WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Dylan DeMelo scored with 27 seconds left to play to give the Winnipeg Jets a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.
Matty Beniers scored in the first period for Seattle and Mark Scheifele scored a power-play goal for Winnipeg in the second period. Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves and Seattle's Joey Daccord stopped 34 shots.
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Winnipeg Jets' Alex Iafallo (9) looks for a rebound off Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, left, during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Seattle Kraken's Jamie Oleksiak (24) defends against Winnipeg Jets' Nino Niederreiter (62) as Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) watches the puck during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Seattle Kraken's Jamie Oleksiak (24) defends against Winnipeg Jets' Nino Niederreiter (62) as Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) watches the puck during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Seattle Kraken's Matty Beniers (10) defends against Winnipeg Jets' Nikolaj Ehlers (27) in front of Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Winnipeg Jets' Josh Morrissey (44) and Mark Scheifele (55) celebrate after Scheifele's goal against the Seattle Kraken during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Jets stretched their point streak to five games (4-0-1) and improved to 8-2-2 in their last 12.
The Kraken capped a 2-3 road trip.
Scheifele’s power-play goal drew the Jets even at 9:35 of the second. With Jamie Oleksiak off for interference, Scheifele whipped Kyle Connor's rebound past Daccord.
Hellebuyck kept it a 1-1 game when he stopped Andre Burakovsky on a breakaway late in the second.
Beniers opened the scoring midway through the opening period when he converted a perfect pass from Kaapo Kakko on Hellebuyck’s doorstep.
Jets: Outplayed in the opening period, Winnipeg came alive in the second, outshooting Seattle 20-8.
Kraken: Showed no signs of fatigue in the last of a five-game road trip. The Kraken were all over the Jets in the first period when they scored first and outshot Winnipeg 11-8. But the Jets kept putting the pressure on in the last two periods.
DeMelo’s goal set up by Nikolaj Ehlers.
The Jets outshot Seattle 36-19.
The Jets host the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
The Kraken return home to play the Los Angeles Kings, also on Saturday night.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Winnipeg Jets' Alex Iafallo (9) looks for a rebound off Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, left, during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Seattle Kraken's Jamie Oleksiak (24) defends against Winnipeg Jets' Nino Niederreiter (62) as Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) watches the puck during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Seattle Kraken's Jamie Oleksiak (24) defends against Winnipeg Jets' Nino Niederreiter (62) as Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) watches the puck during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Seattle Kraken's Matty Beniers (10) defends against Winnipeg Jets' Nikolaj Ehlers (27) in front of Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
Winnipeg Jets' Josh Morrissey (44) and Mark Scheifele (55) celebrate after Scheifele's goal against the Seattle Kraken during second-period NHL hockey game action in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Golden State Warriors revealed a glimmer of hope before their elimination game in Minnesota with the announcement that Stephen Curry had been cleared for shooting drills and light on-court workouts, raising the possibility his strained left hamstring could heal in time for him to play in the series.
The Timberwolves quickly put an end to that, closing out the Western Conference semifinal series with a 121-110 victory Wednesday night.
All Curry could do was watch, the four-time NBA champion and league's career leading 3-point shooter relegated to wincing from the bench while the Wolves shredded an exhausted Warriors defense with 63% shooting.
The Warriors said earlier in the day that Curry was “making good progress” in his recovery from the injury suffered in the opener of the second-round series. With a three-day break before the scheduled Game 6, Curry would've have had extra time to heal, but his fourth consecutive absence was simply too much to overcome for this Warriors team that was already thin on consistent scoring.
“Injuries are part of the playoffs. I learned a long time ago the playoffs are really about health and then just guys stepping up and making some big shots, big plays in key games,” said coach Steve Kerr, who embraced veterans Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green on the court after the game. “That’s what decides every series. We’ve been on both ends of that. It’s just part of it, so there’s no sense in dwelling on it.”
The Warriors lost four straight games in the same postseason for the first time since 1972.
“We definitely missed Steph. That obviously goes without saying. But I’m not going to come up here and harp on Steph not being here, make it like their win is less than what it is," Green said. “They’re moving on. Congratulations to those guys. They beat us regardless.”
Curry’s first career hamstring strain, one of several injuries that have waylaid star players during these NBA playoffs, made it predictably harder for the Warriors to space their offense and generate scoring. They averaged 17 turnovers per game in the series and shot only 34% from 3-point range.
“A tremendous loss for Golden State, no doubt, a tremendous loss for the series. I’m sure it would’ve been quite different if Steph would’ve been able to play,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. 'But our guys took care of business, and that’s not something that we’ve always done. I thought we had a bunch of business-like approaches in this series and took advantage of something that happened and made the best of it. We don’t need to apologize for it. We just went out and did it."
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, middle, sits before Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry squints at the scoreboard in 2nd quarter against Minnesota Timberwolves in NBA Western Conference Semifinals' Game 5 at Target Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, right, and Buddy Hield react to a missed shot in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) looks on near the bench during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30), left, gestures after making a 3-point shot as Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, right, reacts during the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, reacts from the bench during the first half of Game 4 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Monday, May 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, center right, gestures to teammate Draymond Green that he is subbing in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in San Francisco, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)