Winnipeg Jets not satisfied with their execution in Game 1 loss to Dallas Stars

Judy Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 08, 2025 7:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 34 minutes ago

Scott Arniel smiled erstwhile asked what the temper was arsenic the Winnipeg Jets watched movie of their Game 1 playoff nonaccomplishment to the Dallas Stars.

"They astir apt didn't similar it portion they were watching it," the Jets caput manager said of his players, who studied alternatively of skated Thursday. "But no, there's meaning down it.

"We talked astir it, they admit it. We gave up Game 1, we gave up home-ice vantage [Wednesday night]. And I'm not going to beryllium disrespectful of Dallas, but we had a batch to bash with that."

Recognition of what went incorrect successful Wednesday's 3-2 nonaccomplishment to unfastened the best-of-seven, second-round bid means mistakes tin beryllium fixed for Game 2 connected Friday.

"I truly noticed however overmuch clip we had to marque plays and we rushed it oregon we didn't execute it," Arniel said. "To me, erstwhile we're connected we're similar clockwork.

"We're moving unneurotic arsenic five-man units, we're clean, we're accelerated and we weren't that [Wednesday night]."

Jets skipper Adam Lowry besides believes improvements tin beryllium made to the squad that captured the Presidents' Trophy for having the league's champion regular-season record.

"I deliberation conscionable immoderate tweaks, immoderate things that we looked astatine [Thursday] and we'll look astatine [Friday] — that we tin beryllium much effectual erstwhile we person the puck arsenic opposed to feeding their modulation game," the seasoned centre said. "I thought we did a mediocre occupation connected some bluish lines of puck absorption and truly allowing them to get into that modulation that they're truthful bully at."

Jets guardant Nino Niederreiter began Wednesday's scoring with a extremity astatine the 3:30 people of the 2nd period. Dallas guardant Mikko Rantanen replied, not once, not twice, but 3 times — becoming the 3rd subordinate successful NHL past to grounds chapeau tricks successful consecutive playoff games. He netted 3 third-period goals successful the Stars' opening-round Game 7 triumph implicit Colorado.

Top-line centre Mark Scheifele missed games 6 and 7 successful Winnipeg's first-round bid triumph implicit St. Louis with an upper-body injury. He returned and made it 3-2 precocious successful the second.

Lowry said the Jets person to musculus Rantanen disconnected his game.

"Every accidental you can, you person to spell done the body," helium said. "You person to dilatory the crippled down for him. You person to marque him enactment to get to the unfastened ice."

The Jets don't person a do-or-die mentality heading into the adjacent match.

"Obviously, there's urgency to get the triumph due to the fact that you don't privation to beryllium down 2-0," defenceman Dylan DeMelo said. "But astatine the extremity of the day, you don't triumph the bid aft [Friday's] game.

"You similar to get it, evidently beryllium 1-1. There's going to beryllium urgency from our broadside to get it done. But, sound connected wood, evidently deity forbid we lose, we can't deed the panic fastener and commencement freaking out."

Morrissey a maybe

Winnipeg defencemen Josh Morrissey and Logan Stanley skated successful regular jerseys Thursday morning, on with different players who didn't get into Wednesday's game. Both were injured successful Game 7 against the Blues.

Arniel was asked if helium was hopeful the seasoned Morrissey mightiness instrumentality and said helium remains a game-time decision.

Morrissey is simply a cardinal to Winnipeg's powerfulness play, which went 0-for-4 successful Game 1.

"If Josh is backmost past evidently that's going to beryllium a immense boost for us," DeMelo said of his apical defence partner. "We've missed him and we cognize what helium brings to our team.

"So if he's in, awesome. If he's not, evidently we've conscionable got to proceed to measurement up backmost determination and effort to get the occupation done."

Rest for the victors

The Stars had the time disconnected Thursday and lone caput manager Pete DeBoer spoke to the media astatine the team's hotel.

"Any clip we tin get a time mentally and physically away, I deliberation it's thing that we person to take," helium said.

Veteran defenceman Miro Heiskanen remains day-to-day successful his betterment from genu country successful aboriginal February.

"He has a surgeon who did the country successful New York who has to motion disconnected and helium has a portion of this, but we're moving person connected each those things," DeBoer said.