By NetNewsLedger Sports Desk
WINNIPEG — When the stakes are highest, champions rise. And on Thursday night at Canada Life Centre, Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets showed they are not ready to pack their bags just yet. Hellebuyck was rock solid between the pipes, stopping all 22 shots for his second shutout of the series, while Nikolaj Ehlers delivered in the clutch with two third-period goals to help the Jets blank the Dallas Stars 4-0 in Game 5, keeping their season alive.
“This was classic Jet hockey,” Hellebuyck told reporters post-game. “It took everyone tonight. Our backs are still against the wall, but if we play this kind of hockey again, we give ourselves a shot.” And what a shot they fired — from Mark Scheifele’s gritty opening goal that bounced its way into the net during 4-on-4 action, to a deadly 5-on-3 power play snipe from Ehlers, the Jets sent a message loud and clear: the series isn’t over.
Game 6 shifts back to Dallas’ American Airlines Center on Saturday night, with the Stars still holding a 3-2 series edge. But make no mistake, the Jets have life, and the confidence from a dominant team win on home ice, where they now boast an NHL-best 6-1 record these playoffs. “We knew they’d push back,” Dallas forward Matt Duchene admitted. “We gave them life. Now, we’ve got to slam the door in Dallas, or this could get dicey.” As the Jets look to force a dramatic Game 7 back in front of their raucous fans, the Stars will try to avoid a full-blown crisis. Saturday night hockey doesn’t get much bigger than this.
