The Winnipeg Jets were back at home tonight to take on a Central Division rival, the St. Louis Blues. This game was the 5th last game for the Jets in the regular season, and the 1st of 3 straight games against Central Division opponents. The St. Louis Blues entered Winnipeg on a 12 game win streak, easily the “hottest” team in the NHL at the moment. The Blues, with a win, would secure their spot in the playoffs, while the Jets were looking to extend their Central Division lead on the Dallas Stars. The Jets will be in Dallas to play the Stars on Thursday, but before that game, all the focus was on tonight’s opponent. This game played out almost like a playoff hockey game, with both teams paying extra attention to every detail of their game. The Jets were the better team after 40 minutes, and a goal in the 3rd period would be enough to lead the Jets to a 3-1 win at home.

Because this game was being streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime’s “Monday Night Hockey”, puck drop happened about 10 minutes later than expected. That time was used to preview and build up the hype for this important Central Division matchup. Both teams took a more “cautious” approach at the start of this game, but you could tell that both teams wanted to strike early with the opening goal.

The 1st period was both scoreless and without any penalties, but the Jets were playing like the better of the two teams. Shots on goal in the 1st were 8-3 Jets, as Blues backup goalie Joel Hofer denied the Jets of a few decent scoring chances. One stat that stood out was the blocked shots in the 1st, with the Blues blocking 14 shots to the Jets 3 blocked shots. The Jets were unable to open the scoring in the 1st, and this game went into the intermission scoreless.

Continuing where they left off in the 1st period, the Jets came out in the 2nd period with that same high compete level. On their 2nd shot of the period, just 2:34 in, Morgan Barron scored his 7th goal of the season to give the Jets the 1-0 lead. The puck was turned over at the Jets blue line and intercepted by Barron. After a deflection back to Josh Morrissey, Barron was sent in down the ice along the boards, before cutting to the net and snapping one past Hofer.

Just under 5 minutes later, the Blues tied this game at 1. Minutes after the Jets opened the scoring, the Blues became more eager to get on the board, and they were rewarded after a few good chances. Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas set up Pavel Buchnevich unmarked in front of the net, and he wristed one past Hellebuyck to equal the score at 1.

90 seconds after the Blues tied the game, Brandon Tanev was called for cross-checking against Nathan Walker. The Jets denied the Blues on their first powerplay, and before the penalty was done, Justin Faulk was called for interference on Morgan Barron. After a short 4 on 4, the Jets got their 1st man advantage of the night. The shortened powerplay was unsuccessful, as both teams were now 0 for 1 on the powerplay. The rest of the 2nd period went better for the Jets, as they started to create more scoring chances while limiting the time the Blues possessed the puck. This game went into the 2nd intermission tied at 1, while the shots in the 2nd period were 9-8 for the Jets.

3 minutes into the 3rd, Vladislav Namestnikov high sticked Jimmy Snuggerud, giving the Blues their 2nd powerplay of the night. The Jets penalty killers came up clutch, stopping the Blues from getting any real scoring chances. 2 minutes after the teams went back to 5 on 5, Alex Iafallo made it 2-1 Jets. The Jets were applying pressure in the Blues zone