Friday, April 20, 2018

Central Division Playoffs: 2) Winnipeg Jets v. 3) Minnesota Wild

The Stanley Cup Playoffs start now, with divisional round series. Each post will contain the entire series.

Game 1: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba. In goal: Devan Dubnyk for the Wild and Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, powered by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Minnesota tied it on a Matt Cullen goal, coming off of Jordan Greenway and Nate Prosser in the third period. The Wild took the lead with a Zach Parise goal, via Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu. The Jets retied on a Patrik Laine goal, with a lone assist by Paul Stastny. Winnipeg took the lead with a Joe Morrow goal, helped along by Nikolaj Ehlers. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Morrow, Laine, and Scheifele. The Jets have a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba. In goal: Devan Dubnyk for the Wild and Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets. Winnipeg dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Tyler Myers goal, via Jack Roslovic and Ben Chiarot. The Jets added on in the third period with a Paul Stastny goal, made possible by Dustin Byfuglien and Patrik Laine. Winnipeg extended the lead as Andrew Copp scored, with the help of Bryan Little and Roslovic. The Jets padded the lead on a Laine goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Nikolaj Ehlers and Myers. Minnesota got on the board with a Zach Parise power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Mikko Koivu and Jonas Brodin. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Laine, Myers, and Roslovic. The Jets have a 2-0 series lead as they head on the road.

Game 3: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota. In goal: Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets and Devan Dubnyk for the Wild. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Blake Wheeler power play goal, powered by Dustin Byfuglien and Patrik Laine. Minnesota tied it on a Mikael Granlund power play goal, with helpers from Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal. The Wild took the lead on a Zach Parise power play goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Koivu and Jonas Brodin. Minnesota added on in the second period with a Matt Dumba goal, passed from Daniel Winnik and Joel Eriksson Ek. The Jets got one back with an unassisted Tyler Myers goal, his second of the playoffs. The Wild countered with a Staal goal, via Granlund and Dumba. Minnesota extended the lead as Jordan Greenway scored, thanks to Matt Cullen and Nick Seeler. The Wild padded the lead on a Marcus Foligno goal, guided in by Jared Spurgeon and Seeler. This made it 6-2, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Staal, Dumba, and Granlund, while Seeler and Koivu get the honorable mentions. The Wild get one back, but the Jets still have a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota. In goal: Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets and Devan Dubnyk for the Wild. Winnipeg opened in the first period with a Mark Scheifele goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey. The Jets iced it at 2-0 in the third period with a Scheifele empty net goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, set up by Blake Wheeler and Andrew Copp. The three stars were Hellebuyck (30 save shutout), Scheifele, and Dubnyk (26 for 27 in saves). The Jets return home with a chance to advance as they currently lead the series 3-1. 

Game 5: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba. In goal: Devan Dubnyk for the Wild and Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Jacob Trouba goal, helped along by Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. The Jets added on with a Bryan Little goal, courtesy of Dustin Byfuglien and Paul Stastny. Winnipeg extended the lead as Brandon Tanev scored an unassisted goal. The Jets chased Dubnyk on a Joel Armia goal, passed from Byfuglien and Andrew Copp. Alex Stalock replaced Dubnyk in goal. Winnipeg padded the lead in the second period with a Scheifele power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Stastny and Blake Wheeler. This stood for the eventual 5-0 final, with the three stars awarded to Hellebuyck (30 save shutout), Byfuglien, and Scheifele, while Stastny gets an honorable mention. The Jets won the series 4-1, advancing to the second round.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0. 

No comments :

Post a Comment