NHL history shows that if you are not in a playoff spot when U.S. Thanksgiving rolls around, your chances of getting in are slim. The other side of that coin is, if you are in a playoff spot today, your chances of getting to the post-season are quite good (thanks captain obvious). In the Central Division, the Winnipeg Jets sit in a tie for third with Chicago, each with 27 points. In the Western Conference they sit in a tie for seventh with the Blackhawks. The Jets are coming off back-to-back road wins over Columbus and Buffalo to up their road record to 8-4-2, and lift their record versus Eastern Conference teams to 8-3-2. They wrap up the road trip in Boston Friday. Individually, many have contributed to the success the team has had, including Michael Frolik. The 26-year-old out of Kladno, Czech Republic has moved around the lineup, and as coach Paul Maurice has said, “whichever line he is on, plays well.” If the Jets have some players that are struggling and need a jump start, Maurice has put Frolik on their line for a spell. “I feel like everyone is fighting to play with him,” Mark Scheifele said. “He makes all the best plays. He rarely makes a mistake. He just does everything right and that’s everything you want from a linemate.” For Frolik, it’s a matter of playing his game. “My game doesn’t change much no matter who I play with,” he said. “I try and play the same way.” Maurice was recently asked about what makes Frolik the player he is. “He’s an honest, quick player,” Maurice said. “Quickness to get to the right spots, his consistency shift-to- shift, great personality, always has a smile. There is not a lot of negative after a bad shift. He’s a swing guy, good defensively but has an offensive side. His goal that got us on the board in Minnesota was key to our comeback.” When he played in Kladno, Frolik was called “The Baby Jagr”, because people felt he looked and played a lot like his famous Czech countryman. Drafted no. 10 overall by Florida in 2006, Frolik made the move to Canada, joining Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior League. He showed his offensive skills with 31 goals and 73 points in 52 games in his rookie year, and after two more productive years in Rimouski, he made the jump to the NHL, starting his career with back-to-back 21 goal seasons. “Stephen Weiss was my centreman and we had good chemistry,” Frolik said. “The most success we had was when Nathan Horton was on our line.” When he was traded to Chicago, coach Joel Quenneville asked him to play a different role. “I was always an offensive guy when I was younger, in Chicago it turned,” Frolik said of the defensive role he was asked to adapt to. “But I still think of myself as an offensive guy. I want to put numbers on the board and help the team that way. But a good defensive game is important and I’ve gotten better at that.” His numbers with the Blackhawks dropped, but the tradeoff was a Stanley Cup. During the lockout-shortened season his regular season numbers were 3-7-10 in 45 games, his playoff numbers 3-7-10 in 23 games. So what part of the game comes easier? “It’s hard to put numbers up on the board and sometimes it can be frustrating. But you make sure the defensive side of the game doesn’t change. Don’t let cheating get into your game. Play defense and the offense will come.” In his first season with the Jets, he posted 15 goals and scored twice in his first game with the team. So far this year, he sits fourth in team scoring at 5-5-10, and has four goals in his last eight games, including a shorthanded goal that stood as the winner Wednesday night in Buffalo. Frolik was part of the Czech Republic team in four World Junior Championships, winning bronze in 2005. In 2007 and 2008 he scored nine goals in 12 games. He also won back to back World Championship bronze medals for his home country, competed at the 2014 Olympics, and has scored two NHL playoff penalty shot goals. Ladd/Little/Wheeler Paul Maurice put Blake Wheeler back on the line with Bryan Little and Andrew Ladd five games ago, and one can’t help but notice how the three have matured into complete players. “In the past, their focus has been ‘we have to go out and score goals’, now I like to get them out against the other team’s best lines in the checking role,” Maurice said. But not only have they been good in the checking role, the three share the team lead in goals at eight, with Ladd and Wheeler sharing the team scoring lead with 16 points each. Little has 15 and has scored the game’s opening goal in each of the last three games. The centreman leads all Jets forwards in average ice time at 20:09 per game, and is first on the team in faceoffs taken, surpassing the 500 mark. In the last game of the home-stand vs St. Louis, Little took 20 of the team’s 66 draws, winning 60 percent. In game one of the road trip in Columbus he took 30 of 67 draws winning 60 percent. And in Buffalo took 20-of-41 draws, winning 55 percent of them. Welcome to the Central To succeed in the Central you need good goaltending. The Jets tandem of Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson has been solid. In terms of team goals against average, the Central Division has the NHL’s top four teams , with St. Louis first at 1.97, Nashville and Chicago next at 2.06, with the Jets being joined by the Pacific Division’s Kings at 2.13. Ice time With Toby Enstrom out the past two games because of injury, Jacob Trouba has led the team in ice time. Trouba led the Jets in ice time 21 times last year. So far this season, Enstrom has topped that category, leading the Jets in ice time 17 times. Air Max 95 Sale . The Canadian defensive tackle suffered the injury on Monday and had tests done on Tuesday. He was a potential starter on the defensive line but head coach Mike OShea said he wasnt even thinking about the ratio when he got the news. Wholesale Shoes Cheap . Sam, who joined the Cowboys in early September, has spent the entire season on the practice roster. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/. Patrik Bartosak turned away 50-of-52 shots for the Rebels (28-26-4), who halted their losing streak at seven games. Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes of play, Feser forced overtime with his second goal of the game at 5:35 of the third period. Yeezy 700 Sale . - Roger Federer squandered a big lead and lost to No. Nike Shoes Sale .com) - Guard Greivis Vasquez and forward Patrick Patterson, two key pieces to the Toronto Raptors run to an Atlantic Division title in 2013-14, were both given qualifying offers by the team on Saturday.TORONTO – It didnt happen right away, this positive working relationship between centerfielder Colby Rasmus and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. It wasnt that the two men were at odds. Its just, sometimes, these things take time. Its especially true with a guy like Rasmus. Hes taken all kinds of advice through the years on how to be a better hitter and how to be a better player and sometimes too much information rattles around in his brain. "Weve crossed some humps for sure," said Rasmus. "Just getting to know each other better; him getting to know me a little better." It was a conversation in Kansas City that proved the turning point. Rasmus was scuffling, his batting average hovering around the so-called Mendoza Line (.200). Hed been trying things his way. Noticeable details, like how he would hold his hands out over the plate when he came set in his batting stance. There were less noticeable things, like his approach to particular pitchers, which also needed tweaking. Seitzer approached Rasmus. The coach asked his 27-year-old pupil to do it his way for one week. The hands came in a bit, the bat rested still on Rasmus shoulders to launch a more even swing through the strike zone and the results were immediate. Entering Sundays play, Rasmus had at least one hit in each of the nine games hed played in May. He was tied with Jose Bautista for the team lead with nine home runs. "I was probably more surprised than what he was that he was able to do it so quick and he did it immediately," said Seitzer. "It was amazing how he just went from a straight pull guy to having a willingness to go back through the middle of the field." For his entire career, Rasmus has been considered a dead pull hitter. Seitzer, with whom manager John Gibbons became familiar when the two served on Trey Hillmans coaching staff in Kansas City, was brought in to change the Blue Jays all-or-nothing offensive approach. The hitters would use all fields under his tutelage and get away from their pull-happiness. Seitzer would like to clarify. "I said, I dont care where the ball goes. What I care about is your approach," said Seitzer. "The quicker your hands, the better your swing, the more balls youre going to catch early and youre going to pull them but its the approach that allows for better recognition and the ability to repeat your swing path to where youve got a chance on balls that are cutting and sinking and the change of speeds." The hitting coach also plays the role of part-time psychologist. Different guys need different types of help. Rasmus doesnt need the proverbial kick in the rear. His issue never been work ethic; if anything, hes often worked too hard to the point of physical and mental fatigue. "Keep it light," said Rasmus of what he needs from Seitzer. "I guess make the game less than what it really is and I think hes learned that about me, that I dont need a lot of poking and prodding to give me a lot of energy out there because I like to compete, I like to play, I like to do good and I think hes starting to learn that about me. Hes been just kind of cutting up with me and trying to keep it light and we laugh. I think if Im laughing, its a good thing." Rasmus slash line had climbed to .234/.279/.516 before Sundays action. The on-base plus slugging is closing in on .800, moving toward the numbers of his two best seasons (.859 in 2010; .840 in 2013). His career on-base percentage of .315 suggests that statistic will improve as games pass by. The strikeout rate remains high, almost 33 pper cent after Sunday, but Seitzer thinks Rasmus will end up cutting down on the whiffs with his new approach.dddddddddddd "I feel like hes putting balls in play and fouling off more pitches that he would have swung through the first part of the season," said Seitzer. "Thats an encouraging sign for me." Rasmus admits to being too pumped up after hitting a grand slam in Pittsburgh. Hes still finding an even keel, having to remind himself that each at-bat isnt life and death. Seitzer has met a student hes better learning to understand as time rolls on. "I think Colbys very quiet, hes a very private person and what Ive learned about him is hes probably one of the most genuinely nice, kind, sincere, honest people that Ive ever been around," said Seitzer. "I told him he has an absolutely beautiful heart inside and I can see it. I see it everyday even when hes got a scowl on his face because hes either in his zone or a little frustrated." JANSSEN RETURNS The Blue Jays activated closer Casey Janssen from the disabled list in time for Sunday afternoons game with the Angels. Janssen strained his left oblique muscle on March 28 in Montreal. He felt a tweak during a warm up pitch, thought nothing of it and threw a scoreless inning against the New York Mets. He made three appearances for Double-A New Hampshire on a rehab assignment that began on Monday and concluded on Saturday. "In my last outing I told myself I was going to step on it a little bit more and get some more velocity and I did that," said Janssen. "Not that velocity is anything really but I know that the difference between throwing in a Double-A game and a big league game youre going to go through those adrenaline rushes where youre going to throw harder based on actual adrenaline and I wanted my arm to withstand it." Torontos bullpen entered play on Sunday with the fourth-worst ERA in baseball (4.77). Its 62 walks rank third-most in baseball. The Jays are hoping Janssens return settles down the relief corps as pitchers resume roles to which theyre more accustomed. "We had a nice bullpen last year," said Janssen. "We were able to pass the baton pretty well in the certain inning that they had and if we can back to that and start putting up some zeroes I think that would help everybody." "I just think it brings a bit of a comfort down there for those guys having Casey back," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "Obviously our staff, knowing that hes down there and hes a viable option to close out a game, it does put guys back into their more proper roles. Trying to mix and match and close out the ninth without him has been difficult." To make room for Janssen on the active roster, infielder Chris Getz was designated for assignment. ROGERS ALTERS DELIVERY Esmil Rogers, whos struggled early this season, looked noticeably different during his two-inning appearance in Saturdays game. He dropped to a three-quarters arm slot. Rogers went six up, six down. "He made a little bit of an adjustment the day before," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "Were trying to find a little more deception. Hes an over-the-top guy and maybe the hitters have a good view of the baseball. We just altered just a hair and he seems comfortable with it and he had a good outing (on Saturday)." Its been a tough year for Rogers. Hes allowed a staff-high five home runs in just 18 1/3 innings pitched and of late has been used by manager John Gibbons only in low-leverage situations. ' ' '