(Photo by Lance Thomson/NHLI via Getty Images)

So When I watch a game I usually have twitter going and a lot of the people I follow are either Jets fans or hockey media. Last night it was sickening to read the tweets from some of the local media. You had one guy who said that the fact that the Jets were within one point of 1st in the southeast was “nonsense”. Then he kept trying to say that this is a sub .500 team and kept going out of his way to put down the Jets. Objectivity goes both ways. If you hate the team so much ask your editor for another beat or go get another job. Don’t be a cheerleader but don’t be an asshat. Anyway ten seconds from sole possession of 1st. Pav was awesome. Bryz is crazy and and the Jets shouldn’t be sellers. These stories and more in today’s links.

Love this! [Deadpsin]

The Jets were ten seconds away from Winnipeg that game and gaining the lead in the Southeast.  The good news is they got a point in a game they didn’t deserve any from and have a share of the 1st place. [Winnipeg Free Press]

I wish they Jets could have gotten more shots on Bryz. As someone said Pav was lights out an Bryz was lights on (and no one home). [Winnipeg Free Press]

While the outcome was disappointing there were a lot of positives to take from that game. Pav was amazing and probably made the save of the year. The powere play is finally back on track and the big guns are scoring. We don’t always have to see the negatives. [Winnipeg Sun]

Chevy should only make moves that will make this club better. The idea of selling off players for Draft picks is so Mike Smith. [Winnipeg Free Press]

That was not the type of game Claude Noel wanted his team to play. He knew that he couldn’t go punch ofr punch with a team like the flyers. [Winnipeg Sun]

Say what you want about the Jets blowing a chance to move up the standings but this was an entertaining game. I would love to see these teams meet in the playoffs. [TSN]

Philadelphia Flyers 32-19-7, 71 pts

Winnipeg Jets 29-26-6, 64 pts

6:00pm MTS Centre

Winnipeg is on the cusp of something special. You can feel it in the air. The teams knows it, the management knows it and the fans you can bet your bottom dollar they know it. A win tonight and the Jets move into sole possession of 1st place in the Southeast and the 3rd overall seed in the conference. Now keep in mind Florida has 4 games in hand but the sheer symbolism of this moment shouldn’t be over looked. Just a month ago the Free Press was saying they Jets should just give up on the season and start selling off assets. Good thing Chevy doesn’t take his advice from Gary Lawless.

3 KEYS

CONTROL THE NEUTRAL ZONE

One of the reasons for the Jets resurgence has been their ability to control the puck in the neutral zone. The Jets have had to rely less on dumping the puck in and have been able to carry the puck in and maintain possession.  When you dump it in you are pretty much just hoping that the other team’s D will make a mistake. When you carry the puck in you control your own destiny. You set the pace of the play and dictate the terms. The Jets have big, fast forwards who are able to move the puck very well. There is a time to dump and chase but the Jets seem to have more success when they do the opposite.

STAND UP

Last  few games its been evident that teams are targeting Evander Kane. They are going out of their way to give him an extra shot. I think they figure that he’s just coming off a concussion and might not be 100%. After getting cheap shot after cheap shot last game Kane sent a message. He took a legal hit and just lost it. The Av’s announcers were incredulous as Kane just jumped the Av’s player and rained down a barrage of blows. Kane got lucky and took a double minor but more importantly he sent a message to the other team that he’s not going to let guys push him around. Now I don’t like the idea of the young star fighting his own battles but I do respect Kane for taking care of the problem. I think that other teams will have gotten the message and will leave the young star alone.

EYE ON THE PRIZE

While they have had some success the Jets can’t get ahead of themselves. Yes they are in a great position but as we know things can change in a week. One team gets hot while another struggles and the playoff picture looks a lot different. Just last week it looked like Florida was going to walk away with it. Well now they are having their troubles and its Winnipeg’s turn in the spotlight. The Jets just need to keep winning and they control their own fate. A win tonight will start to put distance between them and the teams they are battling for a playoff birth. As a fan base we must realize that this is a marathon and not a sprint. We mustn’t make the mistakes of other fan bases like Toronto or Montreal and plan the Stanley Cup parade at the first sign of success.

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Trevor Hagan)

The Big bad Flyers come to town but the Jets have had their number all season. Should be an entertaining game. I really hope Bryz finds the peace in his soul to play tonight. I think the crowd at the MTS Centre could make the Russian Goalie cry. The city might burn. Wheeler is the NHL 2nd star of the week. Noel isn’t happy and tonight the Jets face a new look Flyers team. These and other stories in today’s links.

