WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets get strong marks for getting into the Central Division race this season.
Staying in the race is going to require more of two things from the Jets: a measure of consistency they're starting to discover, and quick bounce-backs when things go off track.
The Jets displayed each in a 4-0 win against the St. Louis Blues at Bell MTS Place on Sunday.
Winnipeg (19-10-5) has 43 points, three fewer than the Blues (22-11-2), who share the top spot in the division with the Nashville Predators (21-7-4).
The Jets rebounded Sunday after losing 2-0 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Saturday. Winnipeg had enough chances to win that game, outshooting the Blues 48-30.
The Jets had a 46-24 edge in shots on Sunday, making the aggregate of the two games 94-54.
"The teams that make the playoffs every year and the teams that have success when they're in the playoffs are teams that are OK doing that over and over again, even when it's hard or (they) may not feel well or (are) not scoring goals," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "You just stick with it, so credit goes to every guy for staying in the fight, saying the right things and staying engaged.
"It's a good division. I like our team just as much as I did when we were winning nine of 10. I think that throughout the course of a season, you're going to hit bumps in the road and it's the teams that stay in the fight, stay with it consistently all year long that succeed."
Between Nov. 11 and Dec. 3, the Jets were 9-2-1. In their six games prior to Sunday, they were 1-4-1 with a particularly flat outing at home this past Thursday, a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
"You have to be ready against every team in this division because it's a very good division," said Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, who had a goal and an assist, was plus-3 and was named First Star of the game Sunday. "For our team specifically, we saw a bounce-back. We went to St. Louis and into a tough building against a team that's been playing very well and we played a game that gave us a chance to win.
"We didn't bury on a few chances and they got a couple on the power play, but we were able to come back here tonight and basically duplicate that performance. I think that showed a lot about the courage on this team, and our resiliency, and we talk about going through tough stretches as a team and how you respond, that's cutting it off quickly."
Winnipeg's speed and attack were out of sync for some of the past 12 days, Wheeler said. He said he noticed it after the Jets shut out the Ottawa Senators in a 5-0 win on Dec. 3.
"There are no off nights in our division," Wheeler said. "I think that's the way you want it because when push comes to shove and you're in the games that really mean something, then you're groomed for it and used to it. I think our last game, we felt that way was against Ottawa and we were off our game for a few games after that. We had to fight to get back into it."
Jets defenseman Dmitry Kulikov also said he felt some of the misfiring.
"I felt like before the Chicago game (on Thursday), we were a little on a down slide and we were trying to find a way to play better, and these last two games against St. Louis, even though we lost the first one, I think we dominated," Kulikov said. "We outshot them, we played with the puck for most of the game, and right now I think we're on the rise again, feeling good about our game. We feel like we fixed what we needed to fix and feeling good about it."
Winnipeg is 6-3-1 against Central Division teams this season. The Blues are 6-2-1 and the Predators are 8-1-1.
Kulikov played his first eight NHL seasons in the Eastern Conference, seven of them with the Florida Panthers and one with the Buffalo Sabres. He said his move to the Central Division and Western Conference this season has surprised him.
"I started noticing right at the beginning of the season how much heavier the games are," Kulikov said. "By heavy, I mean that everybody's finishing checks and everybody's always on you and have good sticks and you don't have any easy nights in the Western Conference. The Central has some good teams and is very tight right now."
The Jets will find that out again Tuesday when they visit the Predators at Bridgestone Arena (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-TN, NHL.TV). That starts a three-game road trip, after which Winnipeg will have played 16 home games and 21 on the road.
Coach Paul Maurice believes the Jets will be through the most demanding phase of their schedule by the end of December, factoring in a 15-game month with the home-road imbalance.
Maurice believes the Central Division race is just getting started.
"I think we have a good understanding, maybe better than the people around us, that this is going to be real tight and right to the wire," he said. "This division is just too good. (I think) five spots for the playoffs are going to Central Division teams, and it's going to be a real fight for those spots and it's not going away. It's going to take us right to April."
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