WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets will have to tap into what's worked for them so well at home to stave off elimination against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round at Canada Life Centre on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).
The Jets are 5-1 at home in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, their only loss coming in Game 1 of this series. The Jets know what it's like to face desperation: they were down 3-1 entering the third period of Game 7 of the first round against the St. Louis Blues before scoring two goals in the final two minutes of regulation and winning 4-3 in double overtime.
"We talked after Game 1 of the St. Louis series, the nerves of that game and for some guys who had never been through the White Out (Winnipeg crowd) and how we got better as that series went on," Jets coach Scott Arniel said. "Then we had to learn another lesson in that Game 7 and came out on the right end of it. No different now. Now our backs are against the wall, have to win our next game. It's all part of this time of year."
Meanwhile, the Stars are trying to make the Western Conference Final for the third consecutive season. If they do, they'll be the fifth team in the past 20 years to make the conference final three straight seasons.
The Stars know they'll get a strong push from the Jets, but they look to be ready for it.
"We're a smart enough group that we know and understand they're going to come at us hard. Their season's on the line (but) it's no different," Stars forward Wyatt Johnston said. "Every team in the playoffs is super competitive. When you put a team in a situation where they're in a must-win, they're going to come out really hard. We know that, we've been through enough series and enough games to understand that. It's just us being able to match that and come out and play our best game and try to get the win tonight."
Teams that trail 3-1 in a best-of-7 series and play Game 5 at home have an all-time record of 68-54, including 0-2 this year. Among those 68 teams that pushed the series to six games, 27 made it to Game 7.
Here is a breakdown of Game 5:
Stars: Dallas is expecting to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second straight game. Coach Pete DeBoer liked how it went in a 3-1 win in Game 4. It helped keep minutes down for defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who hadn't played since Jan. 28. Heiskanen, who averaged 25:10 of ice time per game in the regular season, played 14:52 in Game 4. It also gave some forwards more ice time, especially Mikko Rantanen. He played 23:49 in Game 4, his highest ice time in a game that did not go to overtime this postseason, and had an assist. Rantanen leads the playoffs with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 11 games.
Jets: Winnipeg broke up its top line of left wing Kyle Connor, center Mark Scheifele and right wing Gabriel Vilardi in Game 4 because, Jets coach Scott Arniel said, "it had a lot to do with matchups." Alex Iafallo jumped up to the top line in Vilardi's place. Judging from the lines on Thursday, however, it looks like Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi will be together again to start Game 5. This line has paced the Jets in the postseason, especially Connor and Scheifele. Connor leads the Jets with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 11 games and Scheifele is next with eight points (three goals, five assists) in nine games.
Number to know: 13-1. The all-time record of the Stars/Minnesota North Stars (.929) when leading a best-of-7 series 3-1.
What to look for: Will the Jets find a way to extend the series? Can the Stars advance and get some rest before preparing for the conference final?
