ANALYSIS: How can the Winnipeg Jets stop the bleeding of a discouraging homestand? – Winnipeg

There is no doubt — the Winnipeg Jets are in one right now.

They’re struggling with defence and what looks like — from my comfy couch at times — a lack of motivation and compete level. It’s seemingly on display for the entire league, as well as paying fans, who expressed their frustration at the play of their team with a chorus of boos on two separate nights.

This three-game homestand the Jets are in the midst of has been dismal, to say the least, with a 3-2 beatdown where the score drastically did not do justice in showcasing how dominant Buffalo was over the Jets. That was followed by a worse carving, this one by the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday … to the tune of a 4-0 shellacking.

While it’s difficult in the middle of the season to say that a single game is ultra-important, what I would suggest is that Monday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues is one of those games.

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Monday night’s game, without doubt, will shape the narrative and the emotion that will not just be felt by the team, but the fanbase over the all-star break, leading up to the return of action with Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks in town Feb. 11.

I’m not in denial or neglecting to note that the Winnipeg Jets are certainly in need of a break — playing 31 games in 62 days, between December and January. That’s a long, gruelling and brutal schedule and some time off is definitely needed.

It’s also important to note that the Jets are second in the Central and third in the Western Conference right now.

This season has been far from a nightmare; it’s been a rebirth … so far.

A win Monday night against another reeling team, the Blues, on a four-game losing skid, will do well to get those good feelings going.

But if the Jets play like they did last week, they’ll be heading into the all-star break on the worst slide of their season.

How will that affect the Jets’ final 30 games of the season?

Let’s not find out.

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