The Winnipeg Jets went into Friday night’s game needing a win to avoid going down 2-0 on home ice to the Dallas Stars. Not only did they win, but their most valuable player looked incredible, as “M-V-P” chants rang throughout Canada Life Centre en route to a 4-0 shutout win.
Connor Hellebuyck was dialled in from puck drop, making incredible saves throughout the night and earning a 21-save shutout. It’s Hellebuyck’s first playoff shutout since the 2021 series against the Edmonton Oilers. The crowd was chanting “M-V-P” relentlessly as Hellebuyck made a handful of spectacular saves, particularly in the second period, leading the Jets to victory and looking like himself in a postseason game.
“It’s what he does every night for us. He’s an incredible goaltender,” Josh Morrissey said about Hellebuyck. “He makes very difficult saves look very easy, routinely and often. You could tell he was feeling it tonight. When he’s feeling it like that, it gives the players in front of him, defencemen, forwards, a lot of confidence. We’d like to cut down on some of those chances near the end of the second period, but he was feeling it, clearly.”
Connor Hellebuyck, looking like his MVP self, is a massive development for this Jets team. Not only did they need tonight’s win to avoid a 2-0 deficit with the impending return of Miro Heiskanen for the Stars, but they needed this type of game from their star goaltender. They got it. Now, can Hellebuyck carry this level of play onto the road, where he was pulled in all three away games against the St. Louis Blues? Jets fans are hoping that overtime in Game 7 against the Blues was a turning point for Hellebuyck, and he said after the game that he’s getting that feeling as well.
“Yeah, definitely,” Hellebuyck said on OT being a turning point. “There were stretches in the first round where I really liked my game, just wasn’t in the results. But, built it back better. I like where we’re at. The team in front of me is playing phenomenal, so we’re going to have fun. Just continue to have fun.”
Josh Morrissey made his return to the lineup after playing just 2:09 in Game 7 against the Blues and being ruled out for Game 1 against the Stars; he played 22:39 and was effective in his minutes. His return for the Jets meant a fully healthy lineup in quite some time, something that Scott Arniel was delighted to see, especially on the power play.
“That’s the first time since Game 71 that everybody’s back,” Arniel said after the game. “It was good to see. There’s obviously the familiarity, starting off with our power play.”
The Jets went 1-for-5 on the power play, getting a Gabriel Vilardi goal just 3:35 into the first period to open the scoring. Morrissey got an assist on that goal, managing a dangerous puck at the blueline and getting it to Ehlers, who fired a shot, and Vilardi cleaned up the rebound.
The reinsertion of Morrissey gives the Jets their elite one-two punch on the left side back, with Dylan Samberg playing one of his best games of the playoffs on this night. Nikolaj Ehlers extended the Jets’ lead to 2-0 as he banked a shot off of Esa Lindell’s skate and past Jake Oettinger. That was his first of the playoffs before he fired one into the empty net to give the Jets a 4-0 lead. Despite his five-on-five goal being banked off a defenceman, Ehlers was one of Winnipeg’s best forwards in Game 2, and Scott Arniel praised him for it after the game.
“He was dominant,” Arniel said after the game. “He had the puck a lot. I liked the fact that he attacked the net a bunch of times with the puck. We need his line, and we need him doing what he did tonight. We’re a tougher threat when we have all of our pieces going like that.”
Ehlers led the Jets in shots on goal (7) in this game and controlled the puck for the majority of the night. While he’s had his legs back for a game or two now, it’s clear that his hands are starting to catch up to the playoff speed necessary. Ehlers’ playoff performances of old are a common topic of conversation this team of the year, but for the Jets, what a threat he can be if he keeps this up as an elite secondary (sometimes primary) scorer.
Scott Arniel opted to go with Haydn Fleury and Colin Miller on his third pairing for tonight’s game, and they were very steady and effective in their minutes. It became very apparent after Game 1 that this series will not be anywhere near the level of physicality that we saw against the Blues. Because of that, Arniel makes the switch to two defenders of the mobile, puck-moving prototype.
It paid dividends last night as the third pairing moved the puck up the ice well, kept the Stars’ chances to a minimum, and in the case of Haydn Fleury on Mason Marchment, even brought a physical style as well. In 8:01 of even-strength minutes, the Fleury-Miller pairing allowed just two scoring chances and no high-danger chances against. They outshot their opponent, Fleury assisted on Ehlers’ first goal, and threw a few big hits as well. Look for Fleury and Miller to continue that success Sunday for Game 3, assuming Arniel goes right back to them for that role.
The series shifts to Dallas tied 1-1 as the Jets get set for a Sunday afternoon, Mother’s Day tilt at 3:30 PM CT. Stay tuned to Illegalcurve.com for the latest news and notes heading into Sunday, and tune into the postgame show right after the final buzzer sounds for Game 3.
