Winnipeg Jets looking to erase last two playoff disappointments in Game 2

Judy Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 20, 2025 9:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Head manager Scott Arniel keeps the Winnipeg Jets' Game 2 playoff struggles successful the past, but fans clasp memories that inactive sting.

The Jets big the St. Louis Blues connected Monday nighttime up 1-0 successful their best-of-seven, opening-round NHL playoff series. A triumph would flooded a caller curse of sorts.

Winnipeg began with a triumph successful its past 2 playoff series, but mislaid the adjacent 4 games to beryllium eliminated from the postseason.

"I don't speech astir that, the past 2 playoff years due to the fact that this is simply a antithetic animal, a antithetic year," Arniel said aft Winnipeg's optional skate Sunday. "But we person talked astir each play agelong the adjacent game." 

"We've done a existent bully occupation this twelvemonth of focusing connected what's coming next, and that adjacent crippled [Monday] is what we're zooming successful on."

Fans volition apt beryllium holding their breaths wrong and extracurricular Canada Life Centre.

Last twelvemonth against the Colorado Avalanche, the Jets won the archetypal crippled astatine location 7-6, past mislaid the adjacent 4 by scores of 5-2, 6-2, 5-1 and 6-3.

The play before, it was a 5-1 opening triumph successful Vegas against the Golden Knights, followed by losses of 5-2, 5-4, 4-2 and 4-1.

The Western Conference champions had to combat for a 5-3 comeback triumph against the Blues connected Saturday night.

The crippled was tied 2-2 aft the archetypal play earlier St. Louis went up 1:13 into the 2nd connected Jordan Kyrou's goal.

Alex Iafallo tied it astatine 9:18 of the 3rd earlier Kyle Connor made it 4-3 with 1:36 remaining. Captain Adam Lowry sealed the 5-3 triumph with an empty-net extremity and 53 seconds near connected the clock.

Veteran defenceman Dylan Samberg is hoping that determined effort carries implicit into Monday's game.

"Just absorption connected ourselves, absorption connected that archetypal play and effort and get disconnected to a bully start," Samberg said.

The Jets racked up plentifulness of wins this play en way to claiming their archetypal Presidents' Trophy for having the league's champion regular-season grounds (56-22-4).

"It's a large comeback win," Iafallo said of the opening victory. "Our resiliency, we talked astir it each year, but we person to cleanable that slate disconnected and beryllium acceptable for (Monday)."

Steps forward

Top-line winger Gabriel Vilardi joined his Jets teammates for the optional skate, though helium was wearing a yellowish non-contact jersey. Vilardi began skating connected his ain past week arsenic helium recovers from an upper-body wounded suffered March 23.

He's missed the past 12 games and is inactive listed day-to-day with nary timeline for his instrumentality to action.

"[When] I spot that jersey alteration colour, past we volition commencement talking astir it," Arniel said.

Forward Rasmus Kapari [concussion] was backmost connected the crystal successful a regular jersey

"He has missed immoderate hockey, missed immoderate crystal and he's missed immoderate practices," Arniel said. "So we request to get him up and moving here, get him immoderate conditioning."

Kapari lone played 1 crippled successful the mediate of Winnipeg's last 20 regular-season games due to the fact that of lingering symptoms.

Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers remains week-to-week with an lower-body injury.

Late celebration

Forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan recorded his archetypal extremity successful 5 vocation playoff games Saturday, but the Calgary merchandise didn't get to consciousness the afloat effect of the milestone.

He and Jets guardant Morgan Barron had the puck deflect disconnected some of their sticks, but Barron was initially credited for the extremity that gave Winnipeg a first-period 2-1 pb with 5 minutes near successful the frame.

It was announced arsenic Anderson-Dolan's extremity aft the intermission.

"The fans got a treble solemnisation there. They got their money's worth," said Anderson-Dolan, who got into 4 playoff games with the Kings successful 2022-23. "Yeah, it's a beauteous comic moment."

The guardant played 51 games with the AHL's Manitoba Moose this season, but suited up successful 7 regular-season games with the Jets. He joined the Kings successful 2018-19 and appeared successful 1 crippled with the Nashville Predators past season.