The Check In - 04.04.26 - Jets at Blue Jackets

Winnipeg wraps up their four game road trip in Columbus to face former coach Rick Bowness and the Blue Jackets. Sara and Jamie get you set for puck drop and welcome CJOB's Paul Edmonds and The Athletic's Aaron Portzline to the show.

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 1:17

That angle is just amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:22

I like it.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

You do look, you do what you can do. Good morning, everybody. Good afternoon, actually. Twelve thirty. Uh happy Easter long weekend to you as well. Happy Easter long weekend to hobby.

SPEAKER_05 1:33

Is it hobby? Hobby, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Yes, we are uh hoping that the Jets get back on track today as we get you ready for the final game of this road trip. I'm Sarah Lesky. He is Jamie Thomas. You of course are watching Check In, which over the next 30 minutes, we will get you ready for the Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets. It's great to see so many of you already in the chat. So looking forward to a lot of discussion, a lot of information shared over these next 30 minutes. We're gonna have Paul Edmonds join us, uh the one, the only, the legend. Also from the Athletic Aaron Portsline, who's covered the Columbus Blue Jackets for years, will join us. Uh Columbus on the cusp of a playoff position. What a race it is in the East right now. And of course, Rick Bonas um has been at the head of it since taking over early in January, and what a job he has done there in Columbus. But we'll talk to him more about that. Uh, what else will we do over this next 30 minutes, Jamie?

SPEAKER_05 2:32

It's like become part of our life now. It's like breathing is the Tim's hockey challenge.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I am excited.

SPEAKER_05 2:40

See, the best part is like the players that we pick in the Tim's hockey challenge have to score a goal. So Sarah thought she beat me the other day. That was not the case because you chose David Pasternak.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 2:51

He only got an assist. You have to score. So make sure, let's throw up the old graphic. It's time for the old Tim's hockey challenge. Brought to you by Tim Horton. Go to the app, make your picks each night, earn Tim's reward points. Uh free coffee for a week if you hit a seven-day streak, but they have to score a goal. Your choices, remember. Uh, this means you get at least one player right who scores seven days in a row. You will get free coffee for a week. So Sarah and I will make our picks a little bit later in the show. You can also make your picks on the app. So thanks to our good friends at Tim Hortons for the Tim's hockey challenge as we try to win some prizes, namely free coffee.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Yes. Um, and I was. I was so excited because if you were listening to us the other day, you would have heard me say that obviously the competitive juices flow anyways, especially when it's JT and I going against each other. So I was following along on all the games and I went, Oh, this is fantastic. Hashtag at least got a secondary assist. And then when I bragged about it today, Jamie goes, You're not paying attention.

SPEAKER_05 3:46

I was more than happy to tell her she was wrong. So good job.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Yes. Um, okay. So look, the Jets looking to get back on track. Many people hoping that that obviously is going to happen today. Uh, how do they do that going into this game?

SPEAKER_05 4:02

Well, how about a better start in the first period? Because uh, as our good friend Ken Wee from the free press tweeted out the other day, the Jets talked a lot about having a good start in Dallas, and that was not at all what they had. So uh Dallas quickly got on top of them, scored a power play goal, and scored another goal quickly after that um to have a 2-0 lead. And really, uh the Jets couldn't muster much through the first two periods. They looked a lot better in the third. Um, and of course, there was uh, I don't know what to say a controversial hit, but our good friend Leah Salamonson took a nasty hit from Jason Robertson. Uh Salamonson left the game, and then um the captain Adam Lowry tried to take care of or did take care of business and a pretty good scrap with Jamie Ben there in the third period. So it was a much better effort from the Jets in the third period. Uh just could not be Jake Ottinger and they were shut out for the sixth time this season.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Yeah, unfortunately, let's take a look at what that means for the standings, uh, because of course that is what we are watching all the time now, especially uh with this wild card race being what it is, and with the Jets being down to just seven games when you include today. So you look at some of this uh standings right now, they're three points back. Uh St. Louis has jumped ahead of the Jets with it. Uh games of note today. We've got Nashville playing San Jose, Chicago at Seattle, Toronto at the LA Kings. So all of the teams in the mix for that wild card spot uh will be playing today. So I want to know from all of you in the chat. I want to know who you're gonna pick for your Tim Hortons uh goal scoring challenge. I also want to know though, and Jamie and I were talking beforehand, I want to know which out of these games, which of these teams uh are you keeping your eye on the most as we go down the stretch with the Jets trying to climb back in? A real missed opportunity to not be able to come out with anything in that game against Dallas.

