Winnipeg goes 0-6 away from home in playoffs, Vilardi held to 1 goal after return from injury
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The Winnipeg Jets were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Dallas Stars in a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday.
The Jets (56-22-4) were the No. 1 seed from the West and won the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded annually to the team with the most points (116) at the end of the regular season.
Winnipeg advanced to the second round for the first time since 2021.
Potential unrestricted free agents: Nikolaj Ehlers, F; Brandon Tanev, F; Mason Appleton, F; Dominic Toninato, F; Haydn Fleury, D, Chris Driedger, G
Potential restricted free agents: Gabriel Vilardi, F; Morgan Barron, F; Rasmus Kupari, F; Dylan Samberg, D
Potential 2025 Draft picks: 5
Here are five reasons the Jets were eliminated:
1. Hellebuyck struggles
Connor Hellebuyck was looking to change the narrative on how he fares in the postseason. He went from good to great at home, highlighted by his last two performances at Canada Life Centre, 4-0 wins in Games 2 and 5.
But the road was a different story.
Hellebuyck was good in Game 6 on Saturday, but he was pulled in each of the three games in St. Louis during the first round and finished 0-6 on the road with a 5.06 goals-against average and an .809 save percentage on the road. He was 6-7 this postseason with a 3.08 GAA, an .866 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 starts.
2. Tough road
The Jets were solid in the playoffs at Canada Life Centre (6-1). Elsewhere? Not so much. Winnipeg, which had an NHL-best 26 road wins during the regular season, went 0-6 and was outscored 27-9 in two rounds.
Home-ice advantage allowed the Jets to get away with losing the three road games in the first round. But with Dallas winning Game 1 of the second round, the Jets had to find a way to win on the road.
They couldn’t and haven’t won on the road in the playoffs since Game 1 of the 2023 first round, 5-1 at the Vegas Golden Knights.
3. Special teams issues
Winnipeg entered the playoffs with the League’s best power play (28.9 percent). It didn’t translate enough to the postseason, where it went 8-for-43 (18.6 percent), 12th among playoff teams.
The penalty kill was a bit better (31-for-42, 73.8 percent), ninth among playoff teams) but was 12 seconds short of completing the most crucial kill in overtime on Saturday.
4. Lack of depth scoring
Forward Kyle Connor led the Jets with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 13 games. Center Mark Scheifele was next with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 11 games. There’s no doubt the offense flowed through these two, right to the end when Scheifele scored the Jets’ lone goal in Game 6, with Connor getting the primary assist.
But they lacked secondary scoring; forward Gabriel Vilardi, who scored 27 goals in 71 regular-season games, had one goal in nine playoff games; forward Alex Iafallo, who scored 15 goals during the regular season, had one in 13 playoff games.
5. Injuries
The Jets had to weather some tough injuries throughout the playoffs. They didn’t have Ehlers or Vilardi to start the first round. Vilardi, who missed the final 11 regular-season games with an upper-body injury, came back in Game 5 against the Blues. Ehlers, who sustained a lower-body injury on April 3 and reaggravated it April 12, returned for Game 6 against St. Louis.
Scheifele was out for Games 6 and 7 against the Blues after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Game 5. Defenseman Josh Morrissey missed most of Game 7 of the first round with an undisclosed injury sustained in the first period of that game. Morrissey sustained what looked to be a left knee injury in Game 6 on Saturday, and coach Scott Arniel said it wasn’t good. It’s unknown how the injury will impact Morrissey’s offseason routine.
