The Winnipeg Jets lost 5-1 on Sunday afternoon against the St. Louis Blues and head back to Winnipeg with the series tied 2-2. The day started with Kyle Connor’s third goal of the playoffs, and despite the Blues tying the game late in the first, everything looked to be in control for the Jets. After the Blues went up 3-1 at 17:23 of the second period, the wheels seemed to fall off for Winnipeg, sending them back home on a plane full of pressure and questions.
Related: Blues Secure Another Home Victory Over Jets to Tie Series at 2-2
There’s no disputing the dominance that the Jets played with for the majority of the season. They were full marks for winning the Presidents’ Trophy and the Central Division, and deserved all of the praise they were getting heading into the playoffs. They also deserve any doubt and uneasiness that comes their way after letting a 2-0 lead slip away in the “Show Me State”. This isn’t the first time the Jets have shown cracks under playoff pressure, and all eyes are especially on Vezina-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Before we go any deeper, let’s look at three takeaways from the afternoon that was in St. Louis.
Hellebuyck’s Numbers Continue to Balloon in Playoffs
We have to start off by addressing the elephant in the room. If you choose an animal bigger than an elephant, that works too. Hellebuyck started Round 1 by giving up three goals on 17 shots, but followed it up with one goal on 21 shots in Game 2. After giving up 24 goals in five games last spring, any amount of concern after Game 1 against St. Louis was fully justified. However, after a great Game 2, faith seemed to be restored. Those Game 1 doubts came back with a vengeance after allowing 11 goals on 43 shots in Games 3 and 4 combined, and Hellebuyck was chased from the crease in both games.
Listen, there’s a lot of blame to go around here. After the 3-1 goal on Sunday, their defensive play fell off a cliff, and poor decisions with the puck were happening all over the place. Something weird happens once Hellebuyck allows a few goals. This deep and well-positioned defensive unit just seems to be lost in front of him.
There are certainly goals where his defence has left him out to dry. But, in the playoffs, your goalie has to make the saves he needs to make, and a few that he isn’t, and Hellebuyck has not done that the last two nights in St. Louis.
If there’s anything Hellebuyck can hang his hat on, besides his incredible regular-season resume, it’s the confidence of his coach and his teammates.
“I’m 100 percent confident in Connor Hellebuyck,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said after Sunday’s game. “His resume speaks for itself. At the end of the day, we need to be better in front of him. We need to let him see some pucks. There were a couple there we didn’t let him see. There are things we have to do to help him. He knows he has to do things that help us.”
“Yeah, lots of confidence,” Jets defenceman Luke Schenn said, echoing the coach’s sentiment. “I mean, he’s had an unbelievable year and you watch the replay of the goals that went in, I mean, they’re deflections, they’re screens, they’re bouncing off us and in.”
Well, his fault or the defence’s fault or both, they need to figure it out, and quick.
Offence Drying Up at the Wrong Time
The Jets scored seven goals in the first two games of the series combined. Game 1 was especially impressive, scoring three goals in the last 11 minutes, including two in the last 96 seconds to tie the game and then win it. Game 2 was a little bit different, but Connor’s 2-1 goal at the beginning was all the Jets needed to leave Winnipeg with the win.
In the two games in St. Louis, all of that has dried up, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Jets have scored three goals and have gone 1-for-6 on the power play in the last two games. Connor and Mark Scheifele have done their part, getting five points each in the series. Sure, it could be argued that they could do more, but after them, there are five players with two points, and then a whole lot of ones. Out of the 10 goals the Jets have scored in Round 1, Connor and Scheifele have five of them. Heading into the playoffs, this team was extremely well-rounded, but that has not shown up at all so far.
I suppose this is a matter of opinion, but the Jets would love to see more offence come from the point, especially from Josh Morrissey. As good as Morrissey is defensively, he is an offensive workhorse. Through four games, he has only two points, both assists, and six shots on net. When a defenceman lets it fly from the blue line or the slot, he creates chaos in the offensive zone, and the Jets could use some of that chaos right now.
In Game 3, the Blues allowed only 19 shots on goal and blocked 10. On Sunday, they allowed 31 shots on goal and blocked another 20. No matter how the Jets attack, the Blues are finding ways to shut them down, and of course, that does have a lot to do with the play of goaltender Jordan Binnington. Regardless, the Jets are going to have to find a way to break through and get the job done.
Jets Need to Rebound in Game 5
Okay, admittedly, it is obvious to say that the Jets need to rebound in Game 5. Clearly, that’s the case, but hear me out. The Blues were the hottest team in the NHL for the last month and a half or so of the regular season. The Jets found a way to win the first two games of the series, but it took four third-period goals to do so. It was not a cakewalk by any means. In St. Louis, like we’ve talked about at length already, they got steamrolled. If we’re talking about this series in terms of minutes-played rather than games won, the Blues have been the better team.
If the Blues win Game 5 in Winnipeg, it really does feel like curtains for the Jets. That’s not doomsday talk or negative mojo. The Jets are a good team with the ability to beat the Blues, but they need to put the Blues on their heels with a Game 5 victory. The last thing you want this Blues team to have is belief. They already have enough of it.
