April 7, the Manitoba Moose punched their ticket to the postseason after missing out during last year’s franchise-worst campaign.

The 2024-25 club finished with just 56 points (25-41-3-3), ending the season in last place in both their division and the conference. This year, however, despite some noticeable flaws, the Moose bounced back to clinch a spot in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2023-24.

For those unfamiliar with how the AHL playoff format works in the Central Division, the top five teams qualify. The fourth and fifth-place teams face off in a best-of-three first-round series, with the winner advancing to the division semifinals to face the first-place team. Second place will take on third place in the other semifinal matchup. The division semifinals and division finals will be best-of-five series, while the conference finals and Calder Cup Finals are best-of-seven.

With those rules in place, there’s still plenty left for Manitoba to play for as they aim to finish in the most favorable spot.

The Moose’s final three games come on the road, beginning tonight in Rosemont against the Chicago Wolves, who have already secured second place in the Central with 81 points. Manitoba currently sits fourth in the division, but the Milwaukee Admirals are close behind, just three points back in fifth. Meanwhile, the Texas Stars hold third place, two points ahead of Manitoba, though the Moose do have a game in hand.

With three games remaining for Manitoba and Milwaukee and two left for Texas, the standings could still shift. If Manitoba finishes third, they’ll face Chicago in the division semifinals. A fourth-place finish would give them home-ice advantage for all three games against the fifth-place team, while finishing fifth would flip that scenario.

Puck drop tonight is set for 7:00 p.m. CT on AHLTV.