The Pride of Thunder Bay Ontario Eric Staal, led the Carolina Hurricanes to a come from behind win last night beating the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 at MTS Centre.
The Winnipeg Jets squandered an opportunity to move into a tie for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with the Washington Capitals losing 5-2 Sunday night in Chicago versus the Blackhawks.

Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel was not pleased that his team was unable to take advantage of the situation. “ The bottom line to this game is that if we don't make the playoffs we don't deserve to make the playoffs,” said Noel. “There is a price to pay to win games, there is a price to pay to make the playoffs and its not a sometimes thing.”

Winnipeg's top players didn't pay the price this past Sunday; Bryan Little, Andrew Ladd, and Blake Wheeler were a combined minus eight in the game. While the Hurricanes top line of Eric Staal, Chad LaRose and Jussi Jokinen accounted for the team's four goals and combined to go plus five.

“We weren't very good, our best players weren't our best players and theirs were,” said Noel.

The Jets did get an outstanding performance from fourth liners Nic Antropov, and Antti Miettinen. Antropov got the Jets on the scoreboard with his 13th of the season at 13:21 of the first period tying the game 1-1. That was Antropov's third goal in as many games.

Line-mate Antti Miettinen, tallied for his 1st and 2nd goals of the season after going 34 games without a marker. Miettinen's 2nd goal of the game came at 18:54 of the 2nd period giving the Jets the lead heading into the third.

The Jets have a commanding 26-3-1 record when taking a lead into the final frame. But the Carolina Hurricanes have been defying all odds with their recent play.

Eric Staal has been apart of the cause, he took over the game in the third scoring his 21st of the season on a break-away and then helping set up Chad LaRose for his 17th with just over minute left to play in the game, to complete the come from behind win.

The Hurricanes won with the same come from behind fashion in Minnesota just the night before when they defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-3 at Xcel Energy Centre. The Hurricanes now have earned points in 12 of their last 16 road games.

Winnipeg will need to find that same success if they want a chance at prolonging this year's season. The Jets are a weary 11-19-4 on the road. If Winnipeg were to have won four more games on the road this season bringing their record to 15-15-4, they would have added eight more points to their season total. That would give them 84 points, putting them a top the Southeast Division one point ahead of the Florida Panthers for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Their season isn't over just yet, the Jets are currently tied for 9th with the Buffalo Sabres and trail the Capitals by only two points for the final playoff position.

“Its going to be a good test for us, if we don't win our games on the road we won't make the playoffs. Its just that simple,” said Winnipeg Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.

The Jets next game is this Tuesday in Pittsburgh versus the surging Penguins who just got superstar Sidney Crosby back in the lineup. The Penguins were on an 11 game winning streak until it got snapped Sunday night by the Philadelphia Flyers who beat them 3-2 in overtime.

It won't get any easier after Pittsburgh, the Jets play back-to-back Friday in Washington against the Capitals and Saturday in Nashville versus the Predators before returning home next Monday to host the Ottawa Senators.