Expectations soar for Jets as playoffs set to start versus Blues

Judy Owen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 18, 2025 4:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Judgment Day has arrived for the Winnipeg Jets.

Despite the NHL team's agelong database of regular-season accomplishments, galore hockey fans volition lone presumption this run arsenic a occurrence if the Jets spell heavy successful the playoffs.

The quest begins Saturday erstwhile Winnipeg takes connected the St. Louis Blues successful Game 1 of its best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff bid earlier a "whiteout" afloat location astatine Canada Life Centre.

"Regardless of however good your regular play goes, you're mostly judged connected show successful the playoffs and things similar that," Jets skipper Adam Lowry said. "We're embracing the pressure. We're excited for the situation ahead."

Jets caput manager Scott Arniel is good alert of the expectations.

"We're inactive going to beryllium judged connected what happens from Game 83 on," Arniel said aft the squad clinched its franchise-first Presidents' Trophy for apical regular-season record.

"There's inactive tons to hap and, hopefully, there's a agelong communicative to spell with that and it gets to beryllium a 2½-month-long story."

Winnipeg was eliminated successful 5 games successful the past 2 archetypal rounds, including past twelvemonth against Colorado, aft finishing 4th successful the league with 52 wins.

The Jets transportation a 56-22-4 grounds into the conflict with the Blues — and the value of fans' Stanley Cup dreams.

The past Canadian squad to triumph the title was the Montreal Canadiens successful 1993.

The deepest the Jets person gone was successful 2017-18, erstwhile they reached the league last and mislaid successful 5 games to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Last year's aboriginal exit near a consciousness of disbelief that turned into a spark to commencement this season.

The Jets won 15 of their archetypal 16 games and ne'er fto spell of the conference's apical spot they reached connected Jan. 14.

The nine didn't marque splashy additions astatine the commercialized deadline, alternatively grabbing grit and acquisition successful guardant Brandon Tanev and two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenceman Luke Schenn.

"[Tanev is] so tenacious, helium tin benignant of bring the gathering to its feet, conscionable with a forecheck and benignant of with his Tasmanian Devil-like energy," Lowry said.

Hard-hitting antiaircraft bid expected

The bid against the Blues (44-30-8) is expected to beryllium a hard-hitting antiaircraft matchup.

Winnipeg's crease is manned by reigning Vezina Trophy victor Connor Hellebuyck, portion St. Louis counters with seasoned Jordan Binnington.

Under caput manager Jim Montgomery, who replaced Drew Bannister successful precocious November, the Blues went 19-4-3 aft the 4 Nations Face-Off interruption successful February and lone clinched the last wild-card spot with a last-game triumph implicit Utah.

Binnington was 13-3-1 during that span aft helping present a golden medal to Canada successful the tourney last against Hellebuyck and the United States.

The Jets clasp the borderline successful violative output, with 13 players registering 10 oregon much goals.

Kyle Connor led the squad with a career-high 97 points, bully for seventh successful the league. His seventh-ranked 41 goals were 2 much than top-line centre Mark Scheifele, who finished with 87 points. Both played 82 games.

Robert Thomas had 21 goals and 81 points successful 70 games for St. Louis. He takes a 12-game constituent streak into the playoffs (four goals, 21 assists). Jordan Kyrou tallied a team-high 36 goals and 70 points successful 82 outings.

Both clubs person cardinal injured players expected to miss the commencement of the series.

Jets second-line winger Nikolaj Ehlers is week to week. Top-line winger Gabriel Vilardi missed the past 11 regular-season games but is listed arsenic time to time and skating connected his own.

Blues second-line winger Dylan Holloway missed his team's last 5 games. He's week to week but skating connected his own.

Hellebuyck and the Jets halted the Blues' franchise-record, NHL season-longest 12-game triumph streak connected April 7 with a 3-1 triumph successful Winnipeg. Manitoba-born backup Joel Hofer was successful nett for the visitors.

It gave the Jets a 3-1 season-series triumph, including a brace of wins successful St. Louis. Backup Eric Comrie unopen the doorway successful a 4-3 shootout roadworthy triumph connected Feb. 22 with Hofer connected the different side.

Jets second-line winger Cole Perfetti collected a team-best 5 points (all assists) in the play series. Thomas led the Blues with 3 goals and 5 assists successful his 4 games.

The clubs' erstwhile playoff gathering was successful 2019, a first-round bid the Blues won successful six games.

It was the commencement of a tally that propelled St. Louis to its archetypal Stanley Cup via a Game 7 triumph implicit the Boston Bruins.

Breakout potential

Perfetti is pumped aft playing 82 games for the archetypal clip successful 4 seasons, including a career-high 50 points. He's connected the team's archetypal power-play portion successful spot of Ehlers.

The Whitby, Ont., merchandise was a steadfast scratch for immoderate games down the agelong past play and lone got into 1 playoff match. Injuries sidelined him for parts of his archetypal 2 seasons.

Blues second-line winger Jimmy Snuggerud made his NHL debut April 1 and enactment up a extremity and 3 assists successful his archetypal 7 games.

Montgomery has noted the "hockey sense" of the 2022 first-round draught prime (23rd overall). He's fixed the Minnesota-born guardant clip connected the archetypal power-play portion with the lack of Holloway.