By Jake Tye

The Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars are set to clash in Round 2 after stunning Game 7 comebacks.

Buckle up for a Central Division showdown with serious bite. The Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars are set to collide in a series brimming with bad blood, high-end skill, and postseason urgency. These two heavyweights met four times during the regular season, trading blows and setting the stage for what promises to be a grinding, high-stakes battle.

Dallas advanced to the second round following a thrilling solo effort from superstar Mikko Ranatanen as it looks to make the conference finals for the second-straight season. 

The Stars have unfinished business and will be a very tough out as they are powered by the elite play of returning stars in Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. With veterans like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin adding experience and grit, Dallas is built for the grind.

Winnipeg, on the other hand, comes in flying high after making a resounding comeback versus the St. Louis Blues in Game 7, winning its first series in four years. With Josh Morrissey anchoring the back end and arguably the deepest forward core in the NHL led by Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, the Jets look ready to push back — hard - if all are healthy. 

Expect tight checking, tempers to flare, and maybe even a few overtimes. This one has all the ingredients of a classic playoff war.

A Reliance On Elite Goaltending For Low-Scoring Results

The storyline around the Jets for most of this season has been the stellar play of Connor Hellebuyck and if he'd be able to translate things to the postseason. After being roughed up and pulled on the road, it became a very real concern for Winnipeg.

However, the offence dialed in and scored big goals when it needed to, like Cole Perfetti's buzzer beater in Game 7 to push the game to overtime. The huge win may be looked at as the biggest in Hellebuyck's career and it could spark a change in the Hart Trophy candidate. 

Some may forget that Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky at one point struggled to find postseason success before eventually solving the puzzle and now being one of the most reliable postseason goaltenders in league history. A very similar outcome could befall Hellebuyck and make this series a very low-scoring one as Dallas' Jake Oettinger has a sizable amount of playoff experience himself. 

After making the Conference Finals last season, the Stars' goaltender has improved his career playoff goals against average to 2.69 with a 17-16 record. He finished this season with a 36-18-4 record and a 2.59 goals against average that asserted Oettinger into the conversation for top five goaltenders in the NHL. 

Both netminders in this matchup finished top 12 in goals against average with Hellebuyck topping the league at 2.00 and locking up his second straight Vezina trophy win. We shouldn't expect almost any high-scoring games in this series especially with under six goals in eight straight matchups. 

High Pressure For Connor, Vilardi With No Schefiele

The Jets may get back their star centre Mark Schefiele, but if not the pressure to score will be dialled up to the max for top line forwards in Connor and Vilardi, who answered the bell so far. With four goals and eight assists for 12 points, Connor has single-handedly fuelled the Jets' offence at times and should be able to help get Vilardi going once again after coming back for Game 5. 

We are long overdue for a big Vilardi game as he hasn't recorded a point in seven games which is surprising for a player, who just recorded 61 points in 71 games this past season. He can be a difference making player and should be listed at a great value to get points throughout the series. 

Possible Game Seven May Not Be Trouble For Winnipeg

This series is one the Jets will have to get out to an early lead and not fall behind. We just finished seeing how Dallas and head coach Pete DeBoer can be lethal at closing out series with a 9-0 record in game sevens during his coaching career. 

Luckily for Jets believers, the sportsbooks have a bet listed with decent odds for Winnipeg where all they need to do is win the series or force a game seven and the bet cashes. The odds for this series going seven games is very high which means if the Jets can keep things close enough, they should be able to cover the series spread. 

This means the team will have to win a certain number of games for the bet to cover so for the Winnipeg Jets at +1.5 in the series it means they have to win the series outright or at least force a game seven. The odds for this are favourable on FanDuel Sportsbook with -158 odds which basically turns $10 into $16.33 for a six dollar profit. 

The Jets have won four of their last five and six of their last ten games versus the Stars and should be able to keep things close enough for this series to go at least six or seven games. 

Player Matchup Trends:

Winnipeg Jets: 

Mark Schefiele finished the season strong with 15 points over his last 16 games and carried it over into the postseason, where he recorded six points in five games. The Jets' 2011 first round pick has been solid in this matchup with nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points over his last 19 games versus Dallas. 

Kyle Connor has been the Jets' best player all-season and has torched the league since the Four-Nations Break with 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points over his last 26 games. He carried Winnipeg's offence through the first round with 12 points in seven games. The former Michigan Wolverine has four goals and an assist for five points over his last two matchups versus Dallas. 

Cole Perfetti has been on fire with three goals and two assists for five points in the first round versus St. Louis. He has a pair of goals and three assists for five points over his last nine games versus Dallas. 

Dallas Stars:

Mikko Rantanen is tied for the league lead in playoff points following the first round with five goals and seven assists for 12 points through seven games. The Finnish winger has 29 points over his last 25 games versus Winnipeg but has been slumping in this matchup with just one point over their last five matchups. 

Roope Hintz finished the first round red hot with three goals and three assists for six points over their last three games. He has been one of the better Stars in this matchup with five points over his last six games versus Winnipeg.

Wyatt Johnston has been Dallas' best playoff performer since their run to the Western Conference Finals last season. The 21-year-old has recorded 13 goals and 10 assists for a team-best 23 points over his last 26 playoff games and has continued his success this postseason with seven points in as many games versus the Avalanche in the first round. He has struggled in this matchup however with one point over his last five games versus the Jets. 

Winnipeg Jets vs. Dallas Stars – Series Schedule:

Game 1: Wednesday, May 7 – Dallas at Winnipeg

Game 2: Friday, May 9 – Dallas at Winnipeg

Game 3: Sunday, May 11 – Winnipeg at Dallas

Game 4: Tuesday, May 13 – Winnipeg at Dallas

Game 5: Thursday, May 15 – Dallas at Winnipeg

Game 6: Saturday, May 17 – Winnipeg at Dallas

Game 7: Monday, May 19 – Dallas at Winnipeg