Jets bounce Wild from playoffs with 5-0 rout

WINNIPEG, Manitoba _ A relentless resilience is a trademark of the 2017-18 Wild.

It's the reason why the team reached the playoffs for a sixth straight year after injuries, inconsistency and inexperience threatened a much earlier demise.

But that perseverance wasn't the last impression made by the group.

The Wild were crushed by the Jets, 5-0, in Game 5 Friday at Bell MTS Place, nixing their season while Winnipeg moves on to the second round after cruising to a 4-1 series win _ the franchise's first _ in the best-of-seven tilt.

This wasn't an unexpected result, as the Jets were favored to advance. They had the better offense, the tighter defense and a Vezina Trophy candidate in net.

And while the Wild were able to mask that gap for stretches _ especially in a decisive 6-2 win on home ice in Game 3 _ the difference between the two clubs was abundantly apparent by Game 5.

A disastrous start fueled the Wild's downfall, with the team surrendering four goals on 10 shots in just 11 minutes, 59 seconds.

Goal No. 1 came only 31 seconds after puck drop, a wrist shot from defenseman Jacob Trouba on the Jets' first shot. At 5:42, the second blow arrived _ a deflection by winger Bryan Little that zigged right as goalie Devan Dubnyk zagged left.

By 11:10, it was 3-0 Winnipeg. Winger Brandon Tanev's wrist shot eluded Dubnyk's glove and just 49 seconds later, the Jets tacked on another when winger Joel Armia redirected in a Dustin Byfuglien shot.

That chased Dubnyk from the game; he left with only six saves on 10 shots, a tough exit after he helped keep the Wild competitive with the Jets to that point in the series. Backup Alex Stalock turned aside 15 shots in relief, giving up a Mark Scheifele power-play goal 32 seconds into the third.

But the meltdown reflected how discombobulated the entire group looked; the Wild struggled to clear the zone and capitalize at the other end _ problems that plagued the team too often against the Jets.

Not long after Winnipeg's first goal, the Wild had a chance to even it up on the power play. But getting organized was a challenge, and the team put only two shots on net. Overall, the Wild went 0-for-3 in the game and 3-for-13 in the series; the Jets were 1-for-2 in Game 5.

When time finally ran out, the Wild went a gruesome 141:37 without a goal. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves to secure his second consecutive shutout after blanking the Wild in Game 4, too.

It was the second straight season the Wild were kicked out of the playoffs after just five games.

Winger Zach Parise missed the final two contests after fracturing his sternum in Game 3; before then, he buried three goals. The team was also without defenseman Ryan Suter, who suffered a right ankle fracture late in the regular season.

Those absences were the latest to hamstring a team that had been bugged by injuries since October, and the Wild's ability to persist was admirable. It cultivated a workmanlike approach that helped it overcome the pitfalls _ from youth and up-and-down veterans.

But that determination won't be the only way this group is remembered, not when it was eliminated amid questions of what might have been if only it hadn't been tested this much.