As the Winnipeg Jets get ready to face the Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, there are several storylines that could have a serious impact on the outcome of the series. These two division rivals always play exciting games, so when you crank up the intensity to 11 in a playoff series, we’re probably in for some great hockey.
Both the Jets and Stars played seven games in their first-round series, showing off a flair for the dramatic with third-period comebacks. From one grueling series to what will surely be another, it could take a physical toll.
Injuries Run Rampant for Both Jets and Stars
The biggest story going into the series is the health of both teams, and for good reason. The injuries that have mounted over the past several weeks are season-altering and will undoubtedly have some impact on the results going forward.
For the Jets, they’re missing Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey, two of their most impactful players outside of the crease. Without those two, a series win gets a lot tougher. The good news is that they both skated on Tuesday, May 6, just one day before Game 1. While they were in non-contact jerseys, their appearance may ease some stress from fans that they would be out for an extended period of time.
When asked after practice on Tuesday, head coach Scott Arniel proclaimed that Scheifele, Morrissey, and defender Logan Stanley were all game-time decisions for Wednesday’s Game 1. Now, that could be a classic example of coach speak around the playoffs, but one could expect Scheifele at the very least to be in consideration for the series opener.
The Stars are in the same boat, although they seem to be getting closer to full strength a tad sooner than the Jets.
Jason Robertson appears to be the closest to returning, immediately bolstering an already talented forward group. Miro Heiskanen also appears set to return in Round 2, but that timeline is a little less clear.
Needless to say, the Jets will need to adapt their strategies as the Stars’ top players return to action, because they could be difference makers as soon as they get back into the lineup.
For the Jets, patience is one thing when waiting for their star players to return, but adapting to their absence is another. They got by the St. Louis Blues while missing at least one top player in each game, but can they do it against a better team? That remains to be seen.
Hellebuyck Looks to Move Past Struggles
It’s no secret that Connor Hellebuyck was not at his best in the first round, and those playoff struggles are something that stretches back more than a year. The Jets were able to overcome this to win the series, but now more than ever, he has to put those issues behind him.
It seemed as if a corner may have been turned for the likely Vezina Trophy winner in the late stages of their Game 7 win over the Blues, as he looked as calm and steady as he had been all season when it mattered most. As the game reached overtime, he dialed himself in and was back to making the saves he’s expected to make.
Pavel Buchnevich of the St. Louis Blues scores a goal against Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets in the first period of Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images)
After practice on May 6, Hellebuyck admitted that his steadiness in the third period and overtime felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. If that is indeed the case, maybe the Jets making the second round for the first time since sweeping the Oilers in the 2021 bubble playoffs is a true turning point in Hellebuyck’s recent playoff track record.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Hub
It’s imperative that he carries the successes he had in Game 7 over to the series against the Stars, as another poor showing is likely something the team can’t overcome when playing a team like the Stars.
If he’s indeed feeling lighter after that series win, the Jets have as good a chance as anyone at making a run. He is the ultimate difference maker, and with him at his best, there’s no telling how far they can go.
Jets Won Season Series, but Does it Matter?
There’s a weird sentiment about regular-season results and how they impact playoff success, which is why people often shrug off the head-to-head records between teams facing off in the playoffs. The numbers and the records between the two teams often don’t matter, but it’s how the teams win that often works to predict playoff results.
Injuries aside and all things equal, the Jets match up quite well against the Stars. This was apparent in how the two teams played each other in the regular season, with the Jets winning three of four matchups. In those games, the Jets shut down a lot of high-danger opportunities and stifled the Stars in the neutral zone.
This is the game that helped the Jets have a franchise-best regular season. They got away from it in the first round, and it nearly cost them the series, but they overcame it and turned it on when it mattered. Getting away from the game that made them the top team in the league will almost certainly doom them against the Stars, and establishing that game early in the series could help them reach the conference final for the first time since 2018.
They’ve Slayed Their Dragon, Now What?
The Jets’ proverbial “dragon” has been their recent first rounds, winning just two total playoff games over two seasons. Now, having advanced out of the first round, perhaps the pressure of getting over that hump is off of them.
They’ll certainly be looking directly ahead of them, as they have to deal with the Stars first, but how they do that will be telling as to what this team has become.