SPEAKER_05 5:52

Well, then when of course the worst case scenario was that Los Angeles Nashville game the other night that went uh to a shootout. So the old three-point game and uh went 15 rounds.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

That's unreal.

SPEAKER_05 6:06

And nobody scored until the 15th round. So it that's awful. As much as we have complained about the shootout in years past, that was like your example right there of how they have to come up with something else because that that's uh went way too long in that aspect. But um Los Angeles Kings of those teams um fighting for that final wild card spot have the fewest regulation wins. They only have 19 this year, so it's a ton of loser points um this season. And um, so I'll be watching uh San Jose and Nashville a little bit later today.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Yeah, looking forward to watching all of these. Uh, the Jets obviously are on in danger of becoming just the fifth team in NHL history. Go from winning the president's trophy to missing the postseason, not a group that you want to be a part of. Of course, the New York Rangers had just accomplished that the year before. So a lot of pressure on there. The Jets have had success against Columbus, they've won four of their last five meetings against them, outscoring them 23 to 9 in the process. And Columbus has had their issues. And that's one of the things that I'm looking forward to talking to Aaron about because you know we know the run that they've gone under Rick Bonus since he took over to even get themselves into this situation has been absolutely remarkable. But they have gone absolutely cold in the last seven games. They are one, five, and one as the record. And so now, you know, with the East being the way that it is, one day you can be in your top three. The next day you can be completely out of um any of the top eight positions. So uh looking forward to that. But this will be a difficult one for the Jets. And I'm interested to see, like you said, a better start would be great. I'm interested to see how they come out in this one.

SPEAKER_05 7:45

Well, they uh there are some changes to the lines a little bit too as well.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

So let's take a look at it.

SPEAKER_05 7:50

Let's take a look at that as we got this one from Mitchell Clinton a little bit earlier. Um Kepke, Tays, Lambert, uh, Rosen, Roseanne, sorry, Baron, and four. So not changes that way, but it's the uh Jacob Bryson has come into the lineup uh obviously with the loss of Leah Salomonson, which is a big loss for the Winnipeg Jets. Uh Connor Hellebuck will get the start again here tonight in Columbus. Uh so Jacob Bryson, Hayden Fleury uh pairing on that third defense pairing for the Winnipeg Jets. Um, so we'll have to see. I mean, clearly the loss of Leah Salomonson is big considering the step that he had taken. And I remember, you know, we were talking about Morgan Barron about the big step he had taken and how important he had been that he had missed the last two games. He returned to the lineup the last game as well. But uh Leah Salomonson, a big loss for the Winnipeg Jets um in that aspect, especially on the on the blue line.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Yeah, I mean you hate to see another player go into you hate to see it at any point in time, but another player go into concussion protocol. Um, you know, yesterday it was announced that Danny Jilkin's been returned to the Manitoba Moose because they are no longer the Jets are no longer in an emergency situation. We will see. Apparently, Gus Nike was said to be a game time decision, but he um did stay out longer with the uh with the scratches today. Colin Miller back on the ice still for another day, still in a non-contact jersey, but a very positive sign to at least see him continuing to do that. But um, the Jets will have their work cut out for them today.

