As the Winnipeg Jets took to the ice against Dallas in Game 1 after scripting a comeback for the ages against the St. Louis Blues. Cole Perfetti snatched the win from the Blues with just 2.2 left in the third period. Then came Adam Lowry, who scored the winning goal in the second overtime to knock the Blues out. On the flip side, there was one man on the Dallas Stars who arguably had a similarly epic performance in Game 7, Mikko Rantanen.
Rantanen, who had jelled with the stars quite well in just about three months, unleashed an absolute onslaught against this former team. In fact, the Finnish superstar scored a hattrick to almost single-handedly crush the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup dreams. Now, what were the chances that the same player would replicate such a landmark performance in back-to-back playoff games? Well, for Rantanen it was 100%.
As the announcers put it, “The hero of series one for Dallas” once again led the comeback that ultimately proved too much for the Winnipeg Jets. However, coach Scott Arniel didn’t give all the credit to Mikko Rantanen. Rather, he pointed out his team’s shortcomings, which gave the Dallas Stars a chance to come back.
“Right out of the gate, I thought our details, whether that was on faceoff execution when we won draws, whether that was tape-to-tape passing. Just execution… There was a lot of sloppiness to that game,” said the coach. The Jets coach thought that his team didn’t even play like there was a playoff game at stake. “That felt like game 45 and in the middle of December,” added Arniel.
While that might sound funny, the Winnipeg Jets head coach wasn’t laughing. “There’s a way we have to play as a group, and that’s not how we play tonight,” explained Scott Arniel. Interestingly, all five goals came in the second period of the game. Yes! It took Mikko Rantanen one period to score a game-winning hattrick. However, while one superstar replicated a career highlight performance on back-to-back nights, another struggled to find his form.
The Winnipeg Jets’ surprising goaltending problems
Mikko Rantanen became the 1st player in NHL history with a 3rd period, Game 7 hat trick after the Colorado Game. On the other hand, the last line of defense for the Jets against the likes of Rantanen continued to disappoint. And if you guessed it was Connor Hellebuyck, you’d be right. What’s truly surprising is that the Jets’ netminder was the best in the regular season.
In a month from now, the Winnipeg Jets goaltender will win the Vezina Trophy. How good was the goalie during the regular season? Hellebuyck sported a .925 SV% during the 2024-25 regular season. That puts him just below Anthonay Stolarz’s .926, but there’s a big difference. Hellebuyck maintained that save percentage throughout 63 games, which is 29 more than Stolarz.
Unfortunately, that form is nowhere to be seen during the NHL playoffs. Currently, the Jets’ goalie has a .830 save percentage in the postseason. As per The Athletic, that’s the worst performance by a Vezina winner since 1996. As of Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues, Connor Hellebuyck only managed a .900 performance in one home game.
While the Winnipeg Jets made it to Round two, he has conceded more goals in the last two games. So it’s safe to say that, among other things, the Jets also need to tighten up the goaltending. Because if Miikko Ranatnet continues to showcase this form, not even a miracle might take the Jets to the next round.
The post Disappointed Winnipeg Jets Coach Drills Team After Failing to Match Mikko Rantanen’s Heroics in Game 1: “Lot of Sloppiness” appeared first on EssentiallySports.