Latest news with #WilliamJenningsTrophy
Winnipeg Free Press
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hellebuyck is back
Go figure that the deepest version of the Winnipeg Jets also happens to be the most dangerous. 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. 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jets confident they can handle the moment
The Winnipeg Jets insist they are not seeing ghosts. When the topic of 'here they go again' was raised on Monday during a media availability inside the Matt Frost media centre, Jets head coach Scott Arniel showed a hint of frustration with the question before catching himself. The ghosts of playoff past might be a subject the Jets' fan base can't help but think about, but Arniel had no interest in going down that road after his team dropped the past two games in this Central Division battle with the St. Louis Blues. Scott Kane / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry (centre) says the Jets want to get back to their style of play after dropping two games on the road in St. Louis. 'I don't give a — never mind,' said Arniel. 'This is the Western Conference. Take a look at what's going on around the league. Everyone is tied 2-2. How we got here? As a head coach, I'm not happy about how we got here, but we're here. 'Game 5, we have to be the best team on the ice. I don't care what's happened in the past. One thing that this group has done a fantastic job all year long is we have to move on to the next game.' There is no other choice that leads to success for the Jets, who won a pair of tight games to build a 2-0 series lead and were blown out in consecutive games to find themselves back to even at 2-2. This series won't be decided by the total number of goals, but for a team that has won the William Jennings Trophy in consecutive seasons for allowing the least number of goals over 82 games, giving up 12 during the past two is clearly not a recipe for sustained success. The Jets had a mostly dominant first period on Sunday, but the inability to push the lead to 2-0 proved costly when the Blues scored with 22.7 seconds remaining in the frame. Things turned in the second period and the Blues scored another late goal with 1:05 that proved to be a back-breaker. Where does that leave the Jets? On home ice in a best-of-three series needing to win two more games to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against either the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars. All season long the Jets have talked about how they would be judged by what transpires in Game 83 and beyond. And getting bounced for a third consecutive spring isn't an option the Jets want to think about. This is why they spent the off-season focusing on getting that five-to-10 per cent better and bringing those results into the regular season, where the Jets reached new heights, many of them individually and collectively as a group by finishing first overall among the 32 teams. Steps were taken, lessons were put into practice. Yet after all of the positives from the past 12 months, the Jets once again stand nose to nose with the playoff dragon they're trying to slay. Since getting bounced by the Blues in the first round in 2019, the Jets have managed to come up with only one win following a loss in the post-season. That came in Game 2 of the 2020 bubble playoffs, where the Jets defeated the Flames in that contest before dropping the next two to lose in four in the best-of-five play-in series. Since that time, they were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round in 2021 after sweeping the Edmonton Oilers. In 2022, they won the series opener against the Vegas Golden Knights before getting eliminated in five games. Last spring, the Jets once again won the series opener against the Colorado Avalanche before losing four in a row to be sent home early. But Arniel and the players are right when they say it's a new season. The Jets spent much of this one showing they were better prepared to handle things when times get tough. However, they've reached the point where action is required. 'The way we're approaching this game is, we want to get back to our style, our structure, our compete, our speed and the results will take care of itself,' said Jets captain Adam Lowry. 'Realistically, you want to win the series, you probably want to win this one. But we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, in terms of thinking that you lose this one the series is over. 'It's two good teams going at it. We're approaching this as a very important game for us. We don't want to make the situation bigger than it is. It's a swing game in the series. We want to put ourselves in the best possible position to move on, and that starts with a good start, us playing on our toes, us playing fast and getting to our forecheck.' And all signs point to forward Gabe Vilardi returning to the lineup, and that should provide a lift for a group that is looking for some additional secondary scoring and one that needs to get the power play going. Arniel was asked if Vilardi could handle top line minutes if he entered the lineup for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres on Mar. 23. 'If he's prepared and cleared to go, then it's all-in,' said Arniel. This isn't to suggest that Vilardi entering the lineup will immediately fix everything that has been ailing the Jets during the past two games, but someone with his hands around the net and skillset is bound to help. No matter who Vilardi is playing with — and you can expect him to see time with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor — the Jets are looking for more from the middle-six forward group, as they've been limited to one empty-net goal from Lowry through four games. Bumping Morgan Barron up onto that line led to some scoring chances and zone time, but the Jets can't keep leaning on the fourth line to deliver the bulk of the secondary scoring. They've already got two goals in the series — one from David Gustafsson and another from Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who spent the bulk of the season in the American Hockey League with the Manitoba Moose. This isn't about one player saving the day, though — the Jets thrive when the collective group is going. 'We're ready to play,' said Jets defenceman Neal Pionk. 'Wish it was Wednesday today, but we'll take a couple days off here. We've gone through this before. We went through a little stretch there in November and early December and bounced back from it, so we're ready to go.' During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. The Jets sound prepared to handle the moment. Delivering in it is the next step toward changing the narrative, even if the Jets are doing their best to block out the outside noise. 'The biggest thing is we don't need to reinvent the wheel, in terms of how we play,' said Lowry. 'When we play a certain way, we've had success against the Blues, and when we get away from that, when we get out of our structure, we stop defending first, we make it easier to get to the net-front, and then you see games like that. 'All year long the strength of our team has been our team defence, our five-on-five play. It's important when we look at the game (Sunday) and review the last couple of games we see the areas where we can certainly be a lot better in. And go out and execute. You have the game plan, now it's important to go and put it into practice.' X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld Ken WiebeReporter Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken. Every piece of reporting Ken 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.
