'Absolute madness' at whiteout party, but Jets fans left dejected after Vegas wins Game 4

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 temperaturestorooton their favourite NHL team.

But forthe second straight game, the Jets faithful were dejected andleft 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."

Winnipegheads 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 wasjust as electric as Saturday's outdoor extravaganza, with all Jets fans predicting a Game 4 win for the home team against Golden Knightsinside Canada Life Centre.

Five thousandfans 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 thefans taking in the street party on Donald, and shesaidthe energy in the crowd was unmatched. Saturday marked Winnipeg's firstwhiteout 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 2and 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.

Carrieresaid 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'sgoing to be something for the ages."

Game 6 is not yet guaranteed, but Jetsseason-ticket holders Scott Gerrickand Bri-Anne Seel will be back at the pre-game whiteout street partyafter 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 cheerso they don't leave again."

WATCH | The birth of the Winnipeg whiteout:

The birth of the Winnipeg whiteout

1 year ago

Duration 3:41

Rod Palson, the advertising brain behind the Jets playoff tradition, explains how the now-legendary ritual started out in 1987.

Allan Robertson and his friendJim 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 werewithout forward Nikolaj Ehlersonce again in Game 4. He sustained an upper-body injury on April 11against 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.