The Winnipeg Jets went into their series with the Edmonton Oilers, on paper, as underdogs. Winnipeg finished nine points behind Edmonton in the North Division standings and they won just two of the nine regular-season meetings.
But as it is often said, the regular season means nothing when the puck drops on the Stanley Cup playoffs and that saying couldn't be more evident than now. The Jets swept the Oilers in their best-of-seven, which concluded on Monday night with a triple-overtime thriller. The series only took four games, but it was much closer than that. The final three games went into overtime and Winnipeg kicked off the series with a 4-1 win, two of the goals were into the empty net.
Dave Lowry is an assistant coach for Winnipeg and he said it was a series that could have gone either way.
"Both teams were extremely close, that's plain and simple," said Lowry. "We knew we would have to keep the games close, that was our chance. We had many different guys step up and play big roles for us."
Battle in the net:
Mike Smith vs Connor Hellebuyck, was set to be an intriguing matchup and it certainly lived up to its billing, with Hellebuyck getting the edge. After winning 24 games in the regular season and playing 45, Hellebuyck played great all series. With a 1.60 goals-against average to go along with a .950 save percentage, the former Vezina Trophy winner continues to show why he is viewed as one of the top goaltenders in the league.
Not to take anything away from Mike Smith, he did give Edmonton a chance to win, but Hellebuyck was just a bit better. Connor now has 14 career NHL playoff wins, all coming with the Jets.
"Hellebuyck was excellent for us and that's just what we come to expect," offered Lowry, who spent last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.
McDavid/Draisaitl:
The dominant duo combined for 189 points in the regular season with McDavid leading the way as the superstar recorded 105 points in just 56 games. Against Winnipeg, Connor scored seven goals while Leon lit the twine six times. They also combined for 16 assists against Winnipeg in the nine contests.
So Winnipeg was in tough and it's nearly unstoppable to completely hold the two off the scoresheet, but Winnipeg had success doing just that, with Connor Hellebuyck being a big reason why. Both Connor and Leon were held off the scoresheet in games one and two before the pair came to play in game three as they combined for six points, but it wasn't enough. Winnipeg scored four straight goals to stun the Oilers after falling down 4-1 in the third period.
Connor finished the series with just one goal and three assists while Leon scored twice and added three assists.
"You have to make both of them fight for their chances, it's very tough to stop them," said Lowry. "They had some good looks, but I think we did a really good job of limiting the quality of chances they got."
Ehlers mania:
Nikolaj Ehlers was having a tremendous season with his 21 goals and 25 assists in 47 games played, but, he never got to finish the regular season as he suffered an injury. The injury sidelined Ehlers for multiple weeks and he also sat out the first two games of Winnipeg's series. But he returned in game three and when he did, he propelled Winnipeg to victory.
Trailing in the game 2-0, Ehlers beat Smith with just more than two minutes left in the second to trim the deficit. Then when Josh Morrissey tied the game with five minutes left in the third, Ehlers played hero a short time later. 9:13 into overtime, he scored his second goal of the game and this won lifted Winnipeg to the win, 5-4.
"He has the ability to break open a game and score big goals," said Lowry. "We're very fortunate that he was able to score those goals in game three, that was huge for him and the whole team."
Family affair:
When Dave signed a contract to become an assistant coach with Winnipeg, he was set to return to the NHL. A veteran of 1195 NHL games played himself, Dave had spent five seasons as a coach in the NHL, three with Calgary and two with the Los Angeles Kings.
Adam Lowry has played in 460 regular-season NHL games -- all with the Jets -- after joining the team in the 2014-15 season. Lowry has also played 35 playoff games which means he could reach the 500 games played milestone in the North Division final.
As Winnipeg continues to rest up for the next round, Lowry says it's a special feeling getting the chance to not only coach in the NHL but coach on the same team that his son plays on.
"Being in the National Hockey League is a privilege. I'm extremely fortunate that I was given the chance to work with Paul Maurice and his staff," ended Lowry. "It's been a unique experience coaching Adam, it's not something that happens often, and I know we're both grateful for the opportunity."
Who Winnipeg will square off in the North Division final remains unknown. It would be the Toronto Maple Leafs if they win game five tonight, or it will be the Montreal Canadiens if they can stage a big comeback.
Lowry also says he's very happy for the entire Brandon Wheat Kings organization after they won the Subway Cup as the East Division's top team in the Regina bubble. Lowry led Brandon to a 35-win campaign last year and they were primed to make a deep playoff run before the season was cancelled because of the novel coronavirus.
"I paid very close attention to their year," ended Lowry. "Don has done a tremendous job with that group. We knew last year that this group was special and many players were starting to hit their potential, which makes for a bright future.
