Capitals send Jets home with third straight loss

24 Mar 2024

Winnipeg Sun

Published Mar 24, 2024 • 2 minute read

Washington Capitals right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel (96) tries to maneuver the puck between Winnipeg Jets right wing Tyler Toffoli (73) and defenceman Josh Morrissey (44) in the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Washington. Photo by Mark Schiefelbein /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The room for silver linings is shrinking by the game for the Winnipeg Jets.

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With 71 in the books now, and a three-game losing streak to close out the team’s season-long five-game road trip capped off with a 3-0 shutout loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon, the local hockey team can only kick the can down the road for so much longer before they hit a dead-end.

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To be clear, the Jets aren’t going to fall out of a playoff spot, but they’re running the risk of stumbling into the post-season dance, where a couple of good periods won’t cut it.

Sunday was the sixth time the Jets have been shut out this season, including the fifth since the calendar flipped over to 2024.

Credit where it’s due, Winnipeg responded well to their shocking 6-3 loss on Saturday to the New York Islanders through the first 40 minutes, generating a bunch of chances while dominating the pace of play and adhering to their defensive structure.

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But the lack of a trigger finger and an erosion of their game in the third, leading to a rare final-frame implosion, sunk a team that’s sprung too many leaks as of late.

An opportunistic Capitals team, now above the playoff line in the second wild-card spot in the east, struck early on the power play through John Carlson just 1:21 in before Alex Ovechkin continued his mastery against the Jets with his 25th and 26th goals of the season.

Ovechkin is now just 47 goals back of Wayne Gretzky for the all-time career record and recorded his 99th and 100 points in 73 games against the Jets/Thrashers franchise.

Winnipeg didn’t have a goal to speak of, falling for a third straight game, to 44-22-5 on the season.

Charlie Lindgren played a big part in that, making a number of remarkable stops in a 27-save shutout, his fifth this season in what was his 20th win.

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Connor Hellebuyck, who was pulled mercifully from Saturday’s drubbing, allowed three goals on just 19 Capitals shots.

Winnipeg lost the specials teams battle to boot, going 0-for-2 on the power play while Washington, thanks to Carlson’s blast, finished 1-for-3.

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Jets, who host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and then the Vegas Golden Knights two nights later.

Critical Central Division games against leaders Colorado and Dallas await on the horizon as well, and the Jets could find themselves four points back of both teams who are in action later on Sunday.

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