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Pavel Buchnevich of the St. Louis Blues scores a goal against Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets in the first period of Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images)

Jets Need to Reverse Troubling Trend of Allowing Goals in Bunches

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Declan Schroeder | Last updated May 12, 2025 1:00 PM ET

A recurring and troubling postseason trend was once again on display during the Winnipeg Jets’ Game 3 Sunday loss: their propensity for allowing multiple goals in quick succession.

Three Quick Stars Goals Put Jets in Second-Round Series Hole

With Game 3 between the Jets and Dallas Stars knotted at 2-2 after the second, the Jets had every chance to capture their first 2025 road playoff win in four tries and take a 2-1 series lead. However, three Stars’ goals in a 10:15 span turned a close contest into a 5-2 blowout loss and a series deficit.

First, they allowed a controversial kicked-in goal that was upheld after a painfully-long 10-minute review. Yes, the refereeing crew of Chris Rooney and Graham Skilliter got the rule wrong (even though the puck hit off of Connor Hellebuyck’s stick on the way in after Alexander Petrovic kicked it toward the net, the goal still should have still been disallowed as per NHL rules 37.4 and 78.5 ii.) Yes, it was unlucky. However, the poor officiating and bad luck are not excuses for what happened next.

The Jets still had more than 16 minutes to tie the game, but were clearly spiraling after the review didn’t go their way. They gave up another goal just 49 second later to the red-hot Mikko Rantanen, as four defenders let him walk right into the offensive zone and put the puck blocker side over Hellebuyck, who had dropped down too early.

LOOSEY MOOSEY! pic.twitter.com/DxPYV1WpNT
— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 11, 2025

Wyatt Johnston made the score 5-2 at 14:06 due to another breakdown that allowed a two on one and Hellebuyck being terribly out of position after making the initial save.

Too Many Goals Against, Too Quickly: Game 3 a Continuation of Troubling Trend

The Jets have given up multiple goals in quick succession in all five of their postseason losses.

In Game 1 against the Stars, they allowed three to Rantanen in a span of 7:55 to squander a 2-1 second-period lead. In the first round against the St. Louis Blues, they allowed four in 5:23 in the second of Game 6, three in 8:08 in the second of Game 4, and three in 5:08 in the third of Game 3.

All of those stretches turned fairly close games into losses. In all of those stretches, the Jets looked discombobulated, frantic, out of structure, and out of control. It’s uncharacteristic considering they allowed a league-low 191 goals in the regular season to win their second-straight William M. Jennings Trophy, but it’s just another example of their postseason play not living up to their capability.

Jets Need Better Goaltending & More Resilience to Reverse Trend

The Jets obviously need their Vezina and Hart Trophy candidate — who is having a third-straight rough postseason with a 3.51 goals against average, .848 save percentage, and negative 11.6 goals saved above expected — to raise his game. It’s hard to prevent goals in bunches when your opponent is playing with swagger and you’re not getting anywhere close to even average NHL goaltending. Game 3’s game winner was a great example of Hellebuyck not being at the level the team needs him to be: although Rooney, Skilliter, and the NHL Situation Room misinterpreted the rules on Petrovic’s kick-in goal, the reason they erroneously allowed it to stand was because they deemed Hellebuyck had basically scored on himself — and “propelled” the puck into his own net, as per their language — rather than it simply deflecting off him.

It’s not all on Hellebuyck, though. The team needs to lower the number of breakdowns in front of him — even more important since he’s not making the big stops — and push back after a goal, regardless of if that goal was due to a breakdown or poor goaltending. Pushing back means finding the resilience and strength of character to have good, high-energy shifts in the offensive zone in the minutes after being scored on. Other than the comeback-for-the-ages Game 7 against the Blues, resilience and strength of character has been in short supply. It’s up to head coach Scott Arniel and the Jets’ leadership core to get everyone to buckle down and not unravel at the first sign of adversity or changing momentum.

If the goals keep going in rapidly, the Jets will be rapidly eliminated.