Subscribe
Follow Us
The Winnipeg Jets lost Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. Now, they have to defend home ice on Friday to squeeze out a split of the first two games. They got Mark Scheifele back in Game 1, and he scored a big goal in the second period. And before Game 2, Jets coach Scott Arniel left the door open for Josh Morrissey's return to the lineup.
“Jets Scott Arniel said Josh Morrissey ‘probably' will play vs [the Stars] in Game 2,” John Lu of TSN reported. “That’s a step up from game-time decision.”
Morrissey left during Game 7 against the Blues with an undisclosed injury. He remained day-to-day but did not play in Game 1. Now, the Jets will have someone to put out against Mikko Rantanen, who is on an all-time heater. It will be quite the welcome back for Morrissey against the Stars on Friday.
Article Continues Below
The Jets scored the first goal of Game 1 in the second period when Nino Neidereitter beat Jake Oettinger. Then Rantanen took over, scoring a natural hat trick to give Dallas a 3-1 lead. Scheifele then cut the lead back to one, but it was not enough. The Jets need to control Rantanen, considering the Avalanche's inability to do that cost them their season.
The Jets finally got a solid performance from Connor Hellebuyck, especially in the first few minutes of the game. Dallas got the first nine shots of the game but did not score against the presumptive Vezina Trophy winner. Hellebuyck needs to be elite for Winnipeg to win the Stanley Cup, and he was not that against the Blues.
The Jets and Stars hit the ice at 8:30 p.m. Central time on Friday night. If Winnipeg drops this one, they are in serious danger. But they can defend home ice and make this a series.
