Winnipeg Jets avoid elimination with Game 5 shutout win over Dallas Stars
Big games for Ehlers, Scheifele and Hellebuyck, who records 2nd straight shutout at home
Adam Lowry believes the Winnipeg Jets found another gear on Thursday that was driven by a powerful emotion.
"Desperation," the Jets captain said.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice, Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist and Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves to help Winnipeg avoid elimination with a 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of their second-round series.
The Stars lead the best-of-seven playoff matchup 3-2 with Game 6 set for Saturday night in Dallas.
"I think all year we've been a great team at home," Lowry said. "I just thought start to finish, the structure, the way we wanted to play. We were quick with our decisions, we were quick with the reads, quick supporting the puck all over the ice."
Vladislav Namestnikov also had a goal and an assist. Kyle Connor and Neal Pionk both contributed two helpers in front of a roaring whiteout crowd at Canada Life Centre.
Jake Oettinger stopped 31 shots for the Stars.
"It was everybody stepping up, not wanting to be eliminated tonight," Jets head coach Scott Arniel said. "You could see it right from the puck drop, the opening shift. We didn't take our foot off the gas."
It was the fifth time in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers' franchise history that an opponent has been shut out in the playoffs.
Winnipeg, which won the Presidents' Trophy with a franchise-record 56 wins and 116 points, is an NHL-best 6-1 at home this post-season.
Its albatross is away games.
The Jets have lost all five road games in the Western Conference playoffs, including in their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues that Winnipeg won in a Game 7 double overtime at home.
"We haven't played well on the road at all this playoff, so no better time than now to start," Lowry said.
Hellebuyck shrugged off those results.
"Doesn't matter what happens in the past," he said. "We got one game ahead of us and we just need to focus on winning that one."
Stars veteran forward Matt Duchene is ready to return home.
"We knew this wasn't going to be easy," he said. "We knew they weren't going to roll over on us. We're going to Dallas here and see if we can end it."
The Jets and Stars started the night with each team getting a power play in the game's opening eight minutes. Oettinger made a glove save to thwart a Connor one-timer, and Hellebuyck turned aside a Roope Hintz shot.
Dallas came up empty on its second man advantage with six minutes remaining.
Hellebuyck was well-oiled early in the second frame, whipping out his glove to make a close-in save on Stars defenceman Thomas Harley.
The goaltender also had a hand in Scheifele's fourth goal of the playoffs at 6:17.
After Hellebuyck made a poke check to start the four-on-four play, Scheifele was the trailer and shot the puck that first hit Stars forward Wyatt Johnson and then went into the net off Harley's skate.
Winnipeg almost made it 2-0 on the power play with 53 seconds remaining, but it was ruled the puck was gloved into the net.
Jets fans started chanting, "should have kicked it," referring to a controversial game-winning goal by Dallas forward Alexander Petrovic in the Stars' Game 3 win. A review had ruled Petrovic's kick of the puck toward the net was actually propelled in by Hellebuyck's stick-save attempt.
Winnipeg outshot Dallas 11-5 in the middle frame.
The Jets went ahead 2-0 just 31 seconds into a five-on-three early in the third period after Ehlers swept the puck around Oettinger at 2:20.
"We don't want to be done playing hockey and today showed that," Ehlers said. "We've just got to take that to the next game."
Namestnikov capitalized with 10 seconds remaining in a man advantage when his high shot beat Oettinger with 7:53 left.
Ehlers sent the puck into an empty net with 45 seconds remaining for his fifth goal of the playoffs.
Beating the odds
The Jets defied some all-time NHL stats with the victory.
According to the league, teams down 3-1 in a playoff series only have a 44.7 per cent chance of winning Game 5.
It was the second time the Jets were facing elimination in this season's Stanley Cup playoffs, and the 10th time in franchise history. Their mark is now 3-7.
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