Honeymoon over? Plenty of Jets' tickets available for upcoming game

The novelty of having NHL hockey back in Winnipeg may be wearing off.

Coming off their first playoff appearance since returning to Manitoba and within striking distance of a wild-card spot, the Jets have plenty of tickets available for Thursday against the Nashville Predators, a team they're chasing in the standings.

Here's a look at the MTS Centre map roughly 33 hours prior to puck drop (blue indicates available seats):

(Courtesy: Ticketmaster.ca)

The Jets somewhat famously sold their season ticket plans within minutes of making the move from Atlanta, and while True North Sports & Entertainment spokesman Scott Brown maintains game-day tickets have always been available - albeit singles and obstructed seats - the current situation veers from the norm.

"The Nashville game we do need to sell a few more tix," Brown confessed to Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free Press.

"We’re not alarmed by any of these numbers, nor are we in a panic," he continued. "But at the same time, we are making more of an effort this year than in previous years to let people know tickets are available.

"We’re sending out more notifications because we admit there needs to be a more overt effort on our part to let people know they can get tickets on a game day."

The Jets are averaging 15,294 fans per game, selling out all 19 home games this season, including Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Brown, however, admits to being able to list games as sellouts with not every seat being filled.

"If we get over 99 per cent sold, we - as any other building in all of sports - just list attendance as a sellout," he explained.

Hockey is still a hot ticket in Winnipeg, and the Jets rank fifth in the NHL in terms of filling the rink to capacity. But fans are more prone to support winners, and the franchise has played a grand total of eight playoff games dating back to the Atlanta days, and four in four years since moving north.

If that trend continues, a once hot ticket could cool off even more.