The Winnipeg Jets defeated the St. Louis Blues 2-1 Monday night at Canada Life Centre to take a 2-0 lead in the Round 1 series.
Here, we’ll dive into four takeaways from the contest.
1: Connor & Scheifele Were Clutch Again
The Jets’ two top regular-season point producers teamed up for the game-winning goal Monday for the second time in as many games.
Connor’s go-ahead third-period goal 1:43 into the final frame wasn’t quite as dramatic as his Game 1 winner that came with just 1:36 left, but was nonetheless another clutch tally. Scheifele drew an assist on the game winner once again and also scored the Jets’ first goal of the game for the second-straight game.
The first-line duo, who had 97 and 87 points respectively in the regular season, look like men on missions and have combined for four goals and five assists for nine points in the first two games of the series. Connor became the first player since 2023 and only the fourth since 2007 to score game-winning goals in consecutive games to open the playoffs.
2: Physical Play Continued
One had to expect after the surly final minute to Game 1, where no fewer than 10 misconducts were handed out, that Game 2 would bring the same level of physicality. Neither team disappointed on that front.
While there was little in the way of post-whistle extracurriculars and no dirty plays in Game 2 that indicated any bad blood had spilled over, neither team hesitated to get on the body and attempt to impose their will. There were a number of huge hits throughout that illustrated the intensity both clubs were playing with. Jets’ hard-hitting defenseman Luke Schenn led the game with seven, while Blues captain Brayden Schenn (and Luke’s brother) paced his team with five. Logan Stanley, though, dished out the biggest one of the contest by far, rocking Jordan Kyrou in the first.
By the final horn, the teams had racked up a combined 62 hits (33 for the Jets, 29 for the Blues) and have now dished out 148 in the series between them. Talk about ice-bag hockey.
“When games are this physical and this tight and the compete level is so high on both teams, these are the ones you love and want to be a part of,” Luke Schenn said postgame. “After the game you go home and you feel sore, but it’s a good sore, and a good tired.”
3: Special-Teams Battle Was Key & On a Razor’s Edge
The Blues technically won the special-teams battle in Game 2, but the Jets special teams came through when it mattered most.
The Blues killed off two first-period penalties (their only shorthanded situations of the night, it would turn out) and then struck for a power-play goal with just two seconds left in the frame to tie the proceedings. The power-play marker was their third in their first four chances after going two for three in Game 1.
However, the Jets recovered by killing off three-straight infractions from there: two in the second period when the game was tied and one in the third after Connor’s goal.
The final two calls, a cross checking minor on Stanley and a roughing minor penalty on Luke Schenn, were fairly marginal for a playoff game but the Jets deserve credit for staying composed and not allowing the Blues much by way of high-quality chances in either.
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The more the Jets can stay out of the box, the better off they will be as they have given up very few chances at five on five and allowed only one goal while not shorthanded.
Meanwhile, the Blues penalty kill has been solid — killing off five of six chances overall and their only blemish coming on a flukey goal in the first period of Game 1 — but they obviously won’t want to cut ruts to the sin bin either. The Jets are missing key power-play cogs Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabriel Vilardi due to injury but still converted a league-leading 28.90 per cent of their chances in the regular season.
4: Binnington & Hellebuyck Were Better
Jordan Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck looked much more locked in than they did in Game 1 when they allowed a combined four goals on the series’ first 17 shots.
Hellebuyck, whose poor playoff performances in 2023 and 2024 have been the topic of much discussion, appeared closer to his outstanding regular-season form in Game 2, stopping 21 of 22. The performance must have Jets fans breathing a sigh of relief after his shaky start to Game 1 where he allowed three goals on 10 shots in his first 21:13 of action. It won’t allow him to entirely counter the narrative that he folds in the postseason but it was a nice bounceback effort.
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Binnington, who surrendered four goals on 25 shots in Game 1, was only one shot worse than Hellebuyck by stopping 20 of 22 and making a number of 10-bell saves. Neither of the Game 2 goals can be hung on him as Connor’s was a snipe from the slot and Scheifele’s deflected off of Jimmy Snuggerud’s skate and in. Binnington did have a puck-handling gaffe that should have led to a third goal, but he got away with it because Cole Perfetti rushed his shot and fired wide of the empty net after picking off Binnington’s pass.
The goaltending battle between the Vezina Trophy frontrunner in Hellebuyck and one of the NHL’s hottest netminders down the stretch in Binnington will continue to be key.
The series with now shift to St. Louis for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 is Thursday, April 24 at 8:30 CT.