The Jets weren’t ready to go right from puck drop on Saturday, losing 7-1 to the Flyers at Canada Life Centre. The loss plus other results around the league made the Jets playoff odds drop to 1%, making these last three games must win for the Jets. Tonight in Vegas, on game number 80 of the regular season, the Jets visited the Golden Knights. The Jets entered Monday morning five points out of the 2nd wildcard spot in the Western Conference with just three games to go. The 35-32-12 Jets took on the 37-26-17 Golden Knights, a team that’s clinched a playoff spot but can still finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the Pacific Division.

The Jets line combinations looked different than last game, as Nikita Chibrikov and Brayden Yager, who made his NHL debut, were recalled from the Manitoba Moose. Colin Miller returned to the lineup, and Alex Iafallo and Vladislav Namestnikov were out with “day to day” injuries. Gabriel Vilardi moved up to line 1, Brad Lambert moved up to line 2, Niederreiter was on the 3rd line wing with Yager and Chibrikov, and Cole Koepke, Jonathan Toews and Isak Rosen formed the 4th line. Neal Pionk was also out with a “day to day” injury, resulting in Dylan Samberg and Colin Miller forming the 2nd defence pairing.

After getting pulled after the 2nd period against the Flyers, Connor Hellebuyck got the start in goal tonight.  Hellebuyck entered tonight’s game with a 23-22-11 record, a 2.80 GAA and a .899 SV% and no shutouts. Tonight may have been Hellebuyck’s final start of the season if the Jets got eliminated from playoff contention, as Eric Comrie will likely start tomorrow and Thursday. Below is an update on all of the Jets injuries entering the final week of the regular season. Tonight’s game was another bad game for the Jets, and it was the Golden Knights that skated away with the two points.

1) Vladislav Namestnikov (Undisclosed) – Day to day

2) Neal Pionk (Undisclosed) – Day to day

3) Alex Iafallo (Undisclosed) – Day to day

4) Gustav Nyquist (Undisclosed) – Out for the season

5) Elias Salomonsson (Concussion) – Out for the season

6) Morgan Barron (Lower Body) – Out for the season

Tonight’s game began with the Golden Knights getting the majority of the scoring chances in the first five minutes. Adam Lowry took the game’s first penalty for holding, and on the powerplay Hellebuyck made several saves to keep this game scoreless. Shots were 8-2 for the Golden Knights at the halfway point of the 1st as both teams continued to look for the game’s opening goal.

The action remained fairly limited for the second half of the opening period. Gabriel Vilardi took a slashing penalty with a minute remaining, giving the Golden Knights a chance to take the late lead before the break. Hellebuyck and the penalty killers denied the Golden Knights of any quality opportunities before the period ended scoreless. Shots on goal were 10-3 for the Golden Knights, but the rest of the game stats were fairly even despite the Golden Knights having the only two powerplays.

The 2nd started out more evenly than the opening period as the Jets stayed with the Golden Knights fast pace. At the 6:21 mark Nic Dowd was called for tripping, sending the Jets to their first powerplay of the night. This man advantage didn’t go so well for the Jets, as the Golden Knights opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal. Jack Eichel had the puck on a 2 on 1 with Mark Stone, and Eichel’s pass to Stone was shot past Hellebuyck, who got a big piece of it but not enough as it trickled into the net.

Less than a minute after the powerplay ended, the Jets were back on the powerplay again after Shea Theodore was called for interference. This was a better man advantage for the Jets, but they still couldn’t find a way to tie this game. Again less than one minute after this powerplay ended the Jets went back on the man advantage. Nikita Chibrikov made a nice hit, and after a scrum the Golden Knights were given the extra penalty for cross-checking on the retaliation.

The Jets got a few more chances on this 3rd powerplay opportunity in the 2nd, but just before the powerplay was over Nino Niederreiter was called for what looked like an accidental high stick on Noah Hanifin. Halfway into the Vegas powerplay, Mitch Marner was called for hooking, as this period full of penalties continued. The Jets still couldn’t score and again just over two minutes later Toews took a penalty for hooking.

