Fans in Winnipeg haven't experienced playoff hockey since the first installment of the Jets was bounced in the first round in 1996.
To end that drought, this Jets club will have to come out on top of a tight race for a Western Conference wild-card spot, something the Minnesota Wild hope to secure soon.
Winnipeg looks to deal Minnesota a third straight defeat as it begins a critical three-game road trip Monday night.
The Jets (40-26-12) have four games remaining against tough competition, with games against St. Louis on Tuesday and Colorado on Thursday looming before Saturday's season finale against a Calgary team also fighting to reach the playoffs.
Winnipeg has the same amount of points as defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles for the West's final wild-card spot, but the Kings hold the tiebreaker with 37 wins in regulation or overtime compared to 33 for the Jets.
Lee Stempniak scored twice as Winnipeg ended a two-game slide with Saturday's 5-4 win over Vancouver.
"We all know how important the games are and as cliche as it sounds, we're taking it a game at a time," Stempniak told the team's official website. "It's going to be a tough game in Minnesota, but we can't look ahead to the other two games (on the road trip)."
The Jets moved to Winnipeg from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season, and the franchise's only appearance in the playoffs came in 2006-07.
"We've got to take care of our own (business), and that's winning hockey games," winger Chris Thorburn said. "That starts (Monday). There's no other choice. . . . These are important games and we've got to win them to get in."
The Wild (44-26-8) hold the West's first wild-card spot as they seek a third consecutive playoff berth for the first time in franchise history. They lead the Jets and Kings by four points despite falling 3-2 to the New York Rangers on Thursday and 3-2 in a shootout to Detroit on Saturday, marking their first consecutive defeats since the All-Star break.
"Any point you get right now is big," coach Mike Yeo said. "It's not like we were that bad (against Detroit). Let's not paint that picture. We played a pretty darn good hockey team and we knew they were going to play their best game."
Zach Parise scored twice for Minnesota, which played without captain Mikko Koivu because of an eye injury.
"He scratched his cornea, but he should be fine by Monday," Yeo said.
Devan Dubnyk has started all 36 games since being acquired by the Wild from Arizona on Jan. 14. He's 26-7-2 with a 1.74 goals-against average in that stretch, including making 32 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Jets on Feb. 10 in the most recent meeting.
"Getting the puck to the net is as big a challenge as beating any one goaltender against Minnesota," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. "They don't give you a whole lot, so we'll focus on that â how we're going to get the puck to the net."
Three of the four meetings this season have gone to overtime, with each club winning twice. Ten of the last 11 overall have been decided by one goal.
Ondrej Pavelec is 7-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA over his last nine starts and could get the nod for the Jets in this contest. His only start against the Wild this season came when he gave up three goals on 11 shots in the first period of Minnesota's 4-3 overtime win Nov. 16.
