You didn’t actually think the Winnipeg Jets were going to make this easy on themselves, did you?

With another chance to potentially bury a Southeast Division opponent in the chase for top spot and the cherished third seed that goes along with it, the Jets gave the Carolina Hurricanes a reason to believe in themselves.

Facing a desperate team that had lost seven consecutive games, the Jets gave up a goal on an long opening shift, fell behind 2-0 just as a minor penalty to Evander Kane expired, fought back to make things interesting and then gave up a goal in the opening minute of the third period to fall 3-1 to the Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon before an emotionally-charged crowd of 15,004 at MTS Centre.

Instead of taking an eight-point stranglehold on the Hurricanes, the Jets saw their gap atop the division trimmed to four points, with Carolina holding three games in hand.

“We’re still in the lead. We had an opportunity to extend the gap,” said Jets head coach Claude Noel. “No one’s more disappointed than us. We didn’t come here anticipating this. It’s not what we had in mind.”

The Jets hope they won’t be looking back to this one as a game that costs them a playoff berth.

For the third time in four home games against Southeast Division opponents this month, the Jets failed to deliver a potential knockout punch.

Whether or not those lost points against the Washington Capitals or Hurricanes are going to come back to haunt the Jets won’t likely be known until late April.

For now, it’s just another step in the learning process on the road to trying to become a consistent winner.

“We’re still confident in what we can do in here,” said Jets captain Andrew Ladd, who was on for all three goals against. “You have to be able to turn the page. We had the opportunities to put the puck in the net and we didn’t get the job done. It’s still on us and we need to be better in those areas, but we’re not going to sit here and dwell on it.”

Dwelling on it doesn’t get the lost points back anyway and it’s not like the Jets laid an egg in this one.

However, learning how to choke the life out of a desperate team remains a work in progress.

The Jets generated plenty of chances to even the score but were simply unable to solve Justin Peters, other than the marker 86 seconds into the middle frame that came after Jordan Staal was trying to clear the puck but knocked it in off the stick of Jets centre Olli Jokinen.

These weren’t long shots from the perimeter in Braden Holtby’s two shutouts either.

Zach Bogosian and Antti Miettinen had slappers from the high slot and there were others — like a breakaway from Bryan Little and a partial breakaway for Ron Hainsey — that all qualified as dangerous chances.

Ultimately, the Jets were doomed by a lack of finish and a hungry opponent.

“It's a desperate time of year, and we need to catch this team,” said Hurricanes captain Eric Staal.

For a stretch during the second period, the Jets killed off five consecutive minor penalties — including two brief 5-on-3s — but they weren’t able to do anything with the momentum they should have gained from it.

A goal in the opening minute of the third period from Eric Staal that changed direction and beat Ondrej Pavelec served as insurance.

“That’s not how we wanted to start the third. It was a tough bounce that went off my skate,” said Bogosian, who managed a game-high nine shots on goal. “We ran into a hot goaltender. We had our chances. The effort was there.”

So with 12 games to play, the Jets have a losing record on home ice, are still struggling to find consistency in their team game but remain in the driver’s seat in the Southeast Division race.

Buckle up though, Jets fans.

If recent history serves as your guide, it’s going to be a wildly entertaining ride filled with a few bumps in the road.