Winnipeg Jets and the Four Game Losing Streak

The Winnipeg Jets have been eliminated from the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything interesting here, but what if I told you this is the sixth time time in the short franchise history that the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers have been eliminated by losing four games in a row?

In 2007, the Atlanta Thrashers made their only playoff appearance in Atlanta, in which they got swept in the first round by the New York Rangers, losing 4-0. The Thrashers/Jets franchise would not return to the playoffs until 2015 as the Winnipeg Jets, in which they were welcomed back by another sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. In 2018, the Winnipeg Jets won their first playoff game in franchise history against the Minnesota Wild. They would go on a run to the Western Conference Finals where they met up against the Vegas Golden Knights. In this series, Winnipeg won the first game, followed by four losses in a row, losing the series in five games. The following year, the Jets would get eliminated in the first round in six games by the St. Louis Blues. This would be the only instance where the Jets franchise would not get eliminated by a four game losing streak. The Jets swept the Oilers in round one of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, in which the Montreal Canadiens would return the favour in the following round. In the first round of the 2023 playoffs, the Jets met up with the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2018 rematch. Identical to the 2018 Western Conference Finals, the Jets would win the first game and drop the next four. In 2024, the Jets would once again win the first game, followed by four losses in a row, losing to the Avalanche 4-1.

If you have been keeping track, that is six out of seven series where the Jets/Thrashers have been eliminated by losing four straight games in some fashion. Half of these six were sweeps, with the other half being a four game losing streak after winning game one. The 2019 loss to the Blues in six games is the only instance in franchise history where they were not eliminated by a four game losing streak.

All seven instances in franchise history of the Jets/Thrashers being eliminated, with all but the 2019 post-season being a four game losing streak. The Atlanta Thrashers were eliminated in 2007, with the other six series being the Winnipeg Jets.