It’s a victory and 15 more to opt for the Winnipeg jets in their quest to win the Stanley Cup.
The jets scored three unanswered goals in the final setting for a 5-3 return victory in match 1 on the Blues of St. Louis on Saturday in Canada Life Center.
Alex Iafallo equaled the match halfway through the third and Kyle Connor scored the Go Ahead goal with only 1:36 to do in regulations while the jets opened the STANLEY Cup qualifiers with a victory for the series of the series.
Connor and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and two assists to carry out the charge of Winnipeg.
The jets looked very temporary in the first period, but found their foot as part of the middle and only became stronger than in the third with three goals in the last eleven minutes, including an empty net.
“The first period – I don’t know what it was, but a bit of a feeling for both teams,” said Connor. “I really thought that the second period we arrived in our match.
“It is Winnipeg Jets hockey where you roll around area O, get possession, the first changes, proceeding to the next line and continue to do so, and by holding teams.”
The Blues recorded 32 strokes in the opening period, against only 14 for Winnipeg. But the jets held Saint-Louis only two shots on the net in the final stanza while they were surpassed the Blues 9-2 to close the match.
“I thought the first period we looked like really nervous,” said head coach Scott Arniel. “Trying to find our way, continued to move forward and built it in the second, but then he stayed with it and played really well in the third.”
It is the third series of consecutive playoff series that the jets started with a victory after also winning match 1 in the first round of the previous two seasons.
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“I just like that we have not started to deceive the game,” said Captain of the Jets Adam Lowry. “The structure was there once we settled in the game. And then we really limited their chances, we have not abandoned much. I think it is a good plan for success.”
The guardian of the Jets Connor Hellebuyck granted three goals in the first 22 minutes of the series, but was impeccable the rest of the path and made a key stop on a breakaway in the late stadiums of the second period which would have put the blues in advance by two goals.
“It’s not much action,” said Hellebuyck. “It’s not a lot of sensations. You just know that you will have to make at least a big backup, and it will be the manufacturer of difference, and I thought that was everything.”
With three points, Scheifele exceeded Blake Wheeler for the most career playoff points in the history of the franchise.
“It’s obviously really cool,” said Scheifele. “Doing it in front of the fans tonight was quite special. It was a fun game to be part.”
The Blues gathered only eight shots on goal in the last forty minutes of the competition.
“Our habits were not very good tonight,” said Blues head coach Jim Montgomery. “Defensively – we were not very good tonight. We will grow. We are going to get better.”
Each team had only two shots on goal in the first nine minutes, but after Luke Schenn was assessed the first penalty in the series, the Blues capitalized. Cam Fowler struck Robert Thomas’ washer in the circle of play and he chose the upper corner on Hellebuyck with a perfect Wrister and the blues opened the scoring of the series.
The jets quickly responded to their own power game. Scheifele’s pass left Ryan Suter’s stick and the washer deflected behind Jordan Binnington for the same score. It was the 39th Scheifele eliminatory series point to equalize Blake Wheeler for the most in playoffs in the history of the franchise.
Surfing on the momentum with the closed window crowds, Jaret-Anderson Dolan made a boost in a Schenn stroke less than two minutes later to give the jets their first advance in the series. The objective was initially credited to Morgan Barron after the washer seemed to be redirected twice.
It was a short -lived advance, like only three minutes later, a loose washer in the slit was sent by Oskar Sundqvist for a first period of four goals. The shots were 9-7 for Saint-Louis in the opening period, the Blues recording 32 strokes.
The Blues began the second period on a man’s advantage and Jordan Kyrou pulled him in front of a shifted Hellebuyck to restore the advance in Saint-Louis.
Hellebuyck made a huge stop on a Kyrou escape in the last two minutes of the period. Winnipeg exceeded them 10-6 as part of the environment.
The Blues held their heads to the 9:18 am brand of the third period. Behind the net, Scheifele threw the washer in front and Iafallo passed it in front of Binnington for the equalizer. Scheifele’s help placed it on its own at the top of the list of eliminations of the jets.
With only 1:36 to play in settlement and an imminent extension, Connor slammed in a Scheifele pass for the objective of the green light to send the building to a frenzy.
Adam Lowry scored in the empty net in the last minute to give the jets a triumph of 5-3.
Hellebuyck had only to make 14 stops, while Binnington ended the evening with 21 stops.
Match 2 is scheduled for Monday at 6.30pm in Canada Life Center.
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