Winnipeg Jets regain control of 1st-round series with 5-3 win at home over St. Louis Blues

The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 01, 2025 1:05 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Kyle Connor had a extremity and 2 assists to propel the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-3 triumph implicit the St. Louis Blues connected Wednesday that earned them a 3-2 pb successful their opening-round playoff series.

Game 6 of the Western Conference best-of-seven conflict goes Friday successful St. Louis, wherever the Blues won the 2 erstwhile games portion extending their location grounds to 14 consecutive victories.

According to the NHL, teams that instrumentality a 3-2 pb successful a bid spell connected to triumph the bid 79 per cent of the clip (233-62).

The Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets were without prima centre Mark Scheifele aft the archetypal period. He was crushed into the boards by Blues skipper Brayden Schenn aboriginal successful the opening period.

Vladislav Namestnikov, who replaced Scheifele connected the apical line, recorded a extremity and assist. Nino Niederreiter besides had a extremity and assist. Dylan DeMelo and Adam Lowry, into an bare net, besides scored. Mason Appleton contributed 3 helpers successful beforehand of the whiteout assemblage astatine Canada Life Centre.

Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves for Winnipeg, which had top-line winger Gabriel Vilardi backmost successful enactment aft helium missed 15 games with an upper-body injury.

Nathan Walker scored doubly and rookie Jimmy Snuggerud besides had a extremity for the Blues. Jordan Binnington stopped 21 shots.

Winnipeg led 2-1 aft the archetypal play and 4-2 pursuing the second.

After being outscored 12-3 successful 2 losses successful St. Louis, the Jets jumped retired to a 1-0 pb 1:23 into the archetypal period.

Scheifele sent the puck from down the nett retired to Connor, who snapped it past Binnington.

The Blues rapidly responded erstwhile Walker stayed successful beforehand of Hellebuyck and tipped successful a constituent changeable from Colton Parayko astatine 3:42.

St. Louis defenceman Cam Fowler besides picked up an assist, extending his constituent streak to 5 games with 1 extremity and 8 assists. He leads the Blues successful scoring.

Winnipeg got the game's archetypal powerfulness play aft Schenn jumped up and crushed Scheifele into the boards. He was called for interference and past roughing aft Jets guardant Brandon Tanev defended his teammate.

Twenty-seven seconds aft Schenn's other punishment expired, Niederreiter went nett beforehand and tipped successful a Dylan Samberg changeable astatine 8:39.

Both teams took 4 penalties, and had 17 hits each, arsenic the temperatures roseate during the opening period.

Scheifele, who took an earlier deed from Radek Faksa earlier the Schenn one, didn't travel retired for the 2nd period.

After the Jets lone got 1 changeable connected extremity successful their 2nd powerfulness play, Snuggerud scored his 2nd extremity of the playoffs with a debased changeable that went betwixt Hellebuyck's near pad and the station astatine 6:06.

DeMelo scored Winnipeg's archetypal second-period extremity of the bid erstwhile his constituent changeable went disconnected the backmost of Parayko and into the nett astatine 11:05.

Connor sent a backhand walk crossed the beforehand of the nett to a rushing Namestnikov, who broke his 20-goal scoring drought to marque it 4-2 with 1:09 remaining successful the second.

Winnipeg outshot the visitors 14-3 successful the mediate play and 22-9 done 40 minutes.

Lowry bushed a defender and added an empty-netter with 3:13 left. Walker scored with 53 seconds remaining.

Turning the tide

The Jets had gone 2-4 successful erstwhile Game 5s, including losing 4 straight.

Their past Game 5 triumph was successful the 2nd circular of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, erstwhile they bushed the Predators 6-2 successful Nashville.