Winnipeg Jets win electric Game 7 in double overtime, advance to second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The GIST: With two thrilling Game 7s in the books, the first round of the NHL playoffs is done and dusted — but since the quest to lift Lord Stanley lasts through June, the fun has only just begun. Wash your favorite hockey jersey stat — here’s what you need to know moving forward.

👀 Winnipeg Jets defy the odds, win Game 7 against St. Louis Blues: Down 3–1 with two minutes to go, the Jets scored two outrageous ginos back-to-back, sending the tilt to overtime (OT) with just three seconds left on the clock, the latest Game 7 goal in NHL history. Woah.

• And it took double-OT in the third-longest Game 7 ever, but the Jets finally got the job done, winning 4–3 thanks to captain Adam Lowry’s clutch shot. A true Canadian hero.

• But on Saturday, Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen officially won the ex games, scoring a third-period hat trick and assisting on the game-winner to knock his former long-term flame, the Colorado Avalanche, out of the playoffs with a 4–2 win. Pettiness level: 100.

📅 Mark your calendar — Round 2 begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET: First on the docket are the defending champs, the Florida Panthers, against the plucky Toronto Maple Leafs. If recent history is any indication, the Leafs have an uphill battle ahead — Florida won the last two Eastern Conference Finals, while Toronto hasn’t advanced past the second round since 2002.

• But our favorite storyline is between the pipes. Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz backed up Sergei Bobrovsky on last year’s Panthers squad, watching from the bench as Bobrovsky became a Florida legend. Now, Stolarz has a chance to flip the script on his old squad.

😅 And that’s not all: Round 2 continues tomorrow with two more high-octane series openers: the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. ET and the Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights at 9:30 p.m. ET. Buckle up.

• BTW, now that we’re officially moving onto Round 2, it’s time for an update on our Pro Men’s Hockey Bracket Challenge: Of the 723 total brackets submitted, a whopping 693 picked a winner that’s still in the hunt — that’s 95.9%. Y’all really know your stuff.

• Topping the leaderboard? Jaymie with 33 points. When you pick the Jets (be flying) as your Stanley Cup Champion, good things happen…but as we said, there’s still lots of hockey to be played.