NHL Playoff Bracket if the season ended today for the Winnipeg Jets

With 91 points on the season, the Winnipeg Jets find themselves in a heated battle for the top spot in the Central Division vs. the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche. Tiebreakers have kept the Jets in first place, but that could instantly change should they lose a single game and if Dallas and Colorado simultaneously win. This would have an immediate impact on the NHL Playoff Bracket, but with the season now within one month from completion, who would Winnipeg play in the NHL playoffs?

The Jets have 91 points, but they are the second-best team in the Western Conference after the Vancouver Canucks (92 points). While Vancouver would deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, the Jets would also have their hands full with the Nashville Predators, a team that just doesn’t want to lose in regulation. 

Winnipeg Jets don’t currently have an easy matchup in the NHL Playoff Bracket

Winnipeg hasn’t been the Central Division’s hottest team, despite sitting in first place, with a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. By contrast, the Stars and Avalanche have both fared better recently, and none of them have performed quite like Nashville, who is 8-0-2. 

A Jets-Predators matchup may involve a No. 1 seed going against a wild card team, but the Predators, if they stick around the wild card, could be this season’s version of the Florida Panthers. To make things better for Nashville, they prefer to win on the road, with a 21-10-3 mark compared to their 18-15-1 home record. 

Should the Predators remain in the top wild card slot, the Jets must be ready for a potential trap. If they end up playing Vegas, their First Round won’t get any easier, and you can say the same regarding Dallas and Colorado. Regardless of which team the Jets matchup against in the First Round, Connor Hellebuyck and company won’t have it easy. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)