The game had moments but in the end it was OT that decided the fate of the Jets. Rather, their fate was decided by themselves in OT as they did what the could to force the win.
The good news.
Wheeler go a goal Postma scored Chase De Leo nearly got his first NHL point in his pr debut The Jets got a point
The bad news. Perreault was injured, concussion and out indefinitely De Leo had his assist removed. OT was less exciting that watching paint dry That OT winning goal. Jets got a point.
It was Sunday afternoon and it appeared that no one was in the mood for a game of hockey other than Hutchinson and Gibson who both played well and kept their teams in the game through regulation. However, as a game it was a bit bland and void of emotion and then OT happened.
3-on-3 was supposed to open up scoring and it has but did anyone think they would see something so boring as they did yesterday? Yaawwwwnnnnn!
Then 'it' happened.
That beauty of an effort when no one is really communicating or thinking.
Depending on how you look at it and what part of #tanknation you side with, that extra point is a good moral victory and bad for the hopes of getting a good lottery pick. It also prompted some heated discussion between two hosts on TSN 1290's Big Show, Troy Westwood and Matt Leibl.
Leibl was steadfast in his opinion that worrying about an extra preceding point or two in the draft lottery was foolish based on how it has changed for this year. He was adamant that the 66% chance of not winning the lottery outweighed any benefit in the Jets losing, whether on purpose or not. Westwood took a more practical stance and without saying it defended the point of fans waiting the best shot possible because the season was lost. What is the cost if the Jets slip any further?
It was a spirited discussion but some what troubling as Leibl insisted that the numbers did not lie about the odds of winning. This however is more about convenience to his point than the reality of fandom and in some ways his thoughts were mildly disingenuous to the listeners and fans. They are aware of how a lottery works and I'd hazard a guess that many Jets fans bought lottery tickets for the Friday Lotto Max 60 million jackpot, all with a hope of winning.
Now translate hope to the NHL draft and that there is a chance of moving and increasing the odds of landing where you hope to be. Logic goes out the window with lotteries because it's about luck, hope and odds and that's what Leibl never seemed to grasp.
For the Jets and the fans, the hope now, after being this bad after making the playoffs for the first time in 4 years, is that there is some reward that comes to get them back in the playoffs.
I guess the though of adding a player that be of the same calibre as Kyle Connor is seems rather unappealing to Leibl if it means the odds are not as good as they were in the previous rules for the draft lottery. I wonder if Leibl ever figured out what the odds were that 16 opportunities in the 2015 NHL draft would pass over Connor so the Jets could take him?
Draft Lottery Simulator update:
1. Columbus 2. Arizona 3. Montreal 4. Toronto 5. Edmonton 6. Winnipeg 7. Vancouver 8. Calgary 9. Buffalo 10. Ottawa
Hmm maybe Matt has a point :)