Scheifele plays in game 6 against stars after the father's death for Jets

Dallas – Mark Scheifele will play for the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday after the death of his father Brad.

The jets are equipped against the Dallas stars in game 6 of the second round of the Western Conference in the American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC). They defeated the St. Louis Blues in seven games in the first round.

“Mark will play this evening,” said Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel. “As he said, that would be [the] His father's wishes. He would want to play and I know that he has rooted us here. I know he has pushed hard. We used to see him in the St. Louis series and he is with us. Mark really wants to play for him tonight. “

Scheifele received the news on Saturday morning. General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said it was “certainly unexpected”, and Arniel returned to the team hotel to be together at Scheifele while the jets held their morning skate.

“We have a game to play and we'll go hard for Mark,” said Arniel. “It's pretty much the chatter that happens. We want to make sure we don't let it down.

“Mark does not want these guys to hang their heads or are below. He wants to win. They all talk about that. We want to get a victory for Mr. Scheifele. Get the chance to take us home for a game 7.”

Jets captain Adam Lowry said he had met Scheifele's father over the years. He said he had an infectious laugh and unsurpassed energy. He was a really happy person with joy and excitement for life.

“It's a terrible loss,” said Lowry. “It is difficult to put into words, how disappointed we all feel for Mark and his family.”

Lowry said he found it out on the way to the morning skate and Arniel spoke to the team.

“It is not easy to navigate, especially with the size of the day in terms of our playoff life,” said Lowry. “But it is important that we are there for him in every property he needs. I think he has to know that everyone is in this room to support him.

“It is one of these things that you don't want and really hope that he has the family strength, the great support system around him that relieves this pain because it is such a big loss.”

Scheifele has 10 points (four goals, six templates) in 10 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, including four points (two goals, two templates) in five games in this series. The 32-year center had 87 points in 82 games in the regular season (39 goals, 48 ​​templates).

“As an organization, we do everything we can to support him and give his family our most sincerely condolences,” said Cheveldayoff. “… we are a family and we will do everything we can to support our family.”