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The Winnipeg Jets have taken off and are on course to land in the playoffs, an experience their passionate fans havent enjoyed in nearly 20 years.At this point in the season, obviously it becomes a little bit more realistic, left wing Evander Kane said. But we dont pay too much attention to that. Were just focused on the 20-some-odd guys we have in the room and the job we need to do ourselves.Theyve been doing that job well.The Jets went 6-0-1 in their last seven games before the All-Star break to take a firm grip on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference into the final stretch. Theyre in fourth place in the daunting Central Division, five points behind leader Nashville.I love our room. Weve stuck together all year. We had a tough start to the season, right wing Blake Wheeler said. Weve made a commitment to each other to just do the right things and stick with what works. I think weve put a lot of individual stuff behind us and just rallied around our team and our group and what were good at. I think that makes playing this game with these guys a lot of fun.The old Jets went one-and-done in the 1996 playoffs, their last year in Winnipeg before moving to Arizona to become the Coyotes. The NHL returned to Manitoba in 2011, but the franchise that floundered in Atlanta as the Thrashers has qualified for the post-season only once in 15 years (in 2007). The new Jets have been competitive most of the time, but this season the breakthrough has been obvious.Theyve been unbelievable this year. Theyre a big, fast strong team. They play a good team game, Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook said. We played them three times now and lost to them all three times. Theyre tough games every time we play them. Theyre going to be a team to beat.The professorial conductor of the success this season is coach Paul Maurice, who was hired a little over a year ago after the firing of Claude Noel. He has injected some liveliness into his relatively young team, pushing a punishing style with back-checking forwards yet enough speed and skill to play a puck-possession game.All-Star Dustin Byfuglien, now a permanent presence on the first blue line pairing where hes most comfortable after spending some time on the wing, is 10th in the league with 144 hits. The Jets lead the NHL in penalty minutes. Theyre in the middle of the pack in scoring, with well-balanced production along the top two lines.They have a lot of meat on that team. They play hard. They play fast, and they come after you. It reminds me a lot of our team, said centre Anze Kopitar of the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.Maurice reflected last week on the progress from those pressure-filled early days of his tenure. Even this season, the Jets have overcome a rash of injuries on defence and a four-game October losing streak when they were outscored 13-2 after winning their opener.There was a lot of frustration. They were playing hard. They wanted to play better, Maurice said. And now, I think the general feel in there is that weve been pretty good. Were on the right path. When you stand behind the bench, the players call the game, too. They know whats going on.Goaltending has been perhaps the biggest strength, with rookie Michael Hutchinson taking more and more turns from Ondrej Pavelec, who has been vastly improved himself from a year ago. Hutchinson is second in the NHL with a 1.90 goals-against average.Jets fans chanted his name as their last game before the break wound down, a 4-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Though a limited amount of tickets are still made available for each home date at the MTS Centre, a base of 13,000 season tickets for the 15,000-seat arena has made the full house a nightly occurrence.Weve definitely turned a corner up there, Byfuglien said. Our game has come a long way. Our locker room is better. Weve handled things a lot better. ... Its definitely changed. Its a good thing, and its fun to be a part of.___AP Sports Writer Rusty Miller and AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report from Columbus, Ohio.Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly identified Claude Noel as Claude Julien. Cheapest Adidas NMD . The Cavaliers first-year forward will miss at least three weeks with a strained left knee, the latest setback for the No. Adidas NMD Australia Sale . According to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the deal will pay Schenn $2.25 million in the first year and $2.75 million in the second year. In 82 games with the Flyers in 2013-14, Schenn scored 20 goals and added 21 assists. http://www.wholesalenmdaustralia.com/. -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a strained calf muscle, and pitcher C. Adidas NMD Wholesale Price .I dont think it comes to mind in this business, in this game, the Philadelphia Flyers forward said. You dont try to lose games. Cheap Adidas NMD Australia . -- The top-seeded Alberta Pandas set up of an all-Canada West final against arch rival UBC at the CIS womens volleyball championship after a 3-0 win over the No. HOUSTON -- Tyler Skaggss Angels debut could not have gone much better. The left-hander threw eight strong innings and Josh Hamilton hit a two-run home run as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Houston Astros 5-1 on Saturday night. Skaggs (1-0) allowed one run - none earned - on four hits with five strikeouts. Skaggs was acquired in the off-season from Arizona in a trade that sent outfielder Mark Trumbo to the Diamondbacks. "I was excited for my first game with the Angels," Skaggs said. "I have pitched in the big leagues before. I took that mindset that I have been here before. The team needs to get in the win column again. A lot of different things to stay relaxed out there." Skaggs became one of just 13 pitchers in Angels history to go at least eight innings while allowing no earned runs in first start for the team and the first since Shawn Broskie on May 1, 1995, at Toronto. Skaggs, who posted a 2-3 record with 5.12 ERA with the Diamondbacks last year, said he threw a two-seam fastball Saturday night - a pitch he had not thrown in spring training. "The thing is that I havent thrown the two-seamer at all, and today, I broke it out," Skaggs said. "I threw it 90 per cent of the time. Thats why you saw all those 90-91 instead of 93-94. They kept swinging at it, so why not continue to throw it and get outs early in the count?" Skaggs said the changeup and curveball were also good and everything was clicking. Angels manager Mike Scioscia said all of Skaggs pitches were working but it started with his ability to command the fastball. "He had a great two-seamer going and once he was able to get that into spots everything else opened up for him." Scioscia said. "He threw some terrific change-ups, some really good curveballs. Theyve got some right-handed hitters that are really strong hitters and youve got to make some pitches to them. He did and got through it well." Hamilton followed David Freeses run-scoring single with his second homer in as many days, extending the lead to 4-1 in the fifth off Dallas Keuchel. Hamilton had three hits and is noow hitting .dddddddddddd352 against the Astros with 16 home runs and 41 RBI. "I dont think its necessarily the team," Hamilton said. "I love playing at this park. Before it was a rivalry thing - Texas and Houston. Maybe that helped a little bit. I cant pinpoint one thing." Keuchel (0-1) allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts over five innings. "If youre not on your A-game every pitch, thats what happens," Keuchel said. "I think that kind of took the wind out of our sails in the fifth." Kole Calhoun extended the lead to 5-1 on a run-scoring single in the eighth off Chad Qualls. Houston, which dropped its third straight, opened a 1-0 lead as Jose Altuve scored on an error by third baseman John McDonald in the first, but that lead quickly vanished as Howie Kendrick knotted the score at one with a run-scoring double in the second. Houston manager Bo Porter said the Astros need to get things going offensively after being outscored 16-2 in the first two games of the series. "He really had his breaking ball going, but at the same time, I think we helped him a little bit by expanding our strike zone," Porter said of Skaggs. "He took advantage of it. Offensively, definitely need to get things going and score some runs." Notes: Houston outfielder Dexter Fowler missed his second straight game Saturday after spending Friday night at Methodist Hospital due to a stomach virus. He was released from the hospital Saturday night and could play Sunday, Porter said postgame. . Astros catcher Jason Castro was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game Saturday with a bruised right foot. . Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt signed one-day contracts before the game and officially retired as Astros. . The Astros outrighted right-handed pitcher Chia-Jen Lo off the 40-man roster. He cleared waivers Saturday and will remain with Triple A Oklahoma City. . Houston will send right-handed pitcher Scott Feldman (0-1) to the mound Sunday as the Angels will counter with right-hander Jered Weaver (0-1). ' ' '