SPEAKER_05 9:16

Columbus uh, I mean, that we were just saying I looked at their records since Rick Bonus took over on January 12th, 197 and 5. So that's the fact that they haven't played so well lately just goes to show you the incredible tear that they went on. Um it's so yeah, just the great job that Rick Bonus has done. They've improved defensively, they've you know had some more offense. So I don't think there's any surprise. Um, the effect that Rick Bonus has had uh on this hockey club uh since taking over. There's not a surprise at all in that aspect. But uh and then another thing too, Winnipeg didn't play so great on Thursday, but and certainly the Columbus Blue Jackets did not either. They had 10 shots on goal uh when they were taking on the um Carolina Hurricanes the other night. So look at that. This is from Aaron Port's line. Uh the Columbus Forwards only had two shots on goal and a 5-1 loss to Carolina. Uh the other eight wire were by defensemen since the NHL started tracking shots on goal in 1959-60. That's the fewest combined shots by forwards in a single game. So you can imagine uh Bones in the dressing room after that, especially against a divisional rival in the uh Carolina Hurricanes, who ended up clinching a playoff spot on that night. So uh both two teams coming to this game tonight in Columbus, uh not in the best of moods after their last game uh on the ice for both the Jets and Blue Jackets.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

So I believe the quote from Bones was I saw some selfish play that I haven't seen until now. So um you know, I think that if anybody can get this team back on track, obviously it'll be Rick Bonus with what he's been able to do. But you expect to see slumps happen, you know that okay, they were on such a tremendous run. So you know that it's not going to continue like that forever. There are going to be hiccups, that's natural. I mean, look at the look at the Western Conference. We talk about it every game, it feels like that yes, it would be an angry bones can be a very a very motivating bones. Um but you look at the Western Conference where you think about how the Jets with their struggles, they were we've talked about it ad nauseum 11 points back. I didn't think that they'd be able to make up the ground, but then all of these teams started uh hitting uh speed bumps, and it's inevitable. Nobody is going to go through without hitting them at some point in time. And um, Columbus is hitting theirs right now with uh with Rick.

SPEAKER_05 11:37

Somebody who has never hit a speed bump in his time as the voice of the Winnipeg Jets is our good friend Paul Edmonds, who is joining us now from his luxurious hotel room.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

He might not have hit a speed bump as the voice of the Winnipeg Jets, but I bet you he's hit a speed bump quickly in his truck before.

SPEAKER_06 11:57

Well, I've flown a few, I've flown over a few speed bumps. I can tell you, oh guess there's a speed bump there.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Um in a truck, reliving Dukes of Hazard days.

SPEAKER_07 12:11

But do we want to get to soup first? Because I've got a recommendation here.

SPEAKER_05 12:16

Yeah, if you go, yeah, please do.

SPEAKER_07 12:18

So let's get to soup. I know it's Easter weekend, so there's probably a little bit more of the traditional Easter fare going on. But if you know, if there's soup and and you want to make some, that would be great. We've talked about all kinds of different soup. But um, on a game day, every once in a while, I will treat myself at home by walking over into the food court. And I know that you two have been there as well. There's that Vietnamese restaurant called Kaifo. And uh it used to be a Japanese restaurant, and then those owners retired, couldn't find anybody to buy the place. So they just closed their Japanese restaurant down and they used to have a great ramen soup there. But the Vietnamese restaurant then opened in its place, and it's tremendous. So I will go every once in a while and I'll get that big bowl of the ramen chicken soup at Kaifo. And uh I they're paying me nothing for this. So, you know, I want to have that disclaimer. But if you are downtown and you do work downtown or frequent downtown every once in a while, and you're in the mood for a bowl of soup, the ramen chicken soup at Kai Fo in the food court at City Place is tremendous. And I think you're in and out with tax for 15 bucks. That's pretty good. Here's my recommendation.

SPEAKER_05 13:34

I think by the way, I don't think the people in promotions could write that any better, Polly. So I think we'll we'll cut this out, we'll send it to Kaifo and say, Hey, free advertisement right here. Yeah, but it could be a paid advertisement going forward.

SPEAKER_07 13:48

Yeah, you know, maybe like I'll just put a Kaifo um some sort of um name bar on my back of my shoot, walk around on game days, right?

SPEAKER_05 13:57

Yeah, just jersey with Kaifo in the back.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

I love it. Hey, how about this comment down there? Polly, our OG soup king. That's right. You know, all this started because of you, Paul.

SPEAKER_07 14:08

Yeah, no, I and I love my soup. And so what I will do now every time that we we get on, I will try to you know advance the story as they say in journalism, but I will try to always come up with great soup locations or great soup experiences. And so the next one here is uh, and again, I don't know that a whole lot is open on Easter weekend downtown right now, but uh when you get back to things uh being normal, and if you're downtown or work downtown, Kaifo, the Vietnamese restaurant in the food court and the ramen chicken soup. Oh, oh no cilantro. I get it. Uh no cilantro. I cilantro is a it's one of those acquired taste spices, you know. You're either you're in or you're out. Yeah, yeah. I'm most of the time I'm out with cilantro.

SPEAKER_05 14:55

So um, what did you think of what we saw in that first period in Dallas that night, Paul? Especially with all the the conversation about needing a good start against the Dallas Stars. It's a hard building for to Winnipeg to play in and win in. What did you think of what you saw there in the opening 20 minutes?

SPEAKER_07 15:11

Yeah, precisely. I mean, look, uh Sarah mentioned it earlier on because I was monitoring what was going on and and to come out with nothing, like even a point would have been, I think, palatable for the Jets, but they came out with nothing. And you're right, Jamie, a real difficult place to play for the Winnipeg Jets the last couple of years. Uh, I, though, look, I felt that they got off to a decent start.

SPEAKER_04 15:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 15:38

We forget really quick about the two goals that get scored, one on the power play, one inside of two minutes right after that. But in and around there, and before that, Mark Scheifley has a chance coming right down Broadway, heals it off his stick, right? Morgan Barron, another opportunity in that same general area of that first period where he whiffs on it as well. He doesn't get great wood on it. It comes off the blade of his stick, it flutters wide and high over the net, not exactly where he wanted to put that shot. So, yes, you're down to it, looks like you're not playing very well, looks like you haven't got off to a very good start. But they did have some chances. And I talked to Scott O'Neill about that today as well. And he would agree. And it's, I know it's a woulda, coulda, shoulda scenario here, but then after that, they generated a few more chances. Kyle Connor had five chances in that game alone. He hit a crossbar or a post, he hit Ottinger on the mask, he had Ottinger come post-to-post on him on another save. Winnipeg generated in that game. And sometimes, as Cole Perfetti told me today, you are going to run into situations where it just does not go for you. And it looks, it looked worse, I think, than it actually was because it was a 3-0 shutout and they're shut out for the fourth time on the road, and they're shut out for the sixth time overall, and it's in a time of need. So, yes, I get all that. I understand all that. But if I'm a coach and I'm looking for positives coming out of that 60 minutes, I'm saying to my myself, yeah, we need to defend better. We need to get something on our specialty teams, no doubt. But I also don't mind what we generated, not just in the third period, because the third period was frankly their best. And now there's maybe some reasons for that. Teams come off, they're up three-nothing, they're at home. There is a push from the team that's down three-nothing. But overall, I think there's some things that you can extract out of that game, despite the fact that you came away with nothing, and it's it's sheer disappointment that you can apply to this game tonight on the road. If you take some of the similarities to what you liked and make the application to tonight in Columbus, I think you might have a different result because it's a different game.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Okay, so let's expand on that then. When looking at Columbus as being the opponent, how do you think these two teams match up? I mean, obviously, Columbus has hit a bit of a stumbling block here, but they had been having a lot of success up to then.

SPEAKER_07 18:02

This will be interesting because we don't see this team very often. And in November, the Jets pretty much had their way with Columbus at home, winning a multiple goal game, and they had five different scorers. Did the Jets, and Mark Scheifley led the way, as he has all year with three assists. But Columbus had a different coach. Of course, we know Rick Bonus very well, and Jamie relayed the record under Rick Bonus. But this is very similar to what was leading up to the game Thursday in Dallas. Dallas wasn't very happy with the way they were playing. I just want to read you a couple of quotes from today because Sarah, you read the quote post-game from Saturday or postgame from Thursday when Columbus lost 5-1 in Carolina. Bones today was vintage bones. Here's a couple of quotes on the 5-1 loss from today because it was follow-up questions from the local media. He said, quote, there were a few guys we couldn't find. From the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. So it is on parallel with what Glenn Gullitson was saying about his team going into the Dallas game. So here's the thing: you know Columbus is coming tonight, then. You know Columbus is fighting for their playoff lives. They're a little closer to the line than the Jets are, of course. But I mean, they were above the line for a while here, and now they've stumbled in the last five games. So you know that they need to be better. They need to have more pushback, especially at home after losing and really not showing up against Carolina in that 5-1 loss on Thursday. Winnipeg wants to have a better start tonight. So all of this comes together, and I don't think that there's going to be any feeling out here tonight. In the first 30 seconds, this game's going to hit 120 miles an hour. So buckle up because it's going to go back and forth, and it's probably going to be physical. And both teams want to set the standard, set the tone early on, try to get the advantage with the first goal. We'll see what happens. I'm looking forward to it, frankly.

SPEAKER_05 20:10

Going back to the Dallas game again, and of course, the loss of Elias Salamanson, Paul, we've all had time to see the hit and think of the hit and get a better perspective of it. Do you still feel, as Scott O'Neill said, it was a dirty hit and a dirty play?

SPEAKER_07 20:23

Well, as Adam Lowry said, it's in the rule book. I mean, it's it's not a dirty hit in terms of then inflicting a penalty, assessing a penalty, right? But I mean, I think that it's hard when, as Adam said, in that situation, the player, Jason Robertson, protecting the puck with his numbers turned to the player coming from behind him with his face directed toward the boards. You're not supposed to hit and engage in that spot if you're Alias Salamons. And so you are frankly not expecting a reverse on that, right? But it happens quite often in the game. It has not been taken out of the game. I don't know that I would call it dirty, it's an unsuspecting hit. So, from that standpoint, you have to be aware of what's going on on the ice. And Jason Robertson is a bigger body that's learned at six foot three to protect the puck and be strong on his skates. And that's something that Elias is going to learn. He's still in his early 20s and he's only played 30 plus games in the National Hockey League. It's unfortunate that it's knocked him out. I I don't know about the the level of the dirtiness of it because it's it's not in the rule book that you're going to assess some sort of an interference call on it or a roughing call. I think it might be something that they look at. But the fact of the matter is the Jets have an empty stall right now when it comes to Aliyah Salomonsin and not playing tonight. So it does provide some opportunity. But the unfortunate part for him is he's a right handed shot and he's played so well since uh that last recall for the Winnipeg Jets. And It's a situation where next man up. And the Jets have been doing that a lot, certainly this season. And playing a lot with five defensemen because of defensemen getting hurt in a game. And the other thing that was interesting too was they were not only down to five defensemen, but then in that game on Thursday, Neil Pion gets two and ten, and they're down to four defensemen for most of the third period in that hockey game. And I hadn't seen that one for a little while. But dirty hit, I don't know that I would call it that. Unsuspecting, yes, but something certainly to learn from for Elias Salomonson and everybody else, because reverse hits are part of the game. We see it all the time. And until they take it out of the game or they start assessing penalties, it's there to stay.

SPEAKER_05 22:43

Pauly appreciate the time, man. Have a great call tonight. Enjoy the last part of this road trip. And uh hey, we're gonna see you Monday.

SPEAKER_07 22:49

Yeah, indeed. Thanks very much. And uh you guys enjoy the game and uh let's see what happens. Like I said, I think they're gonna hit the ice running here tonight.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

I love it.

SPEAKER_05 22:57

See ya, Pauly.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

Thanks so much, Pauly.

SPEAKER_07 23:00

All right.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

Well, we're the only Paul Edmonds.

SPEAKER_05 23:03

Yeah. Uh we also saw Paul thinks there's gonna be a guns ablazin. We'll go from the other perspective and join have Aaron Portsline join us now is what he thinks of what's going on here. Longtime man who has covered the Columbus Blue Jackets since their infancy. He's been through many, many head coaches, he's outlasted them all, and he's still standing here today. He's been through Ken Hitchcock, Sean Tortorella, and now it's Rick Bonus.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Rick, he left out a few he left out a few other ones.

SPEAKER_05 23:30

Yeah, I left out some guys in there as well. Scott Erneal as well, and on top of that. So, um right, Aaron, our good friend Paul Edmonds, thinking this game's gonna be crazy from the start. Uh, your thoughts, especially with what what these two teams are going through at this moment, both trying to scratch and claw their way into the playoffs.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

Yeah, I uh crazy, I think, is a possibility. I'm just really, really uncertain what sort of mind frame the Blue Jackets are gonna be in tonight. I mean, this thing was sailing along for them so well for so long under Rick Bonus, who of course you're familiar with. And these last seven games they've really lost their way one, five, and one. Worse than that, Thursday. That was one of the worst games I've seen the Blue Jackets play. I don't mean this season, I mean ever. Wow, they had 10 shots on goal, it two shots on goal by forwards in the entire game, two shots on goal by forwards. Uh, an NHL record, by the way. Never a good thing to be setting those sort of NHL records this time of year. And I and I just don't know, I don't think that's something you just flip a switch and get out of. I think there's uh a real lack of confidence and almost like imposters syndrome has fallen over the group here. I don't know if you have to build your way back out of that. There's certainly not time for that. Uh, but I'm real I just don't know what they're gonna look like tonight. I suspect there'll be a lot of energy at the start, but uh what happens if there's a bad bounce uh that goes against them early? I just don't know. So we we'll watch and and uh be interested in that.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

You had a a number of tweets uh today already, Aaron, but it includes when you looked at a number of the stars on the blue jackets that they look at all the time in order to be able to have production and that they haven't been producing lately. Sean Monaghan has had you know no points for it. Uh there's a number, yeah, there's a number of guys in there. When you when you say that they haven't, you know, imposter syndrome. Okay, so look at these numbers here, everyone, for it. Um, Columbus has scored 12 goals in the past seven games, and you look at how so many of the players that the blue jackets rely on have gone dry throughout this seven game stretch. Did you see signs leading into these seven games that things were maybe about to take a turn?

SPEAKER_03 25:59

Well, it's a great question because you tip you tend to see uh play dip a little bit before the results actually start to reflect what you're seeing. And then it works the other way too, where you start to see them play really well and maybe not get rewarded for it. Um yeah, I I think so. Yeah, there's been some some games where they they played well and didn't score or played well, and you know, they maybe got away with it a little bit. I just I I I think it's and you would you would like to say it's the young guys that uh players who haven't been through this before that are struggling with the big stage or people noticing them all of a sudden. Geez, it's not that. I mean, I didn't even include Boone Jenner in that group. He's got one, two, three over the last seven as well. A part of that's been on the fourth line, so he gets a bit of a break, but yeah, it's it's all over the place. And and that second line, you mentioned Monaghan specifically, uh obviously a former jet. That second line has been sort of a a real missing link all year. It just hasn't had an identity, hasn't produced. When car when uh Connor Garland first came over from Vancouver, there was a little bit of an uptick, and you thought, well, maybe they solved that. But boy, that's that's really dropped off. Monaghan himself has struggled this year, he was so good last year. Uh, he's been fighting through injuries this year, so he gets a bit of a pass for that. But that whole second line, and you know, you worry about the size of it when they had Johnson and Kent Johnson on one side and Garland on the other. If that's struggling in at these games late in the regular season, oh boy, what might that be able to do in the playoffs? Because that's that's a real matchup problem. Uh, so they're trying to figure out how to get that going. Um, and I'm again, I'm not sure where it begins. If it's a bad luck bounce, if it's you know, uh, I mean, they had a 3-0 lead on Boston, played maybe the best period I've seen uh the Blue Jackets play in a very long time and lost that game. And you can just feel the energy uh give out when they gave up the first goal in the third period. So there's a lot going on right now. They're pretty busy in the head uh right now, which is not a good way to play.

SPEAKER_05 28:18

Yeah, Aaron, uh the Jackets are minus 25, and that's the second worst goal differential in third periods this season. Has that was that before Bones came along, and have they rectified that since Rick uh came on board?

SPEAKER_03 28:30

Yeah, that's so much better under Rick Bonus. Yeah, as bad as it still is, it's so much better. And really, they have that game against Boston. I just referenced up 3-0, lost 4-3. They that was a tough one, obviously. Those do happen in today's NHL, those were uh just a regular occurrence for the Blue Jackets from early November into December. Uh, I've there are I there are nine games they've led after the second period and ended up losing. It it's more like 13 or 14 games where they've had a lead in the second half of the third period and couldn't hold it. So, not only and some of those games they've ended up winning in overtime or losing overtime, so they get a point for it. But you think of all the points that they didn't get, but also the points that they spread across uh the the Eastern Conference, and they they're not getting the tiebreaker against a lot of these teams. And as you get later in the season, as you all know, that that extra point uh that you lost in November, the point you didn't get in December, those are the ones you start to think about now when every point really matters.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

Yeah, I mean that's very much been the case with the Jets as well. So that's certainly something that the people watching right now are able to relate to when you look back at some of the games and go, oh, if only they had been able to pull out at least one more point on it. Just quickly before we let you go. I mean, sure, despite the struggles that they've had here, the addition of Rick Bonus, and we know obviously the tremendous start that they had under him. What has he been? What's the reception been to him? Um, whether it be around the dressing room, around the marketplace as well. Because obviously he holds a very special spot uh here in Winnipeg and with this fan base.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

Yeah. Uh the players love him. The the uh fans want to vote him for president, even though he's a Canadian. Um, they love him, they absolutely love him, they love the way he talks, they love the way he handles himself. I listen, I he has you guys know this, he has it like a default smile, right? There's like a default joyousness about the man, um that I think everybody just relates to. He's 71. He has the energy of a 30-year-old, you know what I mean? Um and I so I think the people here they just respond to that. This is a town too, it's a college sports town longer than it's been in any tell town. This town loves coaches, right? Players come and go, they love coaches. Like think Ken Hitchcock, John Tordarella, right? In torts they trust. Um, all so it it they're pre-wired for that, but they love they love phones. And just today, you know, Ken, we would we were watching the morning skate, he counted. Uh Rick Bonus had 11 on-ice conversations with players. Like that's a lot, right? But this is a guy that just likes to talk, and he's a great communicator, not just his understanding of the importance of it, but his ability to do it across age differences, all that sort of stuff. He's been listening people are talking Jack Adams candidate, and he's gonna coach at most 37 games. Um, so it it uh it's been a fit for short. And I'm I'm speaking personally, I hope it continues. We'll see.

SPEAKER_05 31:53

Aaron, uh uh, Columbus is one of my favorite cities in the National Hockey League. It's totally underrated in that aspect. So hang on with us for one more second. Got one more question.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 32:01

Time for soups on. All right, so if people are visiting the great city of Columbus, where should they go for some good soup? And what where do you like to go? And what's your favorite soup?

SPEAKER_03 32:18

Wow, so I would say if you're in this area, North Market, I would go to the North Market, which is right next to the arena, uh, here in the north side, all sorts of choices. But if you like Vietnamese, the pho is incredible. There's a great Vietnamese stand there. Uh, I love the Indian stand, it's not exactly soup, they may have soup. Um, but there's all sorts of choices there uh to get. So I would direct them towards the Vietnamese pho at the north market.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

You and Paul Edmonds on a very similar wavelength today.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

That was somewhere, the same spot.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

Well, he was talking about a spot in Winnipeg, but he was uh he was going on with with the Vietnamese angle with the soup, too. So soup is a hot topic when it comes to our fan base and uh our viewers. So we always enjoy, we always enjoy getting the perspective of other people. So, Aaron, you uh the best. Thank you so much for making some time to join us today. And everybody, if you aren't already following him, make sure to follow him, yes, on X, but then uh read all of his great work in the athletic as well. And I think there are a lot of people, Aaron, that are hoping that you have a very lengthy playoff run. Uh Columbus, I think, much like Buffalo, the East holds a soft spot for a lot of people that they're hoping are able to see some success in the postseason.

SPEAKER_03 33:35

Yeah, well, go Winnipeg. I hope you all make it. And who knows, greatest, most unpredictable final of all time. Jets. Could you imagine? Let's go.

SPEAKER_05 33:48

Rick bonus, Stanley Cup final. Why not?

SPEAKER_03 33:51

Come on, hey, Arneal. Yeah, I know. The stories tell them.

SPEAKER_01 33:56

The flip-flop. So much, so much content availability. Thanks so much, Aaron. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 34:01

Always a pleasure. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 34:02

Aaron Possil for joining us from Columbus. I'm serious, like Columbus is one of the coolest, most underrated cities in the National Hockey.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

Well, look, uh, there's a bunch that I find uh Pittsburgh, I find to be a very underrated city as well that you wouldn't know about. Um, we are running a little bit over, but just beforehand, we did uh here after the game in Dallas, uh, players Adam Lowry and as well as Scott O'Neill spoke about going into Columbus, about facing uh Rick Bonus and this Blue Jackets team.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Bones is an incredible human being. Um you know, to see him back behind a bench doing what he loves and uh you know excelling. I think you just to see the motivation, you see how hard guys will play for him. Um he's he's a great coach, you know, he demands a lot, but you know, he treats you with a ton of respect. He you know loves you as a player and as a person, and you know, those are the coaches you love to play for.

SPEAKER_02 34:58

But you know, we got to move on to Columbus. They've got a team that's in their own battle, and you know, obviously that they got beat again tonight, and so they're gonna be pretty honorary in their building. So we have to go in. We want to finish this road trip three and one, but we're gonna have to be a lot better with uh our details, our execution, our battle, get that stuff, drive it up like we did the first few games of this road trip, and then you know, hopefully we can be on the right side of it.

SPEAKER_05 35:21

So that's all the makings of a really good hockey game tonight in Columbus. Before we go, uh let's throw up the Tim's hockey challenge because Sarah and I are gonna make our picks. Uh Tim's Hockey Challenge, you pick three players, uh, make your picks each night. You're in Tim's reward points, and we're all hitting for hoping for a seven-day streakable, which means free coffee for a week. So just open up the Tim's app, look for Tim's NHL Challenge, and I've already made my picks.

SPEAKER_01 35:45

Okay, let's hear them.

SPEAKER_05 35:46

I got Cole Perfetti. I got Lane Hudson, and I got Josh Morrissey.

SPEAKER_01 35:52

All right, so my options that were available to me were I'll go John Tapares. Okay, Leafs playing the Kings this afternoon. Uh Alex Ayafala.

SPEAKER_05 36:02

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

And we'll say that another blue liner, but uh Dylan DeMello.

SPEAKER_05 36:09

All right. So I like it. Oh, Donnie Boy's got a five days. Donnie Boy54, yes. We applaud this. So the Tim's Hockey Challenge, thank you so much for that. And uh make sure you do that every single day on the Tim's app. Uh also make sure you uh tune in to either Sportsnet or of course CJLB for tonight's hockey game as the Jets wrap up their road trip in Columbus. They will take on the Seattle crack in the first of three one game homestands uh to close out the regular season here in Winnipeg. But uh first up, gotta be the Jackets.

SPEAKER_01 36:42

Yeah, looking forward to this one tonight. Always love to have you all in the chat and to hear from you as well. So hope that you join us on Monday and enjoy the rest of the weekend and enjoy the game tonight.

SPEAKER_05 36:52

See everybody.