'I hope it stings': Winnipeg Jets' Morrissey, fans lament another early playoff exit

Josh Morrissey expects this to hurt for a while. He's counting on it.

"I hope it stings for all of us into the summer, and we use it as motivation," the defenceman and alternate captain for the Winnipeg Jets said Tuesday night, moments after his team was shoved out of the NHL playoffs.

"It should be a learning experience for us, as much as it stings and kills right now. We have to find another gear as individuals."

The Jets were given a first-round exit for the second consecutive season. They bowed out of a best-of-seven series last year against the Vegas Golden Knights in five games, then repeated it this year against the Colorado Avalanche.

The difference is, last year the Jets squeaked into the playoffs as a wild card team and faced the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Knights. This time the Jets were considered a favourite, finishing fourth in the 32-team NHL's regular season with 110 points — second most in franchise history.

Expectations were high and the usually garrulous Morrissey struggled initially to put his thoughts together after Tuesday's 6-3 loss.

He stared down, contemplating a reporter's question about the feeling before offering one word: "Terrible."

"It's all just settling in right now, to be honest with you," he said. "Another year that feels like a missed opportunity.

"There's going to be a ton of reflection, as there always is, which sucks, but we need to figure out a way to all get better this off-season, because we just saw what it looks like to play against a team that knows how to win."

Jets fans stare blankly at one of the big screens set out for the street party on Tuesday night. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)

Last season ended in tension, with head coach Rick Bowness calling out the players for having "no pushback" in the playoffs.

Captain Adam Lowry thought this year would be different.

"We got back to the foundation of being a real solid defensive team and we thought we were going to give ourselves a great chance with that identity to go on a long run," he said. "With the pieces we added, we felt like we could play with any team in this league, and with the goaltending we have.

"It's going to be a long summer, a disappointing one."

The Jets added Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari in the off-season and then picked up Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli before the trade deadline, seeing them as the added scoring power to push them deep into the playoffs.

Winnipeg filled the net in the first game of the post-season series, winning 7-6, but then their offence — and defence — vanished. Jets ended up being outscored 28-15, allowing the most goals of any team through five games.

"I think everyone in this room is really just upset with our level of play in this series," said Lowry, who had two goals in the series.

Both he and Morrissey cited Tuesday's game as the closest the Jets came to the team that put up 52 wins, tying a franchise best.

"But obviously at this point we're a desperate team. We just didn't get to our game soon enough in the series," said Morrissey, who scored three goals, including one Tuesday, and an assist during the series.

Both players tipped their helmets to the Avs, calling them an elite team that was faster, hungrier and more aggressive. Morrissey noted they won the Cup in 2022 and still have many of those pieces in place.

"They brought that Stanley Cup-winning class to this series and we didn't return it for three or four of those games," he said. "We need to take the lessons from what they did out there. We need to find a way to get to that level."

Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness, goalie Connor Hellebuyck and players watch the end of Tuesday's game. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press)

The scrutiny from fans following Tuesday's loss piled up as heavy as Colorado's goals.

"A rebuild's in place. We're not good enough. We don't have pieces to put it in place [to go all the way]," said Dylan Hess, standing in a rapidly emptying street party outside the arena. "Hellebuyck's just not a playoff goaltender."

"They couldn't get pucks in deep. They couldn't score. The Avalanche is just a completely better team," said Calan Duchart.

"I don't know where our offence was. We choked," said Shasta Chartrand. "It's a sad ending to a great season and I really feel for Hellebuyck, I really do. He's the one I cried for the most."

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck let in at least five goals in each of the five games in the series.

"I certainly don't put any onus on him or any individual player on our team," Morrissey said about his netminder, who's a finalist once again for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.

Hellebuyck also won the Jennings Trophy in the regular season after the Jets allowed the fewest goals of any team. But the Avalanche had the league's most firepower, scoring the most goals through the regular season.

"We wouldn't be where we're at right now if it weren't for him, the way he's played all year," Morrissey said about Hellebuyck.

"We all need to look internally this summer and find ways that we can get better."