After their 2nd decisive 4-0 win at home this series on Thursday, the Winnipeg Jets kept their season alive and forced tonight’s game 6. The Jets entered Dallas trailing the series 3-2, and in order to force a game 7 they would need to win their first road game of these playoffs. Tragic news struck this morning when Mark Scheifele learned that his father, Brad Scheifele, unexpectedly passed away on Friday night. After meeting with Scott Arneil and later on the rest of his teammates, Scheifele decided to play tonight, and he said it was what his father would’ve wanted him to do.

Both teams kept their same lineups from game 5, as Arniel stuck with his successful combinations and the Stars played their 3rd straight game with 11 forwards and 7 defence. The 1st period was very evenly matched, and both teams scored once in the 2nd, before Thomas Harley won it for the Stars in overtime, sending Dallas to the Western Conference finals.

Tonight’s game 6 started in favour of the Stars in front of their fans. After 5 minutes played the shots on goal were only 1-0 Stars, but the majority of the time the puck was either in the Jets zone or in the neutral zone. The Jets finally picked up their 1st shot of the game after 8 minutes, as the game started to be more balanced in terms of time on the attack. After 10 minutes played, you could tell the game 6 intensity was building up, and the Jets were picking up the pace despite the shots on goal being still just 1-1.

The 2nd half of the 1st period was mostly controlled by the Stars with the exception of the last minute where the Jets got a pair of decent chances. After 20 minutes, this game remained scoreless as both teams continued to look for that critical first goal. The Jets physicality was notable, as they out hit the Stars 23-8. Even with this game looking quite fast paced from the TV, the Stars outshot the Jets just 6-4.

The start of the 2nd period was much better for the Jets. After controlling play and getting the first 5 shots on goal in the opening minutes of the 2nd, Mark Scheifele gave the Jets the 1st goal in game 6. Gabriel Vilardi had the puck behind the net and gave it to Kyle Connor at the left faceoff dot and he fired it on goal. Scheifele was headed in front and he cut towards the goal as the shot went on net, collecting the rebound before he slid the puck five hole past Jake Oettinger to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. You could tell from Scheifele’s face after the goal that this was an extra special goal (and moment) for his dad.

The Jets continued to push after they took the lead, outshooting the Stars overall at the halfway mark of the game 13-7. Minutes later, Miro Heiskanen sent a pass up to Thomas Harley which deflected off Nikolaj Ehlers. Harley fired the puck on goal, and Sam Steel tied the game at 1 on the rebound with a shot that snuck perfectly up past Connor Hellebuyck.

This goal got the Stars going again, as they were now the team that was back in control of this game. With around 6 minutes to go in the 2nd period, Josh Morrissey got tangled up with Mikko Rantanen in the corner, and Rantanen’s backside went and landed on Morrissey’s leg. Clearly in discomfort, Morrissey went down the tunnel to get examined, and the Jets would now have to play with 5 defencemen.

Dallas continued to be the team that was in control for the remainder of the 2nd period. No penalties were called after 40 minutes, but there were a few questionable checks or trips for both teams that looked like they could’ve been enough (of a penalty) for the ref to make the call. The Jets outshot the Stars 12-8 in the 2nd, and they led in overall shots on goal 16-14 going into the 2nd intermission. The Jets were now up to 45 hits on the night, definitely one of their highest totals through 2 periods this season. With 20 minutes to play, it was anyone’s game, with each team having their moments where they were the better squad.

Josh Morrissey did not return for the start of the 3rd period, so the Jets were forced to play the rest of this game with 5 defencemen. The Jets were in this situation before in round 1, so the team knew what adjustments to make in order to “cover” for Morrissey’s absence as best they could. The 3rd period started off tightly contested, with both teams getting 3 shots each after the first 8 minutes.

Mason Appleton almost made it 2-1 Jets with 8 minutes left, but he was absolutely robbed by Oettinger who made a crazy desperation save.

Entering the final 5 minutes of this game, the Jets were outshooting the Stars 5-2 in the 3rd. Still no penalties were taken all game, and you pretty much knew that the next goal would be the game winner. Hellebuyck made a great stretched out pad save with around 2 1/2 minutes left as the Stars were really going for it at the end of this game.

After the Jets got set up in the Stars zone in the final minute, Scheifele’s shot was blocked and the Stars had a partial breakaway. Sam Steel got tripped by Scheifele right near the blue line, stopping Steel from getting a scoring chance, but it sent the Stars to the powerplay with 15 seconds left. The Stars final chance in regulation was blocked, and this game 6 needed overtime. The Jets continued to lead in shots on goal 23-17, and were doubling the Stars in hits, 52-26.

The Stars started overtime with 1:45 left on the powerplay, with Scheifele in the box. Hellebuyck made a few saves, and the Jets made a few nice plays to clear the puck down the ice. With time winding down in the powerplay, Mason Marchment and Tyler Seguin set up Thomas Harley in the slot. Harley fired a perfect shot past a screened Hellebuyck, and the Stars were victorious early in OT. This was a great series all-around, but it’s the Stars that will be moving on to play to Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference finals.

Game 6 ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Jets, with Scheifele sitting in the box as the Stars celebrated the series winning goal. The Jets season comes to an end with a 4-2 series loss in round 2 to one of their Central Division rivals. This loss will sting for a while, but after some time the Jets should be able to reflect on their season as a very successful one. Only one team can win it all, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t be proud this team when you look at how far they got. Before reflecting on this season in the coming days, weeks, and months, we’d like to thank you from all of us here at Jets Nation for following along and supporting us this season. Stay tuned for plenty of off season content.

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