Blake Wheeler smiles have been almost as rare as Winnipeg Jets streaks this season; that’s how hard the veteran right-winger has taken the team’s disappointing 2015-16.
But there it was Friday night on the MTS Centre’s big video board — a Wheeler grin and some joy for some in-game production that mattered.
The occasion was Wheeler’s third point of the night and his second goal that gave the Jets a 4-3 lead over the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks with just 8:21 to go.
Wheeler fessed up. He did enjoy his three-point night, which pushed him to a career best season of points, now 72, at the top of the Jets’ chart.