Hellebuyck was slightly the busier goalie in the 2nd, and with 1:06 remaining, after the penalty expired, Reilly Smith deflected a point shot from Noah Hanifin (set up by Rasmus Andersson) to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead.

Shots on goal in the 2nd were 15-10 for the Golden Knights, and now the Golden Knights were outshooting the Jets 25-13 with 20 minutes remaining. Both teams were 0/4 on the powerplay, and the Jets would now need a comeback to keep their playoff hopes alive, with the out of town scores also not going their way at this point either.

The 3rd period didn’t start well for the Jets, and 31 seconds after puck drop the Golden Knights had a 3-0 lead. Noah Hanifin set up Jack Eichel along the boards, and after going behind the Jets net Eichel made a nice pass in front as Ivan Barbashev snapped the puck past Hellebuyck for his 23rd goal of the season.

Just over two minutes later, the Jets got on the scoreboard after another extra penalty was given to the Golden Knights. Mark Scheifele set up Colin Miller at the point, and Miller’s shot was re-directed by Gabriel Vilardi past Carter Hart for Vilardi’s 30th goal of the season. Scheifele’s secondary assist gave him 100 points on the season, becoming the first player in Jets 2.0 history to reach this milestone.

The Golden Knights re-gained their three goal lead just over a minute later. Ivan Barbashev and Mark Stone set up Rasmus Andersson for a wrister which was well placed for Andersson’s 17th goal of the season.

One minute later the Jets made it a two goal game again. Mark Scheifele collected a rebound from a shot from Kyle Connor to score his 35th goal of the season. With his 101st point of the season, Scheifele now holds the record for most points in a season in Jets franchise history (including the Atlanta Thrashers).

Less than 30 seconds after this goal Scheifele got called for a double minor high sticking penalty. The Knights would score a minute into the powerplay. Jack Eichel and Mark Stone connected before Pavel Dorofeyev wristed home his 37th goal of the season.

On the 2nd half of this double minor, Jack Eichel scored his 27th goal of the season to give the Golden Knights a 6-2 lead. Eichel snapped home a loose puck in front, and now the Jets playoff odds were officially done at this point.

The run of six goals in the first seven and a half minutes of the 3rd really changed the tone of this game. Dylan Samberg took a tripping penalty around two minutes later, but this time the Jets were able to stop the Golden Knights powerplay. Hellebuyck remained super busy throughout the 3rd period, and he was doing what he could on a busy night for him throughout this game.

The last few minutes of this game went by pretty quickly, and the Jets were eliminated from playoff contention after a 6-2 loss. The Los Angeles Kings won 5-3 over the Kraken a little bit before this game ended, so even if the Jets would’ve won this game their playoff hopes would’ve still been over. Final shots on goal were 38-23 for the Golden Knights. The Jets will now have a road game tomorrow and fan appreciation night in Winnipeg on Thursday to conclude their 2025-26 season.

After tonight’s game, the Jets will be on the road again tomorrow for the 2nd half of back to back road games. Their regular season schedule continues on Tuesday with their final road game of the season against the Utah Mammoth. Puck drop for this game will be just after 8:00 pm CDT. Stay tuned here at Jets Nation for all of the latest Jets news (including the latest playoff odds), plus previews and recaps on each Jets game this season.

The Toyota Tacoma is the ultimate power play. Its standard i-FORCE engine delivers more power than ever and a towing capacity of up to 6,400 lbs. It helps you take on challenging landscapes with confidence with its available Panoramic Multi-Terrain View Monitor that provides a live, underfloor view of the terrain you’re tackling. It even makes loading and unloading gear effortless with its available Power Liftgate. Whether it’s for early morning practice or weekend away games, the Tacoma is a teammate you can rely on. Visit your local Prairie Toyota dealer during Red Tag Days for limited-time offers.