The Winnipeg Jets are back on even terms in their second round playoff series.
The Jets scored twice in the first eight minutes and Connor Hellebuyck was tremendous as the Jets defeated the Dallas Stars 4-0 in Game 2 on Friday at the Canada Life Centre. The Jets tied up the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
Hellebuyck made a number of key saves at the end of the second period and finished with 21 stops for his fourth career playoff shutout and first since 2021.
It’s the first time in their last seven playoff games the Jets have allowed less than three goals. The Jets had given up three or more goals in 16 of their previous 18 playoff games and Hellebuyck looked a lot more comfortable in the net than he did in the first round against St. Louis.
“There was stretches the first round where I really liked my game, just wasn’t getting the results,” said Hellebuyck. “But broke it down, built it back better, and I like where we’re at, and the team in front of me is playing phenomenal.”
Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals and added one assist for his first career three-point playoff game as the team got back on track after a disappointing Game 1.
“Way better obviously,” said Ehlers. “We had talked about getting a better start than last game and I think everybody could see that we were ready to go. The first 30 minutes we played a really good game.”
The Jets are now 5-1 on home ice in the playoffs.
Gabriel Vilardi and Adam Lowry also notched markers for Winnipeg in the win.
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“I thought we played way faster,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “I thought we got out of our end quick and it allowed us to get down there. When we pressure, whether that’s in the O-zone or whether that’s in the D-zone, that’s the idea to help work to get the puck back.”
Josh Morrissey returned to the lineup for the Jets after getting injured in the Game 7 thriller. He had one assist in over 22 minutes of ice time in his first game back.
It’s the first time the Jets have been completely healthy since back in late March.
“That’s the first time since game 71 that everybody’s back,” Arniel said. “It was good to see. There’s obviously the familiarity, started with that power play.
“When you have your roster like that everybody gets aligned into their spots. Having your top four defencemen, having your top six offensive guys, then you got two checking lines, two heavy lines. Like, we’re back to looking, finally like we’ve looked for most of the season.”
After going 0-for-4 on the power play in the series opener, the Jets broke through on the man advantage just 3:35 into the game.
“We were very successful this year,” said Vilardi. “Just gotta keep it going. Special teams are so crucial in the playoffs. I think we had a lot of opportunities and I think there’s still room for improvement for sure.”
Winnipeg outshot Dallas 25-21 and the Jets have allowed less than 30 shots on goal in all nine of their playoff games so far.
The Jets will look for their first series lead on Sunday with Game 3 in Dallas starting at 3:30 p.m.
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