Winnipeg Jets fans have waited a long, long time for this.
The team finished off the Minnesota Wild Friday night by blanking them 5-0 and winning the first Stanley Cup Playoffs series in franchise history.
This edition of the Jets had qualified for the playoffs just once prior to this season—back in 2015 when they were swept by the Ducks—and the Atlanta Thrashers, which relocated to Winnipeg in 2011, were swept in their lone playoff appearance against the Rangers in 2011.
In fact, is has been 31 years since Winnipeg got to celebrate a series victory. The old Jets franchise, now the Arizona Coyotes, last advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 1987.
Outside of a 6-2 loss to the Wild in Game 3, Winnipeg dominated the series from top to bottom. Friday’s game was over before it began, really, as it was 1-0 after 31 seconds and 4-0 after 12 minutes.
Devan Dubnyk was pulled midway through the first period and the Wild never managed to make the game competitive.
“This was not on Devan. He’s been our rock all year and we let him down,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters at Bell MTS Place post-game.
The Jets will now move on to face the winner of the Predators-Avalanche series, but before that happens fans needed to celebrate so they took to the streets.
Here is some social media reaction to the historic Jets win.
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