The sad thing about following an NHL team that has no hope of making the playoffs is watching them play out the string, waiting for the long nightmare to cease. The 2015-16 Winnipeg Jets have been painful to watch for most of the season and tonight’s game was no exception. The Jets fell 4-2 to the Nashville Predators to close out a 5-game homestand by going 1-3-1. UGH!

The Jets actually got off to a good start, a rarity for this team as Drew Stafford scored his first goal in 12 games to open the scoring.

The first 19 minutes of the opening frame were good. The last minute was ugly. The Predators scored twice in 11 seconds in the final minute as Craig Smith and Colton Sissons gave Nashville the lead going to intermission.

The second period was scoreless thanks in large part to the Jets inability to score on the power play. Take a shot if you have heard that line before. (Every Jets Nation reader is drunk following said line.) Austin Watson was assessed a five minute major for an elbow that made contact to the head of Marko Dano. What followed was a putrid display by the Jets while being a man up. The Jets not only didn’t score, but failed to register a single shot during that five minute span. Repugnant!

The Predators increased their lead midway through the third on Ryan Johansen’s 11th goal of the season.

The Jets did show some life as Jacob Trouba banged home a loose puck with just over 6 minutes remaining, to pull the Jets to within one.

However, the Predators sealed the deal as Smith notched his second of the game, finishing off a lovely Filip Forsberg feed just 1:44 after Trouba’s goal.

Three Keys:

Putrid Power Play: We’ve ranted about the Jets woes with the man advantage enough in these scribblings. Let’s make it clear. If the Jets don’t fire Pascal Vincent in the offseason, then the organization has no clue what they’re doing!

Last Minute Misery: 2 goals in 11 seconds in the final minute of the first period completely flipped this game in Nashville’s favour while the Jets never recovered. Good teams finish periods strong. The Jets aren’t a good team.

Just B Koz: A sixth player made his NHL debut for the Jets tonight. Scott Kosmachuk was inserted into the lineup, replacing Joel Armia who was out with a lower-body injury. Kosmachuk joins Connor Hellebuyck, Nikolaj Ehlers, Nic Petan, Josh Morrissey and JC Lipon as players who saw their first taste of NHL action this season in a Jets uniform.