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WINNIPEG - It appears the honeymoon is over between the Winnipeg Jets and their fans. Once rare game tickets at the MTS Centre are available, and those who attend have booed their 16-18-5 team for inconsistent play that has the club sitting at or near the bottom of their new, tough Central Division. Armchair general managers have also called for roster changes to the transplanted ex-Atlanta Thrashers team, while likeable head coach Claude Noel has had his job security questioned. And the fans arent the only ones voicing their frustration. Players are fed up with looking for the positives in each loss. "Its what you do out on the ice. You can blow smoke as much as you want in the media," right-winger Blake Wheeler told reporters after the Jets lost a sixth straight game at home on Dec. 14. "Weve been blowing smoke for three years – everyone, myself. Everyone thats stood in front of a microphone for the last three years, weve said the same (expletive)." The airing out of frustrations in Winnipeg is something new. When the Jets were resurrected in 2011, fans enthusiastically embraced the return of the NHL after a 15-year absence. Thirteen thousand season tickets with a minimum three-year commitment were snapped up, and unlucky fans paid $50 to join a wait list. The team was loudly cheered by 15,000 grateful admirers at home games, and were even given a standing ovation when the inaugural season ended with an overtime loss and no playoff berth. After last seasons NHL lockout ended, fans were just happy to head back to the rink and their adoration continued despite another campaign without post-season action. But in this third season, cracks are starting to show. When the home winless streak finally ended with a 5-2 victory over Florida on Dec. 20, there was relief, but no fist pumping as the team headed out on the road for what ended up being losses to Vancouver and Edmonton before its three-day Christmas holiday. Before boarding the plane for the road trip, Wheeler was asked if he senses the marriage with fans is hitting rocky times. "I think the expectations have risen every year," he said. "We took a step last year and we just missed the playoffs. I think a lot of us felt we were a playoff team. "And now, I think this is the best group weve had since weve been here so I think the expectations have risen pretty linearly since weve been here. "(The scrutiny) comes with the territory. Its a market that cares about the product on the ice and theyre very passionate. Theyre very enthusiastic when youre winning and very enthusiastic when youre losing, its just a different kind." Jets defenceman Zach Bogosian got a different view of fans when he recently missed 15 games with a groin injury. Did he feel the winds of change while sitting in the press box? "Its a touchy subject," Bogosian said. "Theyre usually pretty loud, but sometimes if the team is not playing as well as we should, some people get unhappy." Behind his mask, goalie Ondrej Pavelec hasnt noticed more unforgiving fans this season. "They cheer for us every time," he said. "Sometimes we play bad, we dont deserve it and theyre still there. I dont see any difference." He and Wheeler havent been sought out by fault-finding fans. "The people are all very respectful," Wheeler said. "When people see us out and about, theyre happy to see us out in the community. "The wins and losses are obviously very important, but at the same time were still people. Theres nobody that wants it more than we do in this locker-room. Its just a matter of going out there and doing it." Noel acknowledged fans have higher expectations this season. "I think weve had that sense for a while," he said. "After the first year, we had that sense that they would like more performance and the honeymoon is over. "We dont sit here and take our fan base for granted. They expect us to work, and they should, and perform." Prior to Winnipegs loss to the lowly Sabres in Buffalo earlier this month, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff revealed hes felt heat from critics. "If youre able to find a way to improve, then you try to act on it," he said. "But change doesnt always equate to improvement. "Change can certainly placate phone calls, emails on the different venues out there, but that doesnt necessarily mean thats the proper direction to go." Cheveldayoff, who extended Noels contract earlier this year through the 2014-15 season, was also asked if Noel is doing a good job. "Coaching in this league is a tough job," Cheveldayoff said. "Theres lots of second-guessing that goes on everywhere. "And thats the nature of it when youre in the public eye like this. Everyones got their own interpretation of whether someones doing a good job, not doing a good job. 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The Mercedes duo of three-time Canadian Grand Prix champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has won all six races to start the season, finishing one-two in the last five.Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Okposo scored the game winner in the shootout to lift the New York Islanders to a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a thrilling back-and-forth affair. After each of the first two shooters missed, Sidney Crosby cut across the slot from the left side, made a head fake and roofed a backhander over Chad Johnson, but Frans Nielsen answered back on a similar move for the Islanders. Okposo followed a Brandon Sutter miss with a backhand-forehand move past Marc- Andre Fleury to seal the win. Ryan Strome had a goal and two assists, while Nick Leddy, Matt Martin and Nikolay Kulemin also scored for the Isles, who have won seven of their last eight games and crept within two points of first-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division. We were resilient, Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said. We came back and had some good chances. We stayed at it. Johnson stopped 26-of-30 shots in the victory. Nick Spaling, Blake Comeau, and Sutter lit the lamp, Patric Hornqvist tallied a goal and an assist and Evgeni Malkin supplied two helpers for the Penguins, who entered the game with wins in 10 of their last 11 games. We just didnt play a full 60 minutes, Crosby said. We didnt really deserve to win the game. Fleury made 31 saves in defeat. The Penguins wasted no time getting on the board. Sutter tipped in Paul Martins shot from the point only 1:13 into the game. New York recovered and eventually went ahead by a 3-1 couunt with three goals in a 1:35 span during the first period.dddddddddddd Martin tied the game after his quick low shot from the left circle beat Fleury at 8:18. Kulemin raced up the right side, cut across the slot and snapped a shot into the net 29 seconds later and Strome redirected Thomas Hickeys shot from the blue line for a 3-1 lead with 10:07 remaining in the opening stanza. Comeau drove around the back of the net and flicked a backhander off a defender in front past Johnson for a 3-2 with 3:26 to play in the first. The Islanders increased their lead to 4-2 nearly six minutes into the middle frame after Leddy beat Fleury with a high wrister from the left circle. Spaling wristed home a rebound three minutes later to keep it a one-goal game. Malkin skated down the right side, pulled up at the circle and dished a pass to Hornqvist, whose wrister from the slot made it a 4-4 game with seven minutes remaining. Nearly two minutes into the extra session, Hornqvists shot missed the net and caromed off the boards. Letang corralled the puck and sent to the goal, but Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk kept it out with a stick save at the goal line. Game Notes Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan left the game late in the third after awkwardly crashing into the boards ... New York improved to 7-0-0 this season when leading after two periods ... The Islanders were unsuccessful on the games lone power play. ' ' '