This city might go crazy if the Jets make the playoffs but I’m pretty sure it won’t burn. Come on this isn’t Vancouver we are talking about. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Wheeler is named the NHL’s 2nd star of the week. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Even with the team’s recent success Claude Noel is still concerned. [TSN]

Third straight win puts Winnipeg into the playoff picture. [Calgary Herald]

Wheeler had a great week. Now he needs to replicate that as the Flyers come into town. [Winnipeg Sun]

Who is earning their salary? [Winnipeg Sun]

Claude Noel is looking for ways to motivate this team. He was so negative at practice yesterday people thought he worked for one of the local papers. [Winnipeg Sun]

Pav sets career mark for wins. [Winnipeg Sun]

The Jets face a Flyers team that has a new look on the blue line. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Hope is a wonderful thing. Without Hope the NHL would have never came back to Winnipeg. The fans kept the hope and dream of the Jets alive through stories websites and word of mouth. Behind closed doors True North also kept hope alive and diligently worked to bring a team to the River City.

Now as their inaugural season is approaching the end hope is still alive. The Jets are in the playoff hunt and have a great chance of making the post season. As I write this they are only 1pt out of the Southeast Division lead. No one expect the fans thought this was possible.

As soon as True North bought the Thrashers the media was telling the people of Winnipeg to not get their hopes up. That these were still the Thrashers just in a different location. The pundits talked of how the team would struggle and making the playoffs or even being in contention was a longshot.

At first they struggled and the experts patted themselves on the back. They were right and the only thing this team was going to fight for was a high draft pick. Yet then something peculiar happened. Powered by the home crowd the Jets started to win. They started to believe. As December rolled on the Jets started to seem themselves move up the standings and into the mix for the playoffs.

When December 31st hit the Jets were playing some of the best hockey in the nHL. Then January hit and the Jets began to struggle. Injuries hurt this team as at one time or another most of their top players were out with various injuries. They dropped out of a playoff spot and the media pounced.

The Jets were 5pts out of playoff spot and at the the exact halfway point of the season when both local papers called for the Jets to write the season off. The Free Press said that they should be sellers at the trade deadline while the Sun said they lacked the talent to compete for a playoff spot.

On Twitter local media members would openly mock and make fun of the team. If a fan defended them and pointed out that they were still very much in the hunt then the media member would call the fan delusional and unrealistic. I have gotten into a few arguments on Twitter with members of the local media. I have been called a “Fanboy” and that I am just “fooling myself”.

Now there is nothing wrong with being honest. If the team is struggling then yes the media has a right to call them out. Their job is to report the news not be cheerleaders for the team. The problem is they only like to bring up the negative aspects and completely ignore the positive ones.

Yes the team had a horrible January but you know what they were never more than 5 pts out of a playoff birth. That is not a team that should just write of the season and look to the future. The fans are not delusional for hoping and thinking that the team can make the post season.

These guys are playing their hearts out. Kane, Wheeler, Burmistrov, Wellwood and Pavelec are all having statistically the best seasons of their careers. Bogosian is becoming the defenseman that a lot of people thought he could be. Lets never confuse lack of depth with lack of talent. The Jets have the talent to compete, their problem was when injuries hit they were unable to fill the holes. Show me any team the can lose its top D men and top scorers and still win.

This is no pipe dream. This team will be in the playoff picture right until the end of the season. At this point I say we have a 50/50 chance of the postseason. The only troublesome spot is that we have played 2 and 3 games more than our closest rivals. Those games in hand could come back and hurt this team.

Yet until they are mathematically eliminated from contention. I  am going to have hope. I refused to listen to the media when they said that the NHL would never come back to Winnipeg. I refused to listen to the experts saying that Winnipeg couldn’t support the team, that the city and the arena was too small. The city and its fans proved them wrong. Winnipeg has the loudest most active fan base in the league.

So when somebody says that the Jets can’t make the playoff or that they are just not good enough I know right then and there that they are wrong. This team may not be the Oilers from the 80′s but they still are a team that can strive for something greater than a high draft pick. They are in the hunt and with enough support they can do us all proud and make a legit run at the post season.

Thats all we can hope for.

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Trevor Hagan)

Well these things go in cycles. In december the Jets were flying high and scoring goals in bunches. January came along and the Jets started to flater as their goal production waned. Now in February they are scoring again and the wins are coming back. With the win last night the Jets are in the hunt. The games at hand are a little worrisome but the teams the Jets are competing against lack the killer instinct to pu the Jets away. Tied up with the leafs. Ladd, Wheeler and Little finally all get going at the same time. Carrer year for Pav and a look at the South East. These and other stories in today’s links.

The Jets pull even with the Leafs for the last playoff spot. The Better news is they are just 1pt behinf the Panthers for the Southleast division lead. [Globe & Mail]

If the Jets are going to make the playoffs they are going to have to make every home game count and so far thats what they are doing. [TSN]

Ladd, Wheeler and Little get the job done for the Jets. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Little scores twice and Wheeler gets 4 assists. [NHL]

I don’t think the Jets have been ever out of the race. They played bad and still put themselves into a position. [Winnipeg Sun]

A lot of Jets are have carrer years. Pav just got the most wins in his NHL tenure. [Winnipeg Sun]

Top players are finally delivering. [Winnipeg Sun]

Everyone want to knock the Southleast yet the truth is that they really aren’t as bad as the media would make them out to be. [NBC]