Jets, Canucks face off again in Vancouver in rare doubleheader (Dec 22, 2016)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Winnipeg Jets did not have to wait long for a chance to avenge their last loss to the Canucks in Vancouver.
The Jets (15-17-3) will visit the Canucks (14-16-3) again Thursday night after suffering a 4-1 setback on the same Rogers Arena ice on Tuesday night. It is rare for teams to play a doubleheader like this one in the same city.
But the Jets are hoping that familiarity breeds success, if not contempt, the second time around.
"We know exactly what they are going to do," said Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. "If they make changes, we will be able to adapt to them pretty quickly. We kind of lit the fire a little bit (Tuesday), and now I think we are going to want the next one a little bit more."
The loss ended Winnipeg's longest winning run of the season at two games. The Canucks are now within striking distance of a Western Conference playoff spot when just last week it appeared that they would not even come close to one.
"We have a pretty good idea of what they are trying to do," said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who scored his team's only goal Tuesday on a power play. "I think they are going to have a pretty good idea of what we're trying to do. It's going to be a matter of wills, the next game I guess."
Does this two-game affair feel like a min-playoff?
"It's fine," said Wheeler. "These games all kind of blend together. The team doesn't really matter. You have to prepare the same way. We will try to use this to our advantage, pick up some things we did well (Tuesday), some things maybe we can get better at on Thursday."
The Canucks will try to deliver a better start. Vancouver allowed Winnipeg to take a 1-0 lead on Tuesday, marking the 25th time that the Canucks have allowed their opponent to score first.
"It's tough to explain," said Canucks captain Henrik Sedin. "(The Jets) came out hard. It's the NHL. It's not easy to predict what's going to happen."
At the outset of the season, many observers predicted that the Jets would have a much easier time making the playoffs than the Canucks. But after struggling for most of the season before their current homestand, the Canucks are starting to talk more about postseason possibilities rather than just getting through games.
It is virtually impossible to determine a team's playoff chances after only 33 games -- and not really worth trying to figure them out. But the Canucks are showing signs of becoming a strong home team, sporting a 10-5-2-0 record in their barn.
And, having earned five of a possible six points thus far on a four-game homestand that will conclude Thursday night, the Canucks are daring to dream a little -- or at least change the topic from their recent struggles.
"We talked going into this (that) we needed maybe four out of five (wins before the Christmas break) to get back into the race," said Sedin. "We've given ourselves a good start on this homestand, but we have to finish it off. (Thursday) is another big game against a team that's right there battling with us."
In other words, Sedin is not complaining about playing the Jets twice two days apart in Vancouver.
"It's fun games to be a part of," he said. "Our division is really tight. If you can get on a roll like Calgary got on a couple weeks back, then you're right back in it. We feel that we're playing good enough to be in the race."
While the Jets are reasonably well rested after getting extended breaks in the past week, the Canucks will be playing their fifth game in 10 days, and have only had two days off once in that span. But Vancouver winger Jannik Hansen, who scored two goals on Tuesday, welcomed the challenge, suggesting that the second game of the doubleheader against Winnipeg will be a test of his club's character as players battle fatigue.
"Everybody can play well when you're feeling great," said Hansen. "It's when (you're not feeling great) that you have to work for it. Those are the points that are going to make the difference."
