That Dallas vs. Winnipeg showdown wasn’t just any playoff game; it was emotional, especially for Mark Scheifele and the Jets squad. Just hours after getting heartbreaking news that his dad, Brad, had passed, Scheifele laced up and hit the ice like a warrior, putting the Jets on the board first with a gritty rebound goal that slid right through Oettinger’s five-hole. It felt like something out of a movie: a delayed penalty, a low slot, a heart full of pain, but eyes locked on the puck. But hockey can be cruel. The Stars, cool and collected, answered back thanks to Sam Steel sniping in a rebound from the left circle. Oettinger? He was diving, stretching, making magic happen, especially when he robbed Appleton late in the third.

But then came that wild twist. With 15 seconds left in regulation, Scheifele gets sent to the box for tripping Sam Steel. And just like that, with the Jets’ emotional anchor watching from behind the glass, Thomas Harley zipped a beauty from the high slot off a slick dish from Tyler Seguin to end it in overtime. The series went 4-2 to Dallas. Mark Scheifele had refused to let his teammates hang their heads down, and they had promised to win it for his dad and get themselves back home to play Game 7. Sadly, it was not to be, and the Jets couldn’t help but be disappointed.

BarDown took to X and shared a clip from the postgame presser where Adam Lowry, eyes heavy, soul heavier, is seen talking about what it was like trying to be there for Mark Scheifele after that crushing OT loss. The caption? “An emotional Adam Lowry speaks on comforting Mark Scheifele after the game.” And yeah, emotional is an understatement.

Lowry didn’t hold back. He let the realness pour out, and you could tell he was carrying that loss on his shoulders too. And then he said it, raw and straight from the gut: “You want to give him the strength. You want to get that kill so bad, we just couldn’t do it.” Right in the chest. No playbook for moments like that, just teammates trying to hold each other up when the scoreboard’s already written its goodbye.

Brad Scheifele wasn’t just Mark’s dad; he was the ride-or-die Jets fan, the kind of guy who never missed a moment, always front and center on those legendary “fathers’ trips” since Mark first hit the NHL ice back in 2013. And yes, he was there cheering during that electric Round 1 win over the Blues, living it up, proud as ever. But after the heartbreaking news of his passing, things hit real deep for the Jets family. Assistant coach Scott Arniel, who’s walked through his own grief losing his father three years back, kept it honest: “It kind of puts in perspective that this is just a game,” he said, voice heavy.

But make no mistake, Mark’s dad was always there, cheering the loudest, even if from the stars this time. And about Adam Lowry? Yeah, this wasn’t his first time speaking from the heart about it all.

Adam Lowry has fond memories of Mark Scheifele’s father

There are days when the Stanley Cup Playoffs feel like everything, like the biggest mountain to climb, the only thing that matters. But the passing of Mark Scheifele’s father changed that. “Today is a different day,” GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said. Yet, for head coach Scott Arniel, it brought back the sense of loss he had felt when he lost his own father three years ago. He was also reminded of how terrible he had felt when Martin St. Louis had lost his mother during the 2014 second-round series against the Penguins. Arniel was associate coach of the New York Rangers at the time. It was clear on Saturday morning itself that the passing of Brad Scheifele was not the loss of his son Mark alone.

Adam Lowry, who’s basically grown up alongside Mark in the Jets family, painted a picture that was equal parts love and heartbreak. “Just such an infectious laugh,” the Jets captain remembered before a morning skating session ahead of the game. “Spending my whole career here, numerous fathers’ trips, just the energy that he had was unmatched. . . just his joy and excitement for life. I think his positivity, his outlook on life, just a genuinely happy person.”

And that brotherhood in the room? It’s real. It’s tight. And right now, it matters more than ever. “It’s important that we’re there for (Mark). . . just in whatever capacity he needs. I think he needs to know that everyone in that room is there to support him, you know, to be whatever he needs us to be.” Whether it’s to listen, to distract, or just sit in silence, the boys are rallying behind Scheifele. Because, as Lowry said so beautifully, “That’s your mentor, that’s the person you looked up to growing up, that’s the person you want to be like.”