The Tale of Monday: Waking Up Without the Winnipeg Jets in the Playoffs

Spilled milk. (Photo “courtesy” of Global Winnipeg)

Listen, Jets. Listen up, Winnipeg. Everyone wants you to make the playoffs. Like, everyone. Even “fans” in Washington and Buffalo are giving you this little one-year grace period.

(*There is no evidence of that last line. I don’t live in Washington or Buffalo. Georgetown is nice, though. Sorry, Hoyas.)

But, come on… eventually you’re going to have to cash in on these opportunities. Eventually, you’re going to have to do more than just Tebow your way to the playoffs. You know, bob n’ weave? Miracles lose steam and oil. They get weighed down by reality. Only once has a miracle endured, and that was a pretty special occasion.

Listen, Winnipeg. You got lucky with the Capitals blowing their three-or-four game advantage, or whatever it was they had over your Jets, and not increasing their point lead over you.

You had a fantastic game on Friday, when your Jets held off the Capitals third-period offensive power and willed themselves to an inspiring home win, complete with the “Crosby’s Better!” chant.

And then, when you had eighth place in your grasp, you blew a 3-2 lead against the Carolina Hurricanes and a suddenly-good-again Eric Staal, even as the Capitals simultaneously got slapped like a five-year-old in an orphanage by the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-2.

No, you’re four points out of eighth, and Buffalo’s in ninth. You’re tenth, and said Hurricanes are closer to you than you are to Washington.

My, how things change in 24 hours. No, literally… it was 24 hours.

You can still make it, but you’ve gotta’ win, and you’ve gotta’ win the games you’re supposed to win. You haven’t been able to do that yet.

Then again, who are we to talk. We’re in Vancouver.