Tonight the Jets were in Dallas for a pivotal game 4. With the Stars leading the series 2-1, the Jets were looking to win their 1st road game of these playoffs to even the series at 2. The Stars got their number 1 defenseman back, as Miro Heiskanen was slotted back on the top pairing with Thomas Harley. Colin Blackwell was the player taken out of the Stars lineup, so the Stars went with an 11 forward and 7 defence lineup. The Jets stuck with the same lineup as last game except for Luke Schenn in for Colin Miller. Connor Hellebuyck was looking to end his 8 game losing streak on the road in the playoffs. Tonight’s game started with the Stars taking a 1-0 lead midway into the 1st with a goal from Mikael Granlund, before he scored 2 more goals later in the game leading the Stars to a 3-1 win.

The first 5 minutes of this game were fairly even, with both teams getting 2 quality shots on goal. As the opening 20 minutes progressed, you got the impression that this might be the closest game yet this series. 8 minutes in, Dylan DeMelo high sticked Mikael Granlund, giving the Stars the first powerplay of the game. 30 seconds into the 5 on 4, Granlund skated down the middle of the ice after getting the puck from Thomas Harley, and he entered the Jets zone and snapped a shot low glove side past Hellebuyck to make it 1-0 Stars.

The shot by Granlund probably should’ve been saved by Hellebuyck, but some of the blame should be on the defence, who let Granlund skate up the middle of the ice and into a spot where he could get the shot off with space. The Jets responded to the game’s opening goal by creating a few scoring chances of their own, getting close to beating Jake Oettinger a few more times shortly after.

With a minute to play in the 1st, Tyler Seguin was called for holding on Dylan Samberg, giving the Jets a late powerplay. The Jets man advantage has struggled this series, entering game 4 just 1 for 13, and they couldn’t get any chances before the 1st period ended. Despite trailing 1-0, the Jets led in shots on goal 10-5 while also out hitting the Stars 22-12.

The Jets powerplay reset and got set up quickly to open the 2nd period. 3 seconds after the penalty expired, Nikolaj Ehlers tied this game at 1. Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor set up Ehlers near the faceoff dot, and he snapped a shot that seemed to fool Oettinger as it went under him and into the net.

Just 2 minutes after the Jets tied this game, Tyler Seguin was called for another penalty, this time for tripping on Ehlers, sending the Jets back to the powerplay. The Jets 2nd powerplay wasn’t successful as it went by without a shot on goal. After the penalty expired the Jets started generating chances again, and almost halfway into the 2nd they were leading in shots on goal 15-7.

Nino Niederreiter was called for hooking on Mikko Rantanen a few minutes later, giving the Stars their 2nd powerplay of the night. The Jets penalty kill looked great in these 2 minutes, not letting the Stars have much space, all while blocking shots and clearing the puck down the ice multiple times.

With just over 2 minutes left in the 2nd, Granlund scored his 2nd of the game to give the Stars a 2-1 lead. Mikko Rantanen passed the puck up to Granlund at centre ice, and he entered the Jets zone on a 2 on 1 with Roope Hintz. Granlund waited and snapped a shot top corner past Hellebuyck. The goal slowed any momentum the Jets may have been getting after their last penalty kill. The final 2 minutes went without another goal, and the Stars took a 2-1 lead into the 3rd period despite the Jets leading in shots on goal 20-13.

The opening minutes of the 3rd looked good for the Jets, before Haydn Fleury took an unfortunate double minor for high sticking Roope Hintz. With 16 minutes to play, the Jets now had to defend for the next 4 minutes, knowing the next goal could be the difference tonight. Kyle Connor got a short handed breakaway but was denied by Oettinger, and the Jets PK was doing well as they locked down the Stars.

After a shot off the cross bar, Miro Heiskanen collected the puck and found Matt Duchene, who set up Mikael Granlund near the faceoff dot. On the one timer, Granlund went on one knee and slapped the puck past Hellebuyck. The Stars were now up 3-1 after Granlund’s hat trick goal, with just 3 seconds remaining in Fleury’s penalty.

At risk of going down 3-1 in the series and down 2 goals, the Jets had to start getting desperate for another goal. Oettinger was on his A game tonight, and it just seemed like the chances the Jets were getting were always anticipated before they went on net. With 5 minutes left, Jamie Benn took a roughing call on Mark Scheifele, giving the Jets a great chance to get one goal closer.

The powerplay couldn’t get anything going again, and there were a few moments where the Jets almost made costly turnovers in their own zone while trying to move the puck up the ice. The powerplay expired, and the Jets pulled Hellebuyck with 2:51 to go. The Jets continued to get shots on goal, but they were mostly right at Oettinger, making it easy for him to track the puck.

The final seconds of the game went without any super close calls, and the Jets lost this game 3-1. The Stars take a 3-1 series lead, as Granlund’s hat trick was enough to get the win despite the Jets outshooting the Stars 32-24.

0-5 on the road in the playoffs now. Tonight was another game that could have gone either way, as the Jets played pretty well, but again it just wasn’t enough. The powerplay needs to get going in game 5, as they are now just 1 for 16 in this round 2 series. Oettinger outplayed Hellebuyck tonight, and you just have to give props to the way he kept the Stars in the lead since Granlund’s 2nd goal. Game 5 will be at Canada Life Centre, with the Jets season on the line. Puck drop is set for 8:30 pm CT, and make sure to check back here at Jets Nation on that morning as I’ll be previewing that important game.

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