Photo by Scott Stroh [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/893c4506-6e62-4832-806a-2e8932b87d1a.jpeg] Photo by Scott Stroh The Winnipeg Jets have officially earned the league's Presidents' Trophy as the team with the most points at season's end. Despite still having one final game to play on Wednesday, the Jets got some help from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who beat the Washington Capitals for the second time in as many days, ensuring no opponent would be able to catch Winnipeg's 114 points. “Yeah, it’s nice," Dylan DeMelo said post-game. "To be able to have that ability to have home ice throughout the whole playoffs, and hopefully we can go on a long run and use that to our advantage. It’s not the trophy we are after, but it’s a nice accomplishment." The Jets also took to the ice on Sunday, but it really wasn't much of a game for the home team. With the playoffs fast approaching, Winnipeg opted to rest a number of its stars. Adam Lowry, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Luke Schenn, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Connor Hellebuyck each had the night off, while a conglomeration of typical healthy scratches and Moose call-ups found their way into the lineup. One more player, who would have preferred to have the night off, Dylan Samberg, ended up leaving the game with a lower-body injury, as a result of blocking a Connor McDavid slap shot. The injury is not good news for Winnipeg's back-end come playoff time, as Samberg is about as critical a member as the Jets have in terms of defensive defencemen. His loss will be felt heavily throughout the lineup. Winnipeg ultimately lost Sunday's game against Edmonton by a 4-1 final. It wasn't all that close either. The first period was a scoreless 0-0 draw, but three goals were scored in a middle stanza dominated completely by Edmonton. Alex Iafallo gave the puck away to the wrong guy, as Connor McDavid found Connor Brown alone in front of the net, who scored his 13th of the season just 59 seconds into the frame. But Iafallo made up for his gaffe on a Jets power play, plopping home his 15th goal of the season off a Mark Scheifele rebound play. The Samberg injury was a result of a weak Scheifele hooking penalty, to which McDavid's slap shot sent Samberg down to the ice in a moaning heap. He writhed in pain as play continued, allowing the Oilers to score on the visibly shorthanded Jets. Edmonton outshot Winnipeg 18-5 in the second period, bringing the totals up to 28-12 through 40 minutes. Eric Comrie did his best to stop McDavid and company, but a Scheifele neutral zone giveaway led to Corey Perry's 18th goal of the year. He walked in alone on Comrie and put the puck high, glove-side. Viktor Arvidsson scored an empty-netter with just a minute remaining, sealing the deal on Edmonton's 4-1 victory. Comrie finished with 35 stops on 38 shots, while Stuart Skinner made 17 saves on the 18 pucks he faced. The loss wasn't meaningful, but the bigger story is that of the health of Samberg, who will continue to be assessed by team physicians over the coming hours. Next up for Winnipeg is the season finale on Wednesday night against Anaheim at 6:00 PM central time.
