Connor's late goal fuels Jets to 5-3 win over Blues in playoff

Judy Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 19, 2025 9:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Kyle Connor's one-timer with 1:36 remaining successful the 3rd play snapped a 3-3 necktie and lifted the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-3 triumph successful Saturday's opening crippled of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the St. Louis Blues.

Connor besides contributed a brace of assists and skipper Adam Lowry capped the victory, scoring an empty-netter with conscionable 52 seconds left.

Game 2 successful the best-of-seven bid goes Monday astatine Canada Life Centre, which featured a large "whiteout" afloat location of 15,225 fans connected Saturday.

Mark Scheifele had a extremity and 2 assists and Jaret Anderson-Dolan besides scored for the Jets.

Connor Hellebuyck made 14 saves for Winnipeg, which won the Presidents' Trophy for the NHL's champion regular-season grounds (56-22-4).

Teams that triumph Game 1 of a best-of-seven bid ain an all-time bid grounds of 525-247 (.680), according to NHL stats.

Jordan Kyrou gave the Blues a 3-2 pb with a power-play extremity aboriginal successful the 2nd period, but Winnipeg's top-line winger Alex Iafallo tied it astatine 9:18 of the third.

Robert Thomas besides scored connected the powerfulness play for St. Louis. Oskar Sundqvist added 1 astatine adjacent spot and Justin Faulk had 2 assists.

Jordan Binnington stopped 21 shots for St. Louis, which grabbed the Western Conference's last wild-card spot with a final-game triumph (44-30-8).

The Jets won their regular-season bid against the Blues 3-1. Three of the 4 games were decided by 1 extremity (not including empty-netters).

A four-goal archetypal play ended successful a 2-2 tie. Thomas scored connected the game's archetypal powerfulness play.

With Winnipeg defenceman Luke Schenn successful the container for interference, Cam Fowler sent the puck to Thomas successful the near faceoff circle. He fired from the dot and the puck went implicit Hellebuyck's mitt into the country astatine 9:31.

Thomas finished the regular play connected a 12-game constituent streak — 4 goals and 21 assists.

The Jets got their archetypal powerfulness play 4 minutes aboriginal and Scheifele cashed successful 16 seconds into the antheral advantage. His walk effort done the crease deed defenceman Ryan Suter's instrumentality and went down Binnington astatine 13:38.

Franchise leader

Winnipeg finished the regular play with the league's apical powerfulness play (28.9 per cent).

Anderson-Dolan deflected a Schenn changeable from the constituent astatine 15:02 to instrumentality a 2-1 lead, but a fortunate puck bounce disconnected Schenn successful the slot went to Sundvquist for his extremity with 1:50 near successful the period.

Jets defenceman Neal Pionk was called for roughing with 16 seconds remaining.

St. Louis outshot the Jets 9-7 successful the opening period, and dished retired 32 hits to Winnipeg's 14.

The Blues came retired of the archetypal intermission and utilized the powerfulness play for Kyrou's extremity astatine 1:13 and a 3-2 lead. It extended his season-ending constituent streak to 4 goals and 2 assists successful 4 games.

Winnipeg couldn't capitalize connected its aboriginal third-period antheral advantage, but came adjacent erstwhile Binnington denied Connor connected a one-timer.

Iafallo banged successful a escaped puck to get the fans roaring astatine a 3-3 game. After Lowry's goal, players paired up for immoderate warring with 19 seconds left.

With his extremity and 2 assist, Scheifele became the Jets/Thrashers' all-time person successful playoff points with 41. Blake Wheeler had 39.

Scheifele finished the regular play with a career-high 87 points successful 82 games. He extended his constituent streak to 2 goals and 2 assists successful 3 games.