Hellebuyck needs to get back to regular season form
One big surprise during this series was the play of Connor Hellebuyck. After a phenomenal regular season earned him nominations for the Vezina Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy, Hellebuyck simply crumbled against St. Louis.
Hellebuyck was pulled three times during the series, and he even allowed a goal on the very first shot he faced in Games 3, 6 and 7. It's hard to believe that's the same goalie who posted 47 wins, eight shutouts and a 2.00 GAA during the regular season.
The Jets' blueline did what they could to hold off the Blues, letting up an average of 23.7 shots against per game. But Hellebuyck allowed three or more shots to get past him in all but one matchup in Round 1, despite facing fewer than 25 SOG in six of seven games.
There is still hope that he could bounce back in Round 2. The Jets starter put up some of his best numbers head-to-head against the Stars this year, with a 1.01 GAA and .965 SV%. That includes a shutout in the most recent meeting between a teams, which was a 4-0 Winnipeg victory.
There's also the point that the Jets came seconds away from elimination, and the skaters in front of him absolutely delivered Hellebuyck from a crushing loss. Goaltending is one of the most psychological positions in all of sports, let alone hockey. The realization that he nearly cost Winnipeg the series could be enough motivation to dial in against Dallas.
Hellebuyck stopped each of the last 13 shots he saw in Game 7, including 9 across both overtime periods. If he can build on that and channel the beastly performance he put up during the regular season, the Stars will have an extremely tough time beating Hellebuyck in Round 2.
Winnipeg dominated the regular season series
The regular season may feel like a distant memory now, but it could reveal some valuable information about the matchup between these two teams.
The Jets claimed the regular season series with a 3-1-0 record, outscoring the Stars by a commanding 13-5 in those four games. It's unlikely that we'll see a similar goal ratio during this series though, given the high-scoring affair that was Round 1.
Each of these teams is fueled by superstar-caliber offense. Both Kyle Connor for the Jets and Mikko Rantanen for the Stars posted 12 points in the first round to lead all NHL skaters, and each team scored 21 goals in the first seven games of the postseason.
As far as special teams go, Winnipeg's penalty kill was perfect on 11 opportunities against the Stars this year. That's going to be a crucial part in the Jets' success, as they'll be facing a Dallas power play operating at 30.4% right now. The good news is that despite allowing six PPG on the first 15 opportunities against the Blues, Winnipeg pulled it together to kill each of the final 11 penalties of the series.
Meanwhile, the Stars had one of the best penalty kills of the opening round with 86.4% on the PK. The Jets only went 2-for-9 on the power play against Dallas during the regular season for 22.2% overall, and it's only been slightly better during the playoffs at 22.7%.
Winnipeg was able to solve the Stars during the regular season, but one big difference is the addition of Mikko Rantanen. He actually faced the Jets seven times as a member of three different teams, and was held to just one goal and one assist in those games. However, Rantanen put up a whopping 11 points in the last three games of Round 1 alone.
On the other side, Mark Scheifele is still a question mark as far as when he'll return from injury, and that's offense that the Jets will sorely miss. Scheifele tallied five assists in the games against Dallas this year, adding another six points in the five playoff games he skated in so far.
The long and short of it: this is going to be a hard-fought, evenly-matched and intense series from start to finish. Winnipeg has the ingredients to put forth a winning effort, but now it's about combining everything they learned about the Stars during the season as well as continuing the momentum from an electrifying Round 1 victory.