Hellebuyck is back
That was on full display Friday night as a group we haven't seen for quite a while — nearly two months in fact — rolled to a dominant 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars at Canada Life Centre.
The best-of-seven second-round series between the Central Division rivals is now a best-of-five, tied 1-1 as it shifts to Dallas. Game 3 is Sunday afternoon, while Game 4 goes Tuesday night.
Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Jets players celebrate Gabriel Vilardi's goal against the Dallas Stars in the first period in Winnipeg, Friday
You have to go all the way back to March 11 to find the last time not a single Jets player was on the injured list. Defenceman Neal Pionk got hurt that night, and several other teammates have followed at various times since including Gabe Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers, Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele.
The infirmary was fully emptied out on Friday night with everyone available to Jets coach Scott Arniel. The result was a club that reminded everyone how — and why — they won the Presidents' Trophy as the league's best regular season team and the William Jennings Trophy as the NHL's stingiest.
It all starts with goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who responded to the usual pre-game chants of 'MVP' by playing like one. He was terrific, including a handful of 'how the heck did he do that?' stops that had all 15,225 fans inside the downtown rink on their feet.
Hellebuyck stopped all 21 pucks that came his way for his fourth career playoff shutout and his first since the 2021 pandemic-shortened season against the Edmonton Oilers.
From the goaltender on out, this was the desired response for a team that dropped Game 1 by a 3-2 score, surrendering home-ice advantage in the process. The Jets were clearly the more desperate team, forcing Dallas to repeatedly chip and chase the puck rather than generating any kind of sustained offensive zone pressure or attack.
Now the key is to bottle up this game and take it down to Texas.
LOOK MA, NO HANDS! Vilardi had yet to really make a mark on the playoffs, recording just one assist through his first four games. That's not a knock on the player, but rather a reflection on the fact he was coming off a 17-game absence when he jumped into Game 5 of the first-round series against the St. Louis Blues.
Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Jets' Gabriel Vilardi scores on Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger in the first period.
'I said to him, he was on a bicycle jumping on an Indy track that is going 200 miles an hour,' Jets coach Scott Arniel said Friday morning of the sudden transition. 'So, now he knows the pace, now he knows what's coming. You see it. He's more and more comfortable making plays, he's holding onto pucks. Getting around that net.'
That's exactly where Vilardi was when he buried a feed from Ehlers 3:35 into the first period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. Veteran Dallas forward Tyler Seguin had caught Morrissey with a high-stick just 17 seconds into the game, drawing blood and earning a four-minute penalty.
The Jets — with their top power play unit back intact for the first time since March 23 — quickly made them pay. A healthy Vilardi, who can be a net-front menace, is a great development for Winnipeg.
GOTTA BE GOOD TO BE LUCKY: Ehlers didn't miss as much time as Vilardi — just seven total games including the first five against the Blues — but he, too, had really been fighting the puck at times.
Fortunately for the pending unrestricted free agent, he's had a bit of good puck luck on his side as he gets back up to speed. In Game 7, for example, he whiffed on an initial shot attempt which ultimately led to the sequence of incredible events that resulted in Cole Perfetti's game-tying goal at 19:57 of the third period.
On Friday, it was a pass attempt that hit Dallas defenceman Esa Lindell's skates and directed straight into the back of the Stars net.
They don't ask how, just how many. Ehlers' fifth career playoff goal in his 41st career playoff game, was a big one, giving the Jets a 2-0 lead at 7:07 of the opening frame.
Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press
Mark Scheifele celebrates Nikolaj Ehlers' first-period goal Friday against the Dallas Stars.
Ehlers had several other great looks in what was easily the most complete game since his return. He then finished off his productive night with a long-distance empty-netter with just over three minutes left in the game.
A determined Ehlers — who is not only playing for his current team but also his next contract — is a dangerous weapon for Winnipeg.
THE MOOSE WASN'T LOOSE: Mikko Rantanen began the night on an all-time heater, having been involved in 12 straight Dallas goals (either scoring them or assisting on them) to establish a new Stanley Cup playoff record.
But the man who scored all three goals by the visitors in Wednesday's 3-2 Game 1 victory was held in check on this night. Sometimes literally, such as when Jets defenceman Neal Pionk but a big bear hug on the man known to teammates as 'Moose' and wrestled him to the ice in the first period.
The Jets didn't give him much time and space. The shutdown line of Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton were in his face early and often and even managed to tilt the ice for a sustained stretch in the second period which resulted in Lowry making it 3-0 for the Jets at 11:02.
It came after a lengthy offensive zone cycle shift, which actually began with the fourth line pinning Rantanen and company in their end.
Rantanen took a high-sticking minor against Dylan Samberg late in the second, which ended up being his only notation on the gamesheet. He had just one shot on goal, two giveaways and one blocked shot in just over 21 minutes of ice time.
Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press
Dallas Stars' Mikko Rantanen is pressured by Winnipeg Jets' defenceman Dylan Demelo in the first period.
The good news for Rantanen? Since Dallas didn't score at all, his streak of 12 remains intact.
FINGER LICKING GOOD: Kyle Connor, who is often referred to by fans as KFC (short for Kyle 'Frickin' Connor), was the subject of a funny cross-promotion on Friday night involving the fast food chain by the same name.
The first 10,000 fans entering the arena were given white buckets bearing Connor's likeness — which bore a striking resemblance to Colonel Sanders, with a lookalike sitting in the crowd for good measure. Not only that, but the KFC located at 1275 Portage Ave. has temporarily re-branded by replacing the usual logo with the Connor one.
Connor, who leads the Jets with 12 playoff points so far this spring, didn't add to his tally.
KEY PLAY: Lowry's goal midway through the second period felt like the dagger.
THREE STARS:
Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck gets a piece of the puck to deflect a shot from Dallas Stars' Evgenii Dadonov in the second period.
1. WPG G Connor Hellebuyck: 21 save shutout.
2. WPG LW Nikolaj Ehlers: 2 goals, 1 assist
3. WPG C Adam Lowry: 1 goal
EXTRA, EXTRA: Winnipeg went 1-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Dallas goaltneder Jake Oettinger, who was once again serenaded with 'U.S. Backup' chants by the Winnipeg crowd, stopped 21 of 24 shots he faced.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
With so many healthy bodies now available, plenty of tough decisions had to be made by Arniel. Four skaters who have already appeared in the playoffs — forwards Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Dominic Toninato and David Gustafsson and defenceman Luke Schenn — were all scratched, along with defenceman Ville Heinola, forward Rasmus Kupari and third-string goaltender Chris Driedger.
Dallas rolled the same lineup for a second straight game, meaning defenceman Miro Heiskanen did not return from a lengthy absence due to a knee injury. He could be an option as early as Sunday.
Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press
Dallas Stars' Alexander Petrovic checks Winnipeg Jets' Adam Lowry into the bench during the second period.
With the Jets victory, a Game 5 in Winnipeg is now guaranteed to take place on Thursday. No time has been released by the NHL.
mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca
X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyreReporter
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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