Hellebuyck, Jets blank Stars to force Game 6

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Dallas Stars 4-0 on Thursday night to force a sixth game in the Western Conference semifinal series.

With Edmonton awaiting the winner in the conference final, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Jets avoided elimination to send the series back to Dallas for Game 6 on Saturday night.

Nikolaj Ehlers had two goals and Mark Scheifele and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored to back Hellebuyck in his second shutout of the playoffs.

Jake Oettinger stopped 31 shots for Dallas. Stars captain Jamie Benn sucker-punched Scheifele during a late scrum, with Benn given a misconduct penalty and possibly facing a suspension for Game 6.

Scheifele opened the scoring at 6:17 of the second period with a shot that deflected off two Dallas players. Scheifele’s wrist shot from the right side hit Wyatt Johnston’s stick, then struck Thomas Harley skate in front of the net.

Tyler Seguin missed a chance to tie it when he hit the left post on a close-range shot with 3:19 left in the second. The Jets got a late power play in the period when Mason Marchment was called for holding Ehlers, but Oettinger thwarted the best scoring chance when Gabriel Vilardi’s shot hit the goalie in the back after he got turned around on a wide scramble.

Ehlers made it 2-0 on a two-man advantage at 2:20 of the third, beating Oettinger in close from the right side. Dallas’ Alexander Petrovic and Esa Lindell were called for tripping penalties in an 11-second span.

Vladislav Namestnikov scored on another power with 7:53 left, firing a wrist shot from the slot over Oettinger.

Ehlers had a short-handed empty-netter in the final minute.

Scheifele also had an assist, and Kyle Connor and Neal Pionk each had two assists to help the Jets improve to 6-1 at home this postseason. They are 0-5 on the road.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl