The Winnipeg Jets came to Dallas Thursday and blanked the Dallas Stars 3-0.
The Winnipeg Jets came to Dallas Thursday and blanked the Dallas Stars 3-0.
No team can win every game, and that was evident Thursday when the red-hot Dallas Stars lost in a shutout 3-0 to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Jets kept their chances for a Central Division title alive with the win, putting themselves and the Colorado Avalanche five points behind Dallas with three games to play. The Stars only have two more games, but one more win will clinch the Central for Dallas.
This was only the Stars second loss in the last 12 games, and only the third time the team has been blanked all season.
Early on, fans were reminded of years past with the way Jets head coach Rick Bowness had his team playing. Winnipeg was physical from the start, and it was clear that Dallas was in for a dogfight the whole night. The two teams hit the halfway mark of the first period with the shots on goal only 5-4 in favor of Dallas.
Around the five minute mark, the Jets capitalized on an icing call and trapped some tired Dallas skaters on the ice. Winnipeg was able to get a couple shots through to Jake Oettinger from around the top of the crease, and he was able to fight off the first two. A weary Thomas Harley tried to sweep the puck out from around the front of the net but it went directly to Nikolaj Ehlers right in front of the net, and he shoveled a backhander home for a 1-0 lead.
That scoreline stood for the remainder of the period, and the Stars headed to the locker room down by one for the second game in a row. Notably, Nils Lundvkist only had 2:44 minutes of ice time in the first period. The defense pairs shuffled around and pretty much every combination imaginable saw some ice time together. Chris Tanev and Harley were the duo on the ice for the Winnipeg goal, and had played almost no time together before tonight.
Head coach Pete DeBoer pushed back in his postgame press conference when asked about Lundkvist, saying that the story of the game was not about Lundkvist but rather about a playoff team playing well and getting the requisite bounces.
Those bounces were evident in the second period, when Dallas went down by two goals on a double deflection credited to David Gustafsson. A point shot hit Mason Marchment's stick and then was tipped right in front of a helpless Oettinger.
Before that, the Stars had a stellar chance on a 2-on-0 with Logan Stankoven and Wyatt Johnston, but after the initial shot was blocked, Dylan Samberg came in too hot and was called for a delay of game penalty for knocking the net off the posts. This gave the Stars the first power-play of the game, but they were not able to convert it into a goal. Soon after, the Jets captialized on Dallas not being able to get a tying goal and suddenly the Stars had to come back from a two-goal deficit.
Once again with just a little over a minute left in the second period, the bounces went against Dallas. Harley got a point shot all the way through traffic, deflecting off skates and finally squarely off the post and right back underneath Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit. The Stars just needed something to go their way, but it was one of those nights that it just did not happen.
During the third period, the Stars ramped up the offensive pressure, trying to break the shutout that Brossoit had going. Winnipeg played Bowness hockey extremely well, and limited the shots on goal Dallas could get. The Stars had another power play to try and cut the lead to a one goal defecit, and it felt like if Dallas could get one, they could ride the momentum and tie the game like they had so many times this season.
The power play came up empty despite several good looks, and the Stars were forced to pull the goalie with three minutes remaining to try and get their offense going. Dallas put out five forwards and Miro Heiskanen, but Winnipeg got control and dodged some desperate Stars players looking to get the puck back, and Mark Scheifele skated alone to the net and tapped in the third Jets goal into an empty net.
Winnipeg was able to clear out rebounds and prevent Dallas from getting second chances all night, and DeBoer was quick to give them credit after the game. He did not seem worried about anything in particular about how the Stars played, and just chalked it up to one playoff team beating another.
With only two games remaining before the playoffs start, Dallas has to get used to losing a game here or there and bouncing back. It is a whole different perspective playing a seven game series, and the time is almost here to shift the mentality to just finding a way to beat one team four times.
The Stars have a chance to bounce back and lock up the Central Division Saturday afternoon against the Seattle Kraken. Two points gained by Dallas or two points dropped by both Winnipeg and Colorado from here on out will get the job done for Dallas.
Puck drop Saturday is at 2 p.m. CDT and the game will be televised nationally on ABC.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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