Granlund gets hat trick, Stars push Jets to brink
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The Stars are one win from a trip to the Western Conference finals after Tuesday’s 4-1 win vs. the Jets in Game 4 at American Airlines Center, and with a 3-1 series lead over the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Dallas, which has won two straight against Winnipeg, can advance to the next round with a Game 5 win Thursday at Canada Life Centre.
Veteran center Mikael Granlund chose the right time for his first career hat trick, recording three goals Tuesday night, as Dallas handled the Winnipeg Jets, 3-1, in Game 4 of the Western Conference second round,
Mikael Granlund, the Stars' other Finnish trade acquisition, scored three goals in Dallas' Game 4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored as the Stars' penalty expired, tying the game at 1-1 with a sharp-angle shot. A poorly timed pinch from Neal Pionk awarded the Stars a man advantage, which Granlund once again made the Jets pay.
Game 5 is at Winnipeg on Thursday, when the Stars will have their first chance to advance to the West final for the third year in a row.
In this edition, former Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato writes about the Western Conference Second Round. The Dallas Stars lead the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in the best-of-7 series entering Game 4 at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
For the first time in awhile, the Dallas Stars have an unstoppable scorer, and that has changed their offensive identity.
BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars host the Winnipeg Jets in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the eighth time this season. The Stars won the last matchup 5-2. Dallas is 50-26-6 overall with a 21-12-3 record in Central Division games. The Stars have an 18-7-4 record in one-goal games.
A pivotal moment in Game 3 of the second-round series between the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars left Jets head coach Scott Arniel baffled and frustrated. The Stars took a 3-2 lead early in the third period off a controversial goal by Alex Petrovic, one that Arniel insisted should have been overturned on review.