The Jets, who reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season, led the Central Division with 68 points on Feb. 1, but finished 14-14-3. They held onto second place by going 2-1-1 in a season-ending four-game road trip and a 45-42 advantage in regulation/overtime wins (ROW).
"It's going to be an absolute grinder, maybe even more so than last year, the way those wild-card teams ended up playing," said coach Paul Maurice, who guided the Jets to the Western Conference Final last season before a five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.