Winnipeg – The best match of Connor Hellebuyck’s qualifying series equalized Tour 2.
Winnipeg also obtained goals from Gabriel Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers (two) and Adam Lowry to win the 4-0 victory on Friday.
The performance of the Hellebuyck qualifiers was very offset. He had abandoned 26 goals under a strong constraint against the Blues of Saint-Louis and had been withdrawn from three consecutive games on the road, creating a crisis of confidence, and could not keep Mikko Rantanen out of the set in match 1.
Hellebuyck responded with vintage performance in match 2.
The jets obtained the goal of Vilard Power-Play 3 1/2 minutes after the start of the match and the luck of Ehlers Bounce 3 1/2 minutes after that. They responded with a second occasional period, creating several peak chances for the stars that could have turned the game.
What they got instead was a Hellebuyck highlighting coil.
Hellebuyck made nine of his 21 stops in the second period – no more spectacular than this glove except on Evgenii Dadonov.
Oh my Connor Hellebuyck pic.twitter.com/jqim1pipgd
– Sportsnet (@Sportnetnet) May 10, 2025
The game before the rush was a pass of Kyle Connor in a seam that the stars had picked up. Winnipeg has nourished the stars transition several times in the second – Wyatt Johnston hit the post with a Deke backhand that started with Mark Scheifele giving the washer on a rush to him.
In the end, it was just a chance for the crowd of the Center de Vie du Canada to sing “MVP!” to his starting goalkeeper.
“This crowd believes in me, this team believes in me, as much as I believe in me,” said Hellebuyck before the second round. “It’s dangerous. It is at this point that things are going on and things are running.”
Hellebuyck was a weapon in match 2.
The higher pp unit of jets united, shines early
Vilardi’s power of power game was the product of two days of jet homework. Frustrated by their performance of 0 for 4 in match 1 – but encouraged by some of their chances – the jets identified the low ice that they wanted to exploit in response to the aggressive penalty of the stars.
Vilard’s goal was partly a broken game, but partly a case of Winnipeg adjustments taking place exactly as he had hoped. The jets removed Dallas far from the middle of the ice several times by working the washer inside the slit, then turning around in the flanks, daring the aggressive pk of the stars to put pressure on Josh Morrissey at the top of the area.
On the decisive game, Scheifele moved him to Morrissey at the top and Morrissey found Nikolaj Ehlers in the middle with a little time. Ehlers spotted Vilardi, attempted a pass that struck Cody this and pulled a shot on Jake Oettinger with the remains. Vilardi was alone to clean the rebound because three skaters were above the hash marks – just as the jets had written it.
Gabriel Vilardi has his first in 2025 #Stanleycup Playoffs 🫡 pic.twitter.com/23lmms6xdp
– Sportsnet (@Sportnetnet) May 10, 2025
“There are things we are trying to exhibit,” said coach Scott Arniel.
It was the first time that the best jets unit had been healthy since Vilardi’s injury on March 23, and he brought Winnipeg to an ideal start.
Another beginning of stages for the stars
The stars finally broke their disconcerting sequence of eight consecutive defeats in match 1 Wednesday, but slow departures continue to afflict them in another way.
Dallas has only three goals in the first period in nine playoffs after returning empty on Friday evening. Only Montreal Canadians have fewer goals in the first period in these qualifying series, and only played five games. This is better from there, because Dallas is tied with Los Angeles for 11 goals in playoffs in the second period. But the stars abandoned the first goal of eight of their nine playoffs, which is generally not a success of success.
Rantanen wrapped
The good news for Rantanen is that his series of scores or aid on 12 consecutive Dallas goals is still intact. The bad news is that it is because the stars did not score any goal in match 2.
Rantanen, after consecutive hat tricks and with eight goals and six assists in his last four games, has finally been held in check in match 2. Arniel stuck the Selke Lowry caliber center in Rantanen for a large part of the match, and that borne fruit. Each time the washer hit Rantanen’s stick, he pulled huae from the crowd and a crowd of blues. He has rarely found any space to work with it, and when he did, Winnipeg quickly got closer to him. A chance at the start of the third period was the best look in Rantanen, but Neal Pionk pushed the slice of his stick in the slit before he could take a blow.
The stars coach Pete Deboer rocked the lines in the third period, putting Rantanen with a few different combinations, including Jamie Benn and Sam Steel, but the result was the same. In 7:07 of five times against Lowry, Rantanen was exceeded 8-3, 3-1 and exceeded 1-0. While the scene moves to Dallas for match 3 on Sunday, we will see if Deboer uses the last change to prioritize the maintenance of Rantanen de Lowry.
Josh Morrissey has a big impact in return
The return of Morrissey to the Jets range gave Winnipeg its strongest list of the playoffs, seized Vilardi’s goal and led to several most loyal defensive games – including the clear of the Plé which helped put the washer in safety after the revocation of Hellebucyck on Dadonov.
The playoffs are still waiting for their Vintage Morrissey moment, but he led the cutting -edge attacks and played the most minutes of all the jet skaters in match 2. He has moved well, attacking seams and making incisive passes, creating Miss nearly generating electric assistance.
The series was always going to be defined by which team could recover their star players – and play at the highest level. Scheifele and Jason Robertson returned for match 1, with Scheife on the dashboard, but the return of Morrissey – and the continuous absence of Miro Heiskanen – gave the jets an advantage in match 2.
Deboer spoke of Heiskanen praise before the match, but said that the stars should do the work without him.
“You withdraw one of your best defenders in the world in your range – and when I say in the world, it can be in the first five defensively. It does not even take into account the possession of the washer in the time that we have the washer when it is on the ice,” said Deboer.
Help sought in Dallas
Lost in the middle of Mikko Mania the last games were the little help he obtained. The depth of the stars is their business card, but they counted almost exclusively on Rantanen to wear the offensive, with Roope Hintz and Johnston.
Matt Duchene, who scored 30 goals and collected 82 points in the regular season, has not yet scored in the playoffs. Mikael Granlund, Benn and Dadonov each have a goal, and Robertson clearly feels in return for an injury to the right leg which prevented him from the first round. Robertson, who scored 35 goals in a regular season, played 5:08 p.m. – three minutes more than in match 1 – but was largely a non -factor, with five shooting attempts, two to the goal.
Dallas had its chances, in particular the stellar stops of Hellebuyck on Dadonov and Benn (out of the perfect stolen door of Tyler Seguin), and Johnston striking the post. But at some point, someone else in addition to Rantanen will have to intensify and start to score.
Nikolaj Ehlers Percène
Ehlers spent the majority of match 1 trying to create an offense while looked like that he had his crossed sons with Cole Comequipkers Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov.
He made several gifts which left the games of the power of the jets, put his teammates offside at all force, and seemed otherwise unable to reproduce the highly game he had by helping the match 7 of Winnipeg against St. Louis.
His vision of finding Vilardi on the power game – and its tenacity to obtain this washer on the net – has passed early advances. A lucky rebound on ESA Lindell obtained his first goal from the playoffs, while a solid defensive game with the net of the stars – and a long -term shot from his own goal line – obtained his second.
Hey, we’re going to take it 😀😀😀 pic.twitter.com/oyrmqnap6m
– Winnipeg jets (@nhljet) May 10, 2025
The three -point effort brought Ehlers to four points in four qualifying games this year – an ideal launch ramp for him to complete the rest of his match.
(Photo: Cameron Bartlett / Getty Images)
