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Greg Wyshynski
The Dallas Stars‘ 3-1 win in Sport 4 towards the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday evening was a distinction in offensive effectivity. The Jets transformed simply as soon as on 72 shot makes an attempt. Dallas heart Mikael Granlund, in the meantime, wanted solely three shot makes an attempt within the recreation to attain three targets. His hat trick was all of the offense the Stars wanted to take a commanding 3-1 collection lead, transferring one win away from their third straight journey to the Western Convention finals.
“Clearly, the job isn’t carried out. We have got loads of work to do. [But] that was win,” Granlund mentioned.
It was the primary profession hat trick for Granlund, a 13-year veteran whom the Stars acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a commerce again in February. Three targets on three photographs, all of them crusing previous Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who remained winless on the highway within the 2025 postseason.
Granlund’s first aim got here at 8:36 on the facility play, as he skated in on three Jets defensemen and fired a snap shot previous Hellebuyck from the highest of the slot.
“I used to be simply capturing it someplace and it went in,” Granlund mentioned.
“I bought a clear sufficient look. It was only a rattling excellent shot, simply above my pad and beneath my glove,” Hellebuyck lamented.
“Clearly, he most likely desires the primary one again, the wrister,” Jets coach Scott Arniel mentioned of Hellebuyck. “On the finish of the day, we have to get him some run assist. Get him a lead.”
Granlund’s second shot and second aim got here on a play began by Mikko Rantanen, whose league-leading level complete now stands at 19 for the playoffs. His outlet move discovered Granlund within the impartial zone, sparking a 2-on-1 with Roope Hintz. Granlund saved the puck and roofed it to provide Dallas a 2-1 lead after Nik Ehlers had tied the sport for Winnipeg earlier within the second interval.
“Once you move on a regular basis, you possibly can shock the goalie typically while you shoot the puck. It is good to shoot from time to time,” mentioned Granlund, who had twice as many assists (44) as targets (22) within the common season.
Granlund’s third and closing shot try of the sport was on one other Dallas energy play within the third interval, following a double-minor penalty to defenseman Haydn Fleury for high-sticking Hintz.
Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, within the lineup for the primary time since Jan. 28 after lacking the final 32 regular-season video games and first 10 playoff video games due to a knee harm, collected the puck after Matt Duchene rang it off the put up. Heiskanen slid it over to Granlund for a one-timer that introduced him to his knees on the ice. After the shot beat Hellebuyck at 7:23 of the third interval, waves of hats hit the ice in celebration of Granlund’s three-goal evening.
It was becoming that Rantanen and Heiskanen had factors on Granlund’s hat trick. This was the primary recreation that the Stars’ so-called “Finnish Mafia” performed collectively, as Heiskanen was injured earlier than Granlund and Rantanen joined the workforce. These three skaters joined countrymen Hintz and defenseman Esa Lindell in serving to Dallas to victory.
“It was enjoyable for positive. Enjoyable to lastly be on the ice with them,” Heiskanen mentioned.
Goaltender Jake Oettinger did the remaining with 31 saves, a lot of them on harmful Winnipeg possibilities. However ultimately, all of the Stars wanted have been three shot makes an attempt, whereas the Jets’ voluminous offensive evening produced just one aim.
“Oettinger made some large stops. However we had 70 shot makes an attempt. We now have to get a couple of aim,” Arniel mentioned. “If we will not discover a couple of aim, we’re not going to win hockey video games, particularly [against] this workforce.”
Dallas will try to shut out the collection on Thursday evening in Winnipeg.