Division rivals gaining ground on Jets after late letdown vs. Devils

NEWARK, N.J -- The sound that was once a bit further in the distance is getting much louder and is now well within earshot.

And while the Winnipeg Jets insist they can’t worry about anything other than getting their collective game in order, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that several teams below them in the Central Division standings are turning up the heat and quickly closing the gap.

A 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night was the latest setback for the Jets, who remain in the thick of the battle for top spot with the Dallas Stars, but the cushion they built has all but disappeared.

Don’t look now, but the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche sit two points back of the second-place Jets and hold two games in hand.

The Minnesota Wild have bounced back nicely after a tough stretch to win consecutive games to move within four points of the Jets (with the same number of games played).

No, it’s not time to set off the alarm generally reserved for a five-alarm blaze, though the Jets realize they’ve got to get things tightened up when it comes to the self-inflicted wounds and poor puck management.

Those issues were prevalent once again as the Devils erased a 2-1 deficit by scoring three times in the third period to prevent the Jets from securing an important victory.

"Yeah. Obviously you watch (the standings). You know those teams are good and you've got to keep winning to stay where you are,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who notched a pair of assists. “(This was) a tough one but we can't focus as much on other teams. We've got to focus on what a good Winnipeg Jets game looks like and there's still lots of games left."

Defensive-zone turnovers proved costly, both on the tying goal and the game-winner.

Jets forward Kyle Connor had his pocket picked behind his own net by Erik Haula (who found Fabian Zetterlund in front), then Dylan DeMelo reversed a puck that Devils forward Jesper Boqvist got to first before Michael McLeod found Miles Wood with a no-look, between the legs pass.

:You go back for those pucks in a 2-1 game, you can’t be turning them over. We just kind of gave them those two goals,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “Just bad mistakes. We had time to make a play and we didn’t make a play. Our puck management certainly got us in a lot of trouble.

“When we were in trouble, it was more us turning pucks over than anything else. We get over that, get going north and get skating again, we’ll get going again. Well, I mean, it's just two games now, so yeah. We've been there. We know how to fight our way through this and we'll have to do it again."

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck did his part for the Jets as he finished with 25 saves and his steady play was a main reason his team built a 2-1 cushion through two periods of play.

Between the pipes for the first time in three games after dealing with an illness, Hellebuyck was razor sharp and the final two goals that beat him (the fourth Devils goal was into an empty net after Dawson Mercer won a foot race with Cole Perfetti) were on point-blank chances.

Hellebuyck was frustrated after the game that he was in position to make the save on Wood, but the puck didn’t go where he was expecting because he didn’t fully hit the shot.

“It was a couple turnovers and they capitalized,” said Hellebuyck. “Unfortunately they fan on pucks and they still go in, sometimes luck is on their side.”

Bowness stuck with his standard “we’ll see” when asked for the second time in as many days if he would consider going back with Hellebuyck on consecutive nights (the New York Rangers entertain Winnipeg on Monday), given the magnitude of the game and quality of the opponent.

For his part, Hellebuyck said he was feeling well enough to play again, provided his name was called.

“Yeah I feel healthy enough now. I feel great. I’ll always be ready,” said Hellebuyck. “But we have a full team for a reason. If we have to use everyone, we’ll use everyone.

“(The illness) definitely knocked me back a little bit. I was definitely gassed and not feeling well, really under the weather. I took some time off. I probably could have played last game but it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. We manage our goalies well here. We have two guys that can play. We’re going to use them.”

The Jets had a glorious open-net opportunity to make it a 3-1 game early in the second period, only to see Kevin Stenlund’s shot carom off the post as his stick exploded in his hands -- leaving him to look skyward in disbelief.

The Devils had several shots off the iron as well and it’s not like the Jets were in complete control of the game.

New Jersey is 13-2-2 over the past 17 games, so it’s not like the Jets lost to a bottom feeder.

This was a see-saw affair that saw the Devils elevate their game as the Jets were unable to find another gear in the third period.

The Jets are struggling to score, doing so just 28 times during the past 12 games.

For those keeping track at home, the Jets have gone 5-7 during that stretch.

They’re not the only team going through a bit of a rough patch, as the Stars have gone 2-2-5 during the past nine games, leaving the door open to other teams in that aforementioned chase for top spot in both the Central Division and Western Conference.

"This could be a bad stretch," Hellebuyck said. "It’s better now than playoff time. We still have plenty of time to get on that hot streak. Like everyone always says, you want to peak at the right time."

Bowness rolled out four different line combinations and two power play units on Sunday night and the results were mixed.

Further changes could be required as the status of forward Nikolaj Ehlers is up in the air after he left the game in the third period with a suspected head injury.

Ehlers battled in the corner with Brendan Smith and after several cross checks were exchanged, the Devils defenceman tripped Ehlers, who fell to the ice and appeared to hit his helmet.

Ehlers left the game with 8:02 left in the third period and didn’t return, though Bowness was unsure if he had been in concussion protocol.

Whether Ehlers is available or not, the Jets need to find a way to generate more offensively, especially from the third and fourth lines.

That’s been an area of concern of late and it was under the spotlight in a game where the Devils fourth line delivered the game-winner and the third line produced the equalizer.

As for the Jets finding ways to lose consecutive tight games after rattling off a three-game winning streak, Hellebuyck wasn’t interested in doing a deep dive.

“I don’t really feel like answering that question, to be honest. I want to keep things positive and keep things on the right side,” said Hellebuyck. “We’ve done a lot of hard work and done a lot of good things. Obviously, we don’t love that. Tomorrow is a new day.”

It’s a new day where the playoff race will once again intensify and the Jets will be looking for a much-needed response.