Winnipeg Jets look to gain ground on the road as 2nd-round series shifts to Dallas

Gavin Axelrod · CBC News

· Posted: May 10, 2025 12:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The Winnipeg Jets tied up their second-round matchup with the Dallas Stars Friday night, but arsenic the bid shifts to Texas they'll beryllium looking to bash thing they haven't done truthful acold in this year's playoffs — triumph connected the road.

Winnipeg mislaid each 3 roadworthy games successful their first-round bid against the St. Louis Blues, during which they were outscored 17-5. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck was pulled successful each 3 of those games. 

"That's going to beryllium a pugnacious building," Jets caput manager Scott Arniel said aft the team's 4-0 triumph successful Game 2 Friday night. "They grabbed location crystal [advantage] from america by winning Game 1, truthful we're going to person to triumph down there." 

Arniel said lessons were learned from the bid against the Blues, and success in Dallas volition beryllium connected doing much of what led to Friday's win.

WATCH | Scott Arniel speaks to reporters aft Jets Game 2 win:

Part of that is the mode the squad starts games, said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, adding that element was "a batch better" Friday than successful the bid opener. 

Winnipeg was outshot 8-0 aboriginal successful Game 1, earlier finishing the archetypal play up 13-12 successful that department, but yet losing 3-2. 

In Friday's Game 2, Winnipeg scored 2 goals successful the opening period and outshot Dallas 13-7.

"We're going to person to proceed to physique disconnected of those bully starts here," Morrissey said. "But it was wide a beauteous bully crippled each around, and we're going to person to instrumentality that connected the road."

Winnipeg volition besides need Hellebuyck  — a finalist for the league's apical goalie and MVP awards — to transportation his play from Friday's triumph into games 3 and 4 successful Dallas. 

Hellebuyck stopped each 21 shots helium faced Friday, as chants of "MVP" rained down astatine Canada Life Centre each clip helium made a save. 

"There was stretches of the archetypal circular wherever I … wasn't getting the results, but broke it down, built it backmost better, and I similar wherever we're at, and the squad successful beforehand of maine is playing phenomenal," Hellebuyck said Friday.

He besides said travel Sunday, the triumph successful Game 2 volition beryllium successful the rear-view. 

"It helps due to the fact that we're playing our game, and we cognize what it looks similar and we cognize what it feels like," said Hellebuyck.

"That being said, we gotta hitch it and spell play a hard roadworthy game, and it's ne'er casual connected the road — especially not successful playoff time." 

'One of the champion roadworthy teams:' fan

Despite being winless distant from Canada Life Centre truthful acold successful the playoffs, the Jets won the astir roadworthy games successful the league during the regular season, with 26. 

Back successful April, Hellebuyck made 25 saves arsenic Winnipeg bushed Dallas 4-0 astatine American Airlines Center in the last gathering of the regular play betwixt the part rivals. 

Winnipeg's lone different crippled successful Texas this play saw them suffer 3-1, with Hellebuyck stopping 28 of the 30 shots helium faced connected Dec. 1. 

Meanwhile, the Stars were a Top 10 squad astatine location successful the regular season, winning 28 games there. They're presently 3-1 astatine location successful the 2025 playoffs. 

But extracurricular Canada Life Centre successful Winnipeg Friday night, fans weren't dismayed astir the team's roadworthy grounds successful the playoffs truthful far. 

"They're 1 of the champion roadworthy teams, if not the best," said Levi Harvey. "I consciousness beauteous assured that if Hellebuyck plays bully and the squad astir him tin rally, I deliberation they person a bully accidental to triumph connected the road."

He besides said it won't beryllium easy.

"I tin lone ideate however going down to Dallas and playing successful their barn would be," helium said. "So I tin spot it being highly tough, particularly due to the fact that Dallas is an incredibly bully team." 

Jets instrumentality Imre Nemeth is besides keeping the faith.

"If they play their game, there's not a squad successful the NHL that tin really bushed them," said Nemeth. "So we're beauteous assured successful what their abilities are, and wherever they're going to spell with this."

The Jets and Stars volition conscionable again Sunday day for Game 3, wherever puck driblet is acceptable for 3:30 p.m. CT. Tuesday's Game 4 is besides successful Dallas, with a 7 p.m. start.

The bid returns to Winnipeg for Game 5 connected Thursday, with an 8:30 p.m. start.