The St. Louis Blues are now tied 2-2 in their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. After losing the first two games, the Blues used home ice to their advantage in Games 3 and 4 to catch up. If they manage to win this series, it will be one of the biggest upsets of the playoffs, defeating the NHL’s best team in 2024-25 in the first round. Here’s a look at how they can do it.
Blues Need to Keep Pushing Hellebuyck
We already know how well Connor Hellebuyck does during the season, and he’s on the Vezina Trophy radar, recently being named a finalist for the award. However, in the 2025 Playoffs, he’s put up the worst save percentage (SV%) numbers in his playoff career, currently at .817 SV%. The Blues need to keep pushing Hellebuyck, especially with their speed, which has been too much for him to handle.
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The Blues have also had 18 power-play opportunities in this series, the most in the 2025 Playoffs, converting on six. This has not only increased Hellebuyck’s workload, but it can also be overwhelming. In fact, during the 2024-25 season, Hellebuyck ranked within the top 15 in goals-against on the power play (31) with a .855 save percentage (SV%). With a .615 SV% on the penalty kill in this series, he has the lowest SV% of any goalie in the playoffs.
The Blues have been the more physically dominant team, ranked fourth in hits this postseason with 176, making it hard for the Jets to keep defensive possession and prevent high-danger chances on Hellebuyck. This will have to be something the Blues will have to do in Game 5 if they want to take one step forward in the series.
Blues Are Beating the Jets at Full Strength
The Blues have also outplayed the Jets at 5v5. They rank fifth in the playoffs with 10 5v5 goals, while the Jets sit 10th with seven. It has undoubtedly been exemplified within their results in each game; when they scored one or fewer 5v5 goals, they’ve lost by one or two goals, but when they scored two or more 5v5 goals, they won games.
They are also scoring without their full offensive core. Dylan Holloway is out with a lower-body injury, and there is no timeline for his return. Holloway was one of five forwards on the Blues who led the team in 5v5 goals during the 2024-25 season (67). He also possesses the speed and playmaking to make this Blues’ 5v5 group even more powerful.
The Blues have been using their defensemen to make key plays. In the last four games, the blue line has a combined 16 points (four goals and 12 assists), enhancing the Blues’ offense at 5v5. Nine of those 16 points were at 5v5, giving their forwards a boost from the blue line. St. Louis’ offense has improved in the postseason after ranking 10th in the league in even-strength goals, while the Jets were 11th.
How the Blues Can Keep a Consistent Performance
These three factors are working in the Blues’ favor. However, they must stay consistent going into Winnipeg for Game 5 on Wednesday (April 30) to see if they get the upper hand in the series and force the potential winning game at home in Game 6. They must continue to do what worked for them in Games 3 and 4, which helped them tie the series: power play production and 5v5 play. By sticking to the two things above, they have a good shot at advancing to the next round.
