Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele played Game 6 under tragic circumstances.
Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele lost his father before Game 6 against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. His teammates and coaches showed their support for the star forward as he tried to prepare for the game. He decided to play in the game, but it unfortunately ended in heartbreaking fashion.
The Jets and Stars went to overtime on Saturday night. Dallas had an early power play and applied a ton of pressure as a result. Scheifele tripped Stars forward Sam Steel to prevent a scoring chance late in the third. And he unfortunately watched as his team allowed the overtime winner, which ended their season. The Stars advanced to the Western Conference Finals to face the Edmonton Oilers.
On the ice, Winnipeg skaters immediately went to comfort Scheifele. Once the traditional handshake line formed, Stars players showed their support for the Jets star. It was an undeniably emotional day for Scheifele. Captain Adam Lowry discussed how much this team wanted to win for their teammate on Saturday night.
"Just to let him know we're there for him," a visibly emotional Lowry said, via BarDown. "It's just an awful day for him. You want to give him the strength. You want to get that (penalty) kill so bad. We just couldn't do it."
Scheifele skated in Game 6 as his team faced elimination. The game was tight from start to finish, with both teams trading scoring chances. Both goalies -- Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger -- made fantastic saves to keep their teams in it.
It was Winnipeg that broke through and scored the first goal. Kyle Connor fired a shot on goal that Oettinger could not corral. The rebound bounced right to Scheifele, who slotted home the puck after a nifty move.
The Stars scored later in the second period to tie the contest. A scoreless third period -- aided by the tripping penalty Scheifele took late -- forced overtime between these teams. Stars defenseman Thomas Harley ended the game shortly after overtime began, while Scheifele was still in the box.
"Heartbreaking," Lowry said following the game, via NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "You know, we felt like we had a great regular season, we felt like we had a team that could go on a run. For it to end the way it did and everything else surrounding the day, it's just a lot of emotion. It's tough to put into words what Mark went through today. Gets a huge goal for us, plays a heck of a game, and it ends the way it does. Just emotional, heavy
Few people would have blamed Scheifele had he simply sat out Game 6. If he went to spend time with his family during this extremely challenging time, this would have been understandable. However, Scheifele was motivated to hit the ice on Saturday. And he couldn't have turned in a better performance given the circumstances.
"For him to go through what he had to go through, and perform the way he did, so proud of him. And his dad would be so proud of him," Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said, via Myers.
"(Scheifele) wanted to win so bad. The circumstances, so, so tough," Arniel said. "Being in a situation like that, I couldn't imagine it. The pro that he is, the leader that he is, the year that he had with us, his dad and his family would be very proud of him."