It was a National Hockey League game in name only, featuring two teams so decimated by injury and filled with prospects it looked, felt and smelled like a split-squad contest in late September, not a playing-out-the-string snoozer in March.
And so, no, the Winnipeg Jets 2-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks at MTS Centre Tuesday night won’t be stuffed into a time capsule or set aside for a spot on the NHL Classics Channel.
Paid to perform
But for Jets fans who suffered through some painful nights this winter, Tuesday’s effort — warts and all — did offer a faint glimmer of hope, even if it does negatively impact the draft lottery percentages.