'Absolute madness' at whiteout party, but Jets fans left dejected after Vegas wins Game 4
'The vibes are immaculate,' Sam Carriere says of the Donald Street crowd of fans
For the second time in three days, thousands of boisterous Winnipeg Jets fans donned their best whiteout gear and waved playoff rally towels outdoors, braving cooler-than-normal temperatures to root on their favourite NHL team.
But for the second straight game, the Jets faithful were dejected and left wondering what could've been as the Vegas Golden Knights earned a 4-2 victory over Winnipeg on Monday, securing a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.
"The city needs this. I'm a Dallas Stars fan, but Jets are in the heart," Geoffrey Buschie said following the Game 4 loss. "But these guys need a win."
Winnipeg heads back to Nevada for Thursday's Game 5, and it will be win-or-go-home for the Jets.
The night started with a bounty of excitement. The whiteout street party crowd was just as electric as Saturday's outdoor extravaganza, with all Jets fans predicting a Game 4 win for the home team against Golden Knights inside Canada Life Centre.
Five thousand fans filled the main party area on Donald Street, between Portage and Graham avenues, with another 1,000 tickets sold for the Party in the Plaza at True North Square.
Sam Carriere was among the fans taking in the street party on Donald, and she said the energy in the crowd was unmatched. Saturday marked Winnipeg's first whiteout party since 2019.
"The vibes are immaculate," she said. "It's just we have a lot of pent-up energy after being apart for so long, and it's like now we get to all be together and let loose for once."
After the Jets opened the series with a convincing 5-1 Game 1 road victory, the Golden Knights rebounded with a 5-2 win in Game 2 and a 5-4 double-overtime triumph in Game 3 as the best-of-7 Western Conference playoff series shifted to Winnipeg.
Jets forward Mark Scheifele was injured in the first period of Monday's game, and he did not return.
Carriere said she's embracing all the mayhem at the whiteout party, especially if the Jets force a Game 6.
"I think it's gonna be like absolute madness. I was here when the The Jets beat the [Minnesota] Wild in five [in 2018] and I have never experienced anything like that," Carriere said.
"So it's going to be something for the ages."
Game 6 is not yet guaranteed, but Jets season-ticket holders Scott Gerrick and Bri-Anne Seel will be back at the pre-game whiteout street party after missing out on the festivities before Game 3.
Adorned in a white painter's suit, complete with a white afro and his face painted completely white, Gerrick said the party is grander than it ever used to be. He believes the whiteout party crowd is all about bringing the noise.
"I think it's going to be bigger and better because we're kind of on the brink of needing to win this game tonight. So I think the crowd is gonna bring it," he said.
Seel, who also wore a white painter's suit and was holding a mini Stanley Cup, says the patronage and passion that fuels Jets fans is tied to the Jets having left the city in the 1990s.
"We know what it's like to lose them," she said. "And we cheer so they don't leave again."
WATCH | The birth of the Winnipeg whiteout:
Allan Robertson and his friend Jim Todd checked out the Party in the Plaza for the first time before entering Canada Life Centre to take in Game 4. Robertson said the smaller party was more reserved than the larger one.
"I think it's going to be a lot like Saturday night. I wasn't here, but I heard that it was crazy and lots of fun. And I hope it's ... a carryover from Saturday — except for we're going to win," Robertson said.
Todd predicted a 3-1 Winnipeg win, but he and Robertson would have settled for a Game 4 win any way for the Jets.
Robertson hopes Monday isn't the last whiteout street party of the season, or home game for Winnipeg.
"I think it would be real disappointing, especially after the season that we've had so far up and down and now we're starting to play like the Jets should be playing," he said.
"It would be real disappointing that this could be the last time we're here."
Despite the Game 4 loss, Bushie's attitude was nothing but positive.
"Everybody's here to party. We know the Jets are going to come back. So you know, vibes don't change. Everybody's positive," Bushie said.
The Jets were without forward Nikolaj Ehlers once again in Game 4. He sustained an upper-body injury on April 11 against the Minnesota Wild and hasn't played since.
Defenceman Josh Morrissey was also absent from Winnipeg's lineup after suffering an injury in Game 3. He will miss the remainder of the series.
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