The second round of the NHL Playoffs is set to begin Monday, May 5, following the conclusion of the first round Sunday. The Winnipeg Jets secured the final spot by defeating the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in double overtime of Game 7.
Adam Lowry scored the game-winning goal for the Jets at 16:10 of the second overtime period. Cole Perfetti scored twice for Winnipeg, including the tying goal with less than two seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime. The Jets played much of the game with five defensemen after Josh Morrissey left the game following a hit in the first period.
With the Jets advancing, the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket for the second round is complete. The Eastern Conference features the Florida Panthers against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals against the Carolina Hurricanes.
In the Western Conference, the Jets will face the Dallas Stars. The Stars also required seven games to advance, defeating the Colorado Avalanche Saturday night after Mikko Rantanen recorded a hat trick in the third period of Game 7.
The other Western Conference matchup pits the Vegas Golden Knights against the Edmonton Oilers. Both the Golden Knights and Oilers won their first-round series in six games.
The second round begins Monday when the Maple Leafs host the Panthers. Game 1 of the Capitals-Hurricanes series is Tuesday in Washington. Game 1 between the Golden Knights and Oilers is also Tuesday in Vegas. The Stars and Jets open their series Wednesday in Winnipeg.
Broadcasting information and the full schedule for all four best-of-seven series have been released. Teams will compete to reach the conference finals.
Winnipeg's victory marked the first time the team has advanced past the first round since 2021. The win also meant three Canadian teams advanced in the playoffs for the second time in the last 20 years.
Following the Game 7 win, Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers commented on the team's defensive effort after losing Morrissey.
"I mean, to play this long of a game with five defensemen, it's pretty incredible. So, hats off to those guys. They stuck with it," Ehlers said.
