Judy Owen, The Canadian Press

Blake Wheeler wasn’t going to make too big of a deal about the Winnipeg Jets’ 5-0 victory over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday

Wheeler, who recorded a hat trick and added an assist, was asked if it was a statement game for the Jets (14-6-1).

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” replied Wheeler, who recorded his fourth career hat trick and first since a four-goal outing in a 5-2 win over Columbus on March 3, 2019.

Willie Jefferson expects to sign a contract extension with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers soon, and that should start the healing process for the CFL team's disappointed fans.

Players cleaned out their lockers Tuesday after the Bombers' quest for a third straight Grey Cup championship was surprisingly halted by a 24-23 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in Sunday’s 109th Grey Cup in Regina.

Brady Oliveira is ready to be in the playoff spotlight.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers third-year running back will make his first post-season start at that position when the team hosts the B.C. Lions in Sunday’s CFL West Division final at IG Field.

The opportunity to do that in his hometown in front of family, friends and fans is something he relishes.

“This is meaningful football and this is when you want to play,” Oliveira said Friday after Winnipeg’s closed practice.

It was 2016 and Jermarcus Hardrick was rushing to the airport to catch a flight.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were heading to Vancouver for a CFL playoff game against the B.C. Lions and the offensive lineman, in his first year with the club, feared the wrath of head coach Mike O’Shea if he wasn’t on time.

“My wife was pregnant and we were late. She was driving,” Hardrick recalled after a recent practice. “I didn’t know what to do when I got there and I was so scared and I was going crazy, snapping (at her) the whole time.

Mark Scheifele likes how the Winnipeg Jets are finding their groove with an aggressive playing style.

Scheifele scored two of the Jets' four unanswered second-period goals in a 5-1 NHL victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

Three Winnipeg goals were scored in a span of 2:45 in the middle period, leading to the 13,847 fans at Canada Life Centre giving the players rousing cheers as the period ended.

Kyle Connor knew he'd finally score on a goalie this season and it came at a great time.

Connor scored 1:45 into overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

His low shot past Sam Montembeault was his first goal on a netminder this season. He had an empty-net goal in Winnipeg's season opener.

“We’ve got such a good group, and build each other up in situations where guys are dealing with that,” said Connor, who scored a team-high 47 goals last season.

Zach Collaros wanted to look ahead rather than back at the accomplishments he and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers achieved in the CFL regular season.

Collaros threw two touchdown passes to help the Bombers post a franchise-best 15th victory with a 24-9 win over the B.C. Lions in the teams’ regular-season finale Friday.

Bomber teams recorded 14-win seasons in 2001, 1993 and 1960.

Collaros’s two TDs gave him a league-leading 37 for the season, which put him in second place in franchise history for most TD passes in a season. Khari Jones holds the record of 46 in 2002.

Jackson Jeffcoat and Brandon Alexander don’t want B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke to continue where he left off.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (14-3) host the Lions (12-5) on Friday in the regular-season finale for both CFL clubs, which doesn’t affect playoff positioning but is notable because it marks Rourke’s return from injury.

John Tavares scored two power-play goals and Auston Matthews contributed three assists to propel the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.

David Kampf and Michael Bunting also had goals for the Leafs, who were kicking off a five-game NHL road trip.

Ilya Samsonov made 31 saves for Toronto (4-2-0), giving him victories in all four starts he's made this season.

Pierre-Luc Dubois scored for the Jets (2-3-0) in front of a sellout crowd of 15,325 fans at Canada Life Centre, many clad in Leafs jerseys.

Mark Scheifele scored twice to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 season-opening victory over the New York Rangers on Friday.

Scheifele scored a first-period goal at even strength and then added a power-play marker at 18:23 of the third period.

New Jets forward Sam Gagner, who signed with the team Sept. 2, made it 2-1 at 15:35 in the third period. Kyle Connor added an empty-netter with 20 seconds left.