The Winnipeg Jets are officially on the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs, as they were dealt a crushing 3-1 defeat by the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinal.
Jets Fans Blast Connor Hellebuyck After Game 4 Loss
Stars forward Mikael Granlund scored all three goals for Dallas, his first career playoff hat trick. Meanwhile, the Jets’ struggles away from home ice continued as they’ve yet to win a single game on the road.
One fan said he’d rather have Jake Oettinger in the net than Connor Hellebuyck, saying, “A playoff beast like Oettinger is worth 10 times as much as a regular season merchant like Hellebuyck.”
Another fan ripped the Jets for their lack of offense, saying, “Team has zero offensive talent, not shocked.”
Team has zero offensive talent, not shocked.
— Thechek182 (@thechek182)
Another fan blasted Hellebuyck, saying, “I think it’s time to have a SERIOUS conversation about Hellebuyck. F*** off with the MVP chants he hasn’t won us a single game in the playoffs. The difference in this series is Otter makes the big saves and Hellebuyck can’t. Pathetic.”
One user said, “I was gonna say ‘don’t even show up to game 5’, but I’m not sure we’ve shown up so far at all.”
Another fan ripped Hellebuyck by saying, “Outplayed them most of the game but lost anyway. Out goalied again. Multiple Vézina winner had 1 good game and 1 decent game out of 11. It’s not all on him but that just doesn’t cut it. He should be best the player on ice most games but instead he’s been mostly awful.”
Outplayed them most of the game but lost anyway. Out goalied again. Multiple Vézina winner had 1 good game and 1 decent game out of 11. It’s not all on him but that just doesn’t cut it. He should be best the player on ice most games but instead he’s been mostly awful.
— dan sulipa (@33Dano)
Finally, another user couldn’t believe Winnipeg’s inability to carry the momentum over from their opening round series win: “Seriously? You have ALL that momentum after that game 7 and all that amounts to is 1 (ONE) win? This is a bigger choke than the [St. Louis] Blues no question.”
Will The Presidents’ Trophy Curse Live on for the Jets?
It’s often referred to as the “curse” of the Presidents’ Trophy, which is given annually to the NHL club with the best record during the regular season. The Jets did so with a sparkling 56-22-4 record in 2025-26.
But as the majority of teams who win the award find out, it doesn’t automatically mean a title is coming.
Only four teams since 2000 that earned the award went on to win the Stanley Cup: the 2000-01 Colorado Avalanche, the 2001-02 and 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings, and the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks.
For the Jets, it was their first time in franchise history winning the award and many excited fans in Manitoba naturally hoped that it would also include a deep playoff run. But thanks to the club’s inability to win on the road, their historic campaign may all have been for naught.