Uh-oh time in Winnipeg

 You can say a lot of things about Lord Stanley, whose name adorns an iconic Cup, but mostly you can say this: When winter's snows retreat and the world greens up, he does get up to some shenanigans.

Remember a couple of weekends ago, when the Blob noted that the Winnipeg Jets were entering Lord Stanley's playoffs with the NHL's best regular-season record (56-22-4, the best goal differential (plus-86) and the league's best goaltender (Connor Hellebuyck)?

Remember how I noted all of this boded ill for the Jets, because the best regular-season team hasn't won Stanley in 17 years? And how it especially boded ill for the Jets -- who are 0-for-53 lifetime in Stanley Cups, and who've never so much as reached a Final in all that time? 

"Sorry," you're saying now. "I don't remember any of that."

Well ... too bad. 'Cause I said it.

Of course, then the Jets went out and won the first two games of their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues, and, OK, so maybe I was wrong this time. The Blues, after all, had made the playoffs at, like, the last second. So maybe this would be the rout it looked to be on paper.

But hold your horses there, bucko!

The series shifted to St. Louis, and suddenly the best goaltender in the league turned into Sieve-y McSieveface. The Blues chased him in a 7-2 romp in Game 3, then chased him again in a 5-1 fanny-warming in Game 4. The Jets briefly righted the ship by winning 5-3 at home in Game 5, but then ...

Then came Game 6 ast night, back in St. Louis.

In which Hellebuyck gave up four goals in five minutes and was pulled again, for the third time in the series.

In which the Blues went to win 5-2, and now it's back to Winnipeg for ... OMIGOD WE HAD THESE CHUMPS DOWN 2-0 AND NOW IT'S A GAME 7!

Sorry. The Winnipeg fan base sorta took control of that sentence there.

One would assume that's what Jets fans are thinking right now, having seen this movie too many times before. I mean, they've said "What the hell just happened?" so often it should be on Winnipeg's city seal. And now they're saying it again, along with "Uh-oh", Where did Helly go and who's that wearing his goalie gear?", and also "Omigod we had these chumps down 2-0 and now it's Game 7!"

Because you can't repeat the latter too often at this point.

The good news for the Jets is they're back home, where they haven't lost to the Blues yet and where Hellebuyck's goals-against in three games is a more Hellebuyck-like 2.3. His teammates, meanwhile, have backed their beleaguered stopper with 12 goals in three games. 

So there's still hope for the form chart, I guess.

Except somewhere, I suspect, Lord Stanley just smirked.

"Hullo, lads!' he exclaims. "Watch this!"