The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets have pulled out to a 2-0 series lead over the No. 8 seed St. Louis Blues.
Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor both scored for the second-straight game, while Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 21 shots as the Jets took Game 2 by a 2-1 final over the St. Louis Blues.
“Winnipeg has made one more play than us,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said post-game. “Both games. Shots are dead even, so they’re just making one more play, and their best players are making them.”
After pulling out to 1-0 series leads against Vegas and Colorado in the first round of each of the past two seasons, the Jets managed to earn a win in the all-important second game for the first time in three seasons.
“I don’t know if it’s a mental boost, but we’re aware of it coming into it,” Connor said of earning the important Game 2 victory.
“I think over the past couple of years, this group is motivated. We talked about it over the offseason, we preached about it all year, it’s in this room. Everybody needs to be better, bear down, it’s dragging everybody into the fight. Yeah it’s a second win, but we’re not resting here. We’ve got a long ways to go. We’ll take what we can, look at the video, make adjustments if need be and on to the next one.”
The Jets and Blues came out of ready to fight in the first period. The two teams exchanged hits and goals before the frame came to a close.
Logan Stanley delivered a monstrous, open-ice check on Jordan Kyrou midway through the frame, before Brayden Schenn popped Adam Lowry in the open ice.
“He’s been just improving each and every day. He’s done a great job not chasing hits, but taking the hits when they’re there and being heavy and using his size to his advantage down low and in front of the net,” Luke Schenn said of Stanley. “He’s doing a great job right now and is a huge part of things. You obviously can’t teach size like that. When you put it all together it can be really effective.”
Both Hellebuyck and Binnington made point-blank stops, but not before each netminder allowed a goal against.
Winnipeg got one from Scheifele with 3:28 to play. He picked up the puck from Dylan DeMelo and drove wide to the net. The puck banked off the skate of Jimmy Snuggerud, who crashed into Binnington, helping direct the puck past the goaltender and into the net for the 1-0 lead.
But before the period could close, the Blues’ red-hot power play struck again. And it was Snuggerud who got it back for St. Louis. He picked up a centring pass from Pavel Buchnevich as time ticked down and ripped home his first career goal with just one second remaining.
The Blues held a minor 10-8 shot lead after 20 minutes.
The middle stanza saw both teams exchange Grade A chances, but once again the goaltenders stood tall. St. Louis was handed two power play opportunities, but the Jets’ penalty kill came out on top both times.
After taking a period off, the Jets came out firing in the third. It took all of 1:43 to score, as Connor hammered his second of the series past Binnington from the high slot.
Scheifele dished the puck to Cole Perfetti behind the Blues’ net. He looked out front and found Connor – a 40-goal scorer – standing all alone at the top of the crease. The puck was on and off his stick in a matter of milliseconds, before it found its way to the back of the net for the early-period go-ahead marker.
With time ticking down, St. Louis called a late-game timeout and pulled Binnington for the extra attacker. The visitors couldn’t even gain offensive zone control. The Jets were that good defensively, as the shut down St. Louis’ attack for the final two minutes.
Hellebuyck finished the night with 21 saves on 22 Blues shots, while Binnington turned aside 20 of the 22 pucks sent his way.
“Everyone is giving it everything they have,” Luke Schenn said. “For two games in, especially after the first game going into the second game, it’s just another level. The intensity out there, the speed. You just keep putting your head down, you keep grinding and just try to battle for every guy in this room.”
The series will now shift to Missouri for two-straight games, with Game 3 going on Thursday and Game 4 set to be played on Sunday. The teams will have two days’ rest between each of the next two games, which should help with travel and recovery following two very physical tests.
“It’s far from over,” Schenn added. “Two games, we’re going to enjoy this one tonight, but St. Louis is an extremely tough building to play in too. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and we’re going to have to prepare for the next one.”
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