No Ehlers, no Morrissey, no problem for the Winnipeg Jets as they lay a pummelling to the Minnesota Wild at the MTS Centre. Despite being out shot by the Wild, the Jets made the most of their opportunities and gave Minnesota very little in the way of high end scoring opportunities. The Jets managed to put the game almost out of reach within the first ten minutes of the game and the Wild were never able to get any traction whatsoever.
It only took the Jets thirty-one seconds to bury the opening goal of the game as defenceman Jacob Trouba was left all alone in the slot. Trouba beat Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk low blocker with a wristshot, a goal that would set the pace for the next ten minutes of the period. The Jets would extend their lead five minutes later as Paul Stastny would win an offensive zone faceoff to Dustin Byfuglien who’s point shot would be tipped by Bryan Little and passed Dubnyk for a 2-0 Jets lead. The wild would get a breakaway shortly after but Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck turned it aside. Five minutes after the second goal the Jets would strike again. This time Brandon Tanev would force a wild turnover and beat Dubnyk with a low wrister glove side from the slot to give the Jets a 3-0 lead. The Jets weren’t done there as less than a minute later they would put yet another goal past Dubnyk. An offensive zone boardplay win by Copp would once again find it’s way to Byfulien who’s point shot would once again be tipped, this time by Joel Armia. The shot was travelling at least two feet wide but it hit Armia in the chest and deflected right past Dubnyk for a Jets 4-0 lead. That would be the end of Dubnyk’s night as he gave up four goals on only nine shots, and he would be replaced by backup Alex Stalock. The Jets out shot the Wild in the first 13-9 and carried a 4-0 lead into the second period.
The second period went overall better for the Wild as they would get a couple powerplay opportunities. However they were unable to score on the two powerplays they got, and despite outshooting Winnipeg 10-7 in the second they continued to trail 4-0 going into the third period. Their best chances coming from a couple breakaways midway through the period that would both be turned aside by Hellebuyck. The Wild would need nothing short of a small miracle to keep their season alive and only had a period left to do it.
Despite the Wild out shooting the Jets in the third 11-6 it would be the Jets who would score the only goal of the period. The Wild had taken a penalty at the end of the second, putting the Jets on the powerplay to start the third period. It would be on that powerplay that the Jets would extend their lead, and it would only take thirty-two seconds for them to do it. On a beautiful tic-tac-toe play it would see Wheeler to Stastny to Scheifele to the back of the net. The Wild would try valiantly to get any sort of momentum but Hellebuyck would shut the door and get the shutout. The Wild out shot Winnipeg 30-26 but it was to no avail as the Jets would win the game 5-0 and take the series 4-1. The Jets next game will be in the semi-finals against either the Nashville Predators, or the Colorado Avalanche.
