CALGARY– Every time a National Hockey League team goes on a winning streak, they end up becoming a target for other teams.

This was the case for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016-17 when their regular season winning streak reached 16, the same for the Edmonton Oilers last season with a winning streak matching Columbus’s.

So, as the Winnipeg Jets enter the final leg of a three-game road trip in Calgary with a 7-0-0 record and the only team in the NHL without a loss of any kind, that goal could become a little bigger by day.

But Nikolaj Ehlers — who scored the game-winner in overtime against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday — said the team isn’t focused so much on the streak as much as fixing some issues from the last two games.

“We’re seven games in. Yes, you always want to be the team that ends streaks, but we’re seven games in and we’re not playing our best hockey,” Ehlers said. “We are working in this direction. It’s a long season that awaits us.

“I don’t think they’ll play any differently than if they were playing a team that wasn’t yet undefeated. We’re going to come out with the right mindset (Saturday) and hopefully we’ll come out the right way.

Focusing on that mindset — or in a more macro sense, the process of preparing for each NHL game — is what the Jets continue to discuss as the October schedule moves forward.

“We’ll look at defense, breakouts, forecheck and stay on top of those things if we think they’re slipping,” head coach Scott Arniel said. “We had to work on different areas over these seven games, which we kind of zoomed in on and maybe showed more video. You don’t go out to play these games worrying about the final score, you worry about the process right in front of you. For us, it’s about trying to be good from one change to the next, from one period to the next. »

Friday’s 30-minute practice at the Scotiabank Saddledome was quick and efficient. There was some five-on-five and special teams work, but the majority of the early session was devoted to breakouts.

“We’ve been a little sloppy the last two games coming out of our own zone,” said Cole Perfetti, who has eight points in his last four games. “Just working through the rash and being a unit together and making sure we know our options. Hopefully we can clean this up for tomorrow.

There were no changes to the Jets’ rushes on Friday:

Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi

Perfetti-Namestnikov-Ehlers

Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton

Barron-Kupari-Iafallo (rotating Gustafsson)

Morrissey-DeMelo

Samberg-Pionk

Stanley Miller

Fleury Coghlan

With puck drop at 5 p.m. MT/6 p.m. CT on Saturday, the Jets are not expected to hold a full morning practice. Arniel did not confirm Winnipeg’s starting goaltender for the game against the Flames – who dropped a 4-2 decision to Carolina on Thursday, Calgary’s first loss in regulation this season.

“They have depth. Their four lines come to you,” Arniel said. “They’re a tough team, they don’t give you a lot of open ice. On the transition side, they have people who can go the other way in a hurry. They have the ability to attack you. They are currently playing a pretty solid overall game that you have to prepare for.

Ehlers and the Jets know there’s no secret to what makes the team successful and what makes the team difficult to play against. They’ll watch more video on the Flames (5-1-1) before Saturday’s game, but after two preseason games and numerous Western Conference matchups over the past few years, Ehlers knows what to expect.

“They play fast and they play heavy. We know tomorrow’s top 20 will look a lot like the last game. They’re going to come out humming like Seattle did and we have to find a way to end this sooner and counter this,” Ehlers said.

“They have a very good team and it’s not going to be easy on Saturday.”