The No. 1 overall Winnipeg Jets announced some sad news before the team played Game 6 against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.
No. 1 center Mark Scheifele’s father, Brad, died during the night, the team learned on Saturday.
“We’re a family and we’re going to do everything we can to support our family,” Jets general manager Cheveldayoff said.
The Jets said Scheifele told the team he will play in Saturday’s game to honor his father.
“Mark really wants to play for him tonight,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said.
The Stars lead the second-round series 3-2. The Jets won Game 5 on Thursday (Scheifele scored the opening goal) to extend the series and are trying to do the same on Saturday in Dallas. They have yet to win on the road this postseason.
If the Stars win Saturday, they will make their third consecutive Western Conference final appearance and face the Edmonton Oilers in a rematch of last season. If the Jets win, Game 7 would be Monday night in Winnipeg.
USA TODAY is providing updates on Game 6 between the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets. Follow along:
Dallas was in the Winnipeg zone for nearly two minutes. Three shots on net. Shot attempts widely in Stars favor.
Dallas’ Tyler Seguin shoots wide of an open net.
No shots yet for Winnipeg. Dallas has two.
Connor Hellebuyck makes a save on Mikko Rantanen early.
Game 6 of the Stars-Jets series is at 8 p.m. ET in Dallas.
The NHL roster report shows that Mark Scheifele will be out for the opening faceoff and center his usual line with Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi. The Stars will start with the Roope Hintz-Mikael Granlund-Mikko Rantanen line.
Jets coach Scott Arniel said Mark Scheifele will play in Game 6 after the death of his father.
“He said that would be the wishes of his dad, that he would want him to play,” Arniel said. “I know he’s been rooting us on.”
Jets captain Adam Lowry reflected on Brad Scheifele, Mark’s father, who died unexpectedly. He said he had seen him numerous times during the team’s fathers’ trips.
“The energy that he had was unmatched,” Lowry said. “His joy and excitement for life, he really passed that down on to Mark. I think his positivity, his outlook on life, just a genuinely happy person. A terrible loss, obviously.”
He added: “It’s tough to put into words how gutted we all feel for Mark and his family.”
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Saturday afternoon that star forward Mark Scheifele’s father, Brad, died overnight.
“As an organization, we’re doing everything we can to support him and give his family our most sincere condolences,” he said.
He said coach Scott Arniel was heading to the team hotel to talk to Scheifele and would provide an update later.
Dallas Stars fans on reddit asked people to make $55 contributions to charities supported by Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele in honor of the player and his late father. Scheifele wears No. 55.
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is 0-5 on the road this postseason with a 5.84 goals-against average and a .793 save percentage. In his last game in Dallas, he gave up three goals on 24 shots. He had a shutout while at home in his last game.
The Jets lost all three road games in the first round against the St. Louis Blues with goalie Connor Hellebuyck being pulled in each game. They played better in Dallas in the second round but lost both of those games to drop to 0-5 on the road this postseason. Their road losing streak is nine games stretching back to 2023.
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