WWYDW: Who Do You Want In The First Round?

It’s pretty much a lock that the Winnipeg Jets are going to make the playoffs and almost a certainty that they’ll do so as the second place team in the Central division meaning they will have home ice advantage in the first round against which ever team is third in the division.

At this very moment, that team is the Minnesota Wild.

But it could also be the Colorado Avalanche who are a mere two points behind the Wild. Or there is still an outside chance it could be the Dallas Stars, although they’d have to go on an incredible run over the next two weeks and hope for a harsh crash of both the Wild and Avs. Same goes for the St. Louis Blues who could also make a run, but would need a bunch of help.

The question I pose to all of JetsNation today: “What team do you want to see the Winnipeg Jets take on in the first round of the 2018 NHL Playoffs?”

Let’s look at the possibilities from least likely, to most likely.

The Jets – eight points behind the Nashville Predators – could still take over first in the Central and end up facing a team like the Los Angeles Kings of Anaheim Ducks on top of any of the next three teams we’ll mention… It could happen but likely won’t. Still, a series against the Ducks sounds like it could be sweet, sweet revenge right?

The Jets swept their regular season series against Dallas 4-0 and there is little doubt they’d do close to the same in a seven game playoff series. This is almost as unlikely to happen as the chances of the Jets getting top spot in the Central Division however. The Stars are 2-5-3 in their last ten games and fading fast.

The Blues rank a little bit higher than the Jets because they are one point behind Dallas yet have two games in hand. Yet again, the Blues may end up trading away a major roster player at the trade deadline under the assumption they’re dead in the water, only to rally and make the post season. The Jets have gone 2-2-0 against the Blues this season with three of the four games being shutouts.

The Avalanche have played the Jets pretty tough in their four games this season as they split the series with two wins each… In the Jets favor though is the Avalanche wins have come in overtime where the Jets have amazingly struggled to play 3 on 3 hockey. No 3 on 3 hockey in the playoffs though, so the advantage may swing back in the Jets favor for this one.

A few weeks ago it looked like it was going to be a great race between the Wild and Jets for second place and home ice in the first round, but the Wild have also floundered as of late going 5-4-1 in their last ten. Just like the previous two teams, the Jets won this regular season series as well 3-1-0, but those three wins were within the first couple of months of the season.. have things changed since then for either club?

Sound off in the comments below or let us know what you think on our Twitter feed!

Arctic Spas is a proud partner of the Nation Network. Looking for a way to stay warm during hockey season? Check out a local dealer near you.