ANALYSIS: Jets’ streak has to end, but not against Toronto

The Winnipeg Jets are back home Monday evening as they try to stretch their attention-gathering, season-opening winning streak to a ninth game.

If there is a hockey god, please don’t let it end against Monday’s opponent.

Like it or not, the crowd of 15,000 or so crammed into Canada Life Centre for the 6:30 p.m. faceoff between the Jets and the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs figures to be split right down the middle.

If the streak that finally has experts outside of this market speaking in positive terms about one of Canada’s “other teams” ends in Detroit, or Columbus later this week, or even next Sunday at home to Tampa Bay, so be it. This fun run can’t go on forever.

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But what the official home team does not want Monday night is to have to stomach a celebration by Leafs Nation, right in their own barn.

I was thinking about this as Mason Appleton’s empty-netter was sewing up the 5-3 win in Calgary Saturday night.

While Scott Arniel and his players have done their best to curb the rapidly growing enthusiasm following each victory, can you imagine the deafening roar that would be emanating out of the self-proclaimed centre of the hockey universe if it was the anything-but-bashful buds who were off to an 8-0 start?

Not that Auston Matthews and his not-so-merry these days band of followers aren’t capable of bouncing back from a string of three straight defeats that have left them at NHL .500 through their first nine starts, but the last thing any non-Leaf fan in this country needs is for Toronto to be “that team.”

The one that proves the Jets are indeed human. Trust me, it would be a while before we heard the end of it.

4:58 Winnipeg Jets head coach talks hockey, family, local restaurants, and why he chose Manitoba as home

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