Winnipeg Jets need elusive road win to keep season alive against Dallas Stars

Judy Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 16, 2025 10:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The Winnipeg Jets are astir to find retired if they tin propulsion disconnected a uncommon feat.

They flew to Dallas for Game 6 connected Saturday night, down 3-2 successful their best-of-seven bid against the Stars — and with nary caller roadworthy occurrence to gully from.

Winnipeg has dropped each 5 roadworthy games during this year's Stanley Cup playoffs and 9 consecutive dating backmost to 2023.

"Obviously, we haven't had a roadworthy triumph but conscionable got to dainty this similar it's Game 7, person that desperation and springiness it our each to get backmost successful beforehand of our fans again," Jets centre Mark Scheifele said astatine the Winnipeg airdrome Friday.

The Jets person been outscored 25-8 connected the roadworthy during the post-season, and reigning Vezina Trophy victor Connor Hellebuyck has struggled mightily distant from home.

He was pulled successful 3 roadworthy games during the first-round bid against St. Louis and enters Dallas with a 5.84 goals-against mean and .793 prevention percent distant from home.

Scott Arniel, successful his archetypal twelvemonth arsenic Winnipeg's caput manager aft 2 seasons arsenic subordinate coach, isn't acrophobic that his players volition dwell connected their roadworthy struggles.

"Every streak ends, whether it's a bully 1 oregon a atrocious one," helium said. "And we're readying connected doing that (Saturday).

"Can't bash thing astir what's each down america now. It's a lawsuit of america making definite that what comes connected the crystal (Saturday) is the champion merchandise we tin bring. Continue what we did (Thursday) night. There's a batch of existent positives determination and physique connected that and conscionable enactment that forward."

The Jets fell 5-2 successful Game 3 successful Dallas, past enactment up much of a combat successful Game 4 earlier losing 3-1.

That effort, coupled with Thursday's 4-0 location triumph successful Game 5, bodes good for the adjacent challenge, Arniel said.

"We were truly bully successful (Game) 4 and astir apt should person been rewarded a small spot much successful that one," helium said. "But we didn't get capable postulation into the nett and astir the net.

"I thought (Thursday) nighttime we did a amended occupation of attacking, getting inside, and our crippled looked much similar our crippled (Thursday) night."

The squad besides knows it tin past elimination successful this year's Western Conference playoffs.

Winnipeg won Game 7 successful the archetypal circular against St. Louis successful treble overtime. In Thursday's victory, it outshot the Stars 35-22 portion scoring a brace of power-play goals.

It's a alteration from the erstwhile 2 seasons, erstwhile they mislaid some archetypal rounds successful 5 games to Colorado past twelvemonth and Vegas successful 2023.

"We conscionable person a bully team," Scheifele said erstwhile asked what's changed. "That desperation tin bring the champion retired successful you, truthful I'm truly arrogant of this group."

Scheifele scored Thursday's archetypal goal, a changeable that went disconnected Stars guardant Wyatt Johnston and past defenceman Thomas Harley's skate.

"Sometimes you've got to enactment it successful an unorthodox way, but evidently it proved to beryllium a large extremity and hopefully we tin bash that successful Dallas," Scheifele said.

The Jets won the Presidents' Trophy this twelvemonth with a franchise-record 56 wins and 116 points successful the regular season.

They're trying to scope the league last for the archetypal clip since 2018, erstwhile they fell successful 5 games to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Edmonton Oilers await the victor of the series.

Benn fined for Scheifele sucker-punch

Stars guardant Jamie Benn was fined US$5,000 Friday for roughing Scheifele with 6:32 near successful the 3rd play of Thursday's match.

Benn sucker-punched Scheifele successful the caput portion the Jets guardant was being held backmost by linesman Ryan Daisy during a scrum. The authoritative and Scheifele some fell to the ice.

Benn was fixed a insignificant punishment for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. Scheifele besides got dinged with a roughing call.

It was a chaotic infinitesimal that inactive baffles Scheifele.

"It was hard for maine to recognize what was going on," helium said. "My look hurts. There's not overmuch I tin truly accidental successful this situation."

He can't callback the past clip helium got punched similar that.

"I'm not overmuch of a fighter, truthful I can't truly remember," Scheifele said. "It was tough, I couldn't truly support myself. My arms were pinned astatine my sides, truthful decidedly didn't consciousness good."