Jets out due to injuries to key players, disappointing goaltending

The Winnipeg Jets were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights, losing 4-1 in Game 5 of the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round on Thursday.

Winnipeg (46-33-3) was the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The Jets have qualified for the postseason in five of the past six seasons, missing out last season. They never have won the Stanley Cup and have advanced as far as the Western Conference Final, against the Golden Knights in 2018.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Sam Gagner, F; Karson Kuhlman, F; Saku Maenalanen, F; Vladislav Namestnikov, F; David Rittich, G
Potential restricted free agents: Morgan Barron, F; Pierre-Luc Dubois, F; Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Kevin Stenlund, F; Dylan Samberg, D; Logan Stanley, D; Arvid Holm, G
Potential 2022 Draft picks: 5
Here are five reasons the Jets were eliminated:

1. Injuries

Injuries rarely should be used as an excuse in the postseason because no team ever is completely healthy at this time of the year.
But the Jets deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Josh Morrissey, a candidate for the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL, sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of Game 3 and never returned. Forward Mark Scheifele, who scored a Jets-high 42 goals during the regular season, sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Game 4. Forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who sustained an upper-body injury April 11, the penultimate game of the regular season, was not cleared to play until Game 5. Forward Cole Perfetti, out since Feb. 19 because of an upper-body injury, was skating but never progressed to shedding a no-contact jersey.
That is 212 regular-season points (78 goals, 134 assists) from those four players, and three-fifths of the regular top power-play unit. Perfetti was on the second unit.
"The goal was to have a long run and you get some injuries and stuff like that, but I feel like it's not really like we're using that as an excuse," defenseman Brenden Dillon said. "We still felt we were going to be able to get the job done. And we didn't."

2. Goaltending

Connor Hellebuyck had an .886 save percentage, third lowest among goalies to play at least three games in the playoffs.
He had a save percentage above .900 in one game in the series, Winnipeg's 5-1 win in Game 1 (.941).
Hellebuyck had a .920 save percentage in 64 games during the regular season, tied for fourth in the NHL among goalies to play at least 20 games.
"I've been getting pretty unlucky, I'll tell you that," Hellebuyck said. "Some good tips. Some random tips. Some bounces off our own guys. Screens. Some random bounces off me. I don't think I've got a post hit behind me, so that would be nice to get. Kind of look at the other end, I think we've hit about eight or 10 posts."
RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Jets series coverage]

3. Stone cold

The Jets had no answer for the Golden Knights' line of Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson and Brett Howden.
Stone returned for the playoffs after having back surgery Jan. 31. He didn't have a shot on goal and was a minus-3 in Game 1, but may have been the best player in the series after that. He finished with eight points (three goals, five assists) and was a plus-5, meaning he was plus-8 through the final four games of the series. Stephenson had eight points (four goals, four assists) and Howden had four points (two goals and two assists).

4. Transition troubles

Winnipeg struggled after Game 1 to handle the transition game that is the foundation of the Vegas attack and the Golden Knights burned them for it.
Vegas had 60 takeaways in the first round, more than any other team through the first five games of the first round. Winnipeg was tied for eighth with 38.

5. Home-ice disadvantage

Winnipeg lost two close games at home, which proved to be a death knell.
With the series tied 1-1, the Jets rallied from a 4-1 deficit to force overtime in Game 3, only to lose on an unlucky bounce when forward Michael Amadio slapped home a turnover at 3:40 of the second overtime.
In Game 4, it was a one-goal game for most of the third period until Howden scored an empty-net goal at 19:43.
Winnipeg just couldn't find a way to manufacture the break it needed in the moments that presented themselves.
"I don't know, just frustrating," Dillon said. "We had some looks. It seems like they capitalized on their chances for sure. We just couldn't get one when we needed to. Timely goals, we just weren't able to get the job done."