The Dallas Stars and the Winnipeg Jets are about to square off in the Western Conference Semifinals. It will be a grudge match between both teams since they are elite Central Division teams competing for the division crown this year. The Jets are not a team to be messed with in the playoffs. They have a well-rounded team that can win the Stanley Cup this season. Here are the Blackout Dallas Staff predictions for the Stars vs. Jets series.
Blackout Dallas Contributor Mahima Masih: Stars in 7
The Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets are coming off incredible game 7 wins in the first round. Both teams are without major players. The Stars are missing Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen, while the Jets are without Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey. This makes the series hard to predict and tightly matched.
The battle of Team USA goaltenders in the net will be key. Connor Hellebuyck is up for the Vezina trophy, but has a reputation for being shakier during the playoffs. His effort towards the end of the first round pushes back against that narrative.
Jake Oettinger has proven himself capable of handling high-stress situations. The defense in front of him has a glaring Heiskanen-sized hole; his job might be less daunting without the freight train that was Nathan MacKinnon.
Mikko Rantanen has found his spark again after the trade, giving the Stars an edge up front. Wyatt Johnston and Tyler Seguin driving their lines give the Stars depth in scoring. On Winnipeg’s side, Nikolaj Ehlers is one of their best forwards, but also has a weaker reputation in the playoffs. If he gets past that, the Stars have something to watch out for.
Dallas doesn’t have home ice advantage, and must use every bit of planning to their advantage. A series between the Stars and Jets could get quite physical, but if Dallas sticks to what they do best (lose game 1 as usual) and delivers a gutsy performance, they’ll be fine. That's why this series will go the distance and the Stars will win in seven games.
Blackout Dallas Site Expert Brian Sweet: Stars in 6
I think the Stars could have an easier series after watching Connor Hellebuyck get pulled 3 times in the first round against the St. Louis Blues. While I'm not counting on Hellebuyck to have another bad series, I think the Stars should be able to crack him easier than MacKenzie Blackwood. However, that's if the Stars' scoring depth decides to show up in the second round. Many things point towards the Stars advancing to their third-straight Western Conference Finals.
One of those things is getting Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson back in the second round. While the Stars survived without them in the first round, they will need them against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round. It seems like Jason Robertson is set to return tonight after being labeled a game-time decision. However, the Stars will have to play another game without Miro Heiskanen in the lineup as he's still recovering from his knee surgery. He is still on track to return in games 2 or 3 later in the series.
Another thing the Stars are going to need is their top line taking over games against the Jets. Mikko Rantanen showed up in a massive way in game 7 to help the Stars advance to the second round against the Jets. I hope he still has game 7 magic to help the Stars win game 1 tonight. The Stars need to get off to a good start against the Jets tonight to steal game 1. That would boost the morale in the Stars' locker room.
That said, I think the Stars will win this series in six games if everything goes according to plan. After Rantanen's game 7 heroics, the Stars feel energized in tonight's game one matchup with the Jets. However, the team has to help Oettinger out tonight against a heavily loaded offensive squad. The Jets can take over games in the blink of an eye. However, with their recent struggles against the Blues, the Jets might have shown their weakness to the Stars. It's time for the Presidents Trophy Curse to send the Jets into the offseason.