The Winnipeg Jets were back in action tonight after a come from behind 5-4 shootout win in Chicago. Game 81 of the regular season was back at home at Canada Life Centre against the Edmonton Oilers. With 1st place secured in both the Central Division and the Western Conference, the final achievement for the Jets would be winning the Presidents’ Trophy with a win (or a Washington Capitals loss) tonight.

The Oilers recently clinched their spot in the playoffs, but they still have a chance to have home ice advantage in their 1st round matchup with some good results. It was Stuart Skinner against Eric Comrie tonight, as Comrie was looking for another quality start after a shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Jets were going for the season sweep against the Oilers, winning the previous matchups 6-0 and most recently 4-3. Several lineup changes (too many to list) were made by the Jets prior to this game, either due to injury or simply healthy scratches for rest purposes. This game was evenly matched in the 1st, before the Oilers jumped out as the better team on the night, eventually defeating the Jets on this Sunday night.

The 1st period was fairly evenly matched, and the overall feel of the game was relatively energized. Some games late in the regular season don’t feel the same when there’s nothing meaningful on the line, but you could tell that both teams tonight had something to play for in the final week.

Jeff Skinner tripped Mark Scheifele almost midway into the 1st, and the Jets got the 1st powerplay of the game. This powerplay looked decent, but Stuart Skinner and the Oilers penalty killers stopped the Jets attack. The rest of the 1st period, while pretty entertaining, went without a goal or penalty, and the Jets and Oilers went into the 1st intermission scoreless. Shots on goal after the 1st were 10-7 for the Oilers, and Comrie looked sharp throughout the opening 20 minutes.

1 minute into the 2nd period, the Jets top line made a rare mistake in their own zone. Alex Iafallo had the puck picked off from him by Connor McDavid, who quickly found Connor Brown unmarked in front, and he backhanded the puck past Connor Hellebuyck to make it 1-0 Oilers. A few minutes later, Vasili Podkolzin was called for slashing against Dylan DeMelo, sending the Jets on the powerplay for the 2nd time tonight.

The 1st powerplay unit went to work, and opened with some good puck movement. 1 minute into the powerplay, Alex Iafallo avenged his giveaway from 5 minutes ago by scoring his 15th of the season. Colin Miller made a nice pass across the Mark Scheifele, who fired one on goal. Iafallo was there to battle and collect the rebound, and he snapped one past Skinner to tie this game up at 1. As we’re approaching the playoffs, I think it’s time to start including the Jets goal replays in the recaps like I did last year for the playoffs, so here’s the first of hopefully many Jets goals to be reposted.

The Oilers would soon after get their 1st powerplay of the game after a questionable hooking call on Mark Scheifele against Jeff Skinner. Dylan Samberg blocked a slap shot from the point and went down, and moments later Adam Henrique gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead. Evan Bouchard and Corey Perry collected the assists with a nice passing play, and Samberg headed down the tunnel after the goal to be examined after being in extreme discomfort right after the goal was scored.

After 40 minutes of play, the Oilers led the Jets 2-1. The Oilers were rewarded for being the better team in the 2nd, and they outshot the Jets big time, 16-5, as Comrie did well to ensure the Jets were only down by 1 after several good chances from the Oilers late in the 2nd period. If the Jets wanted to get back in this game in the 3rd, they would need to both slow down the Oilers offence and get more chances of their own.

The 3rd period was better for the Jets, as they looked to rally back down 1 in front of their home fans. The first half of the 3rd period saw no goals or penalties, as both teams were playing careful as they knew the next goal would be the important one.

With 8 minutes left in the game, after a quick turnover by the Jets near centre ice, Derek Ryan found Corey Perry open near the faceoff dot. Perry wristed one up past Comrie to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead. Following this goal, the Jets started to play more urgently now down 2, but they weren’t able to solve Stuart Skinner.

The Jets pulled the goalie down 3-1 with around 2 minutes to go. After trying to get one goal closer, Viktor Arvidsson put this game away for the Oilers with an empty netter with 1:20 to go. The final horn went, and the Jets came up not victorious, losing 4-1 to an Oilers team that’s looking to regain its form before the playoffs. Shots on goal in the 3rd period were 11-6 Oilers, and the final shots on goal were 39-18 Oilers.

Tonight wasn’t the best performance from the Jets after the 1st period. Eric Comrie kept the Jets in this game, making 35 saves in an overall very quality start in goal. Connor McDavid looked ready for the playoffs in this game, collecting 2 assists as he approaches another 100 point season. Despite tonight’s loss, the Jets got some good news from the out of town scoreboard. The Columbus Blue Jackets, eager to stay alive with their slim playoff chances, beat the Washington Capitals in DC 4-1. The Capitals loss means that the Winnipeg Jets have won the Presidents’ Trophy for the 1st time in franchise history.

1st place in the NHL regular season has been a “curse” in the playoffs since the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup after winning it back in 2012-13, but that won’t cause any concern for this Jets team. The Jets regular season finale goes on Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre against the Anaheim Ducks. With 1st place secured across the board, expect some additional lineup changes to be made in their final game before the NHL playoffs begin. Tonight was a bittersweet result for the Jets, but it will still be a night of celebration knowing that they’ve officially locked up the most points in the NHL’s regular season. Check back here before the next game for more Jets news and updates as the playoffs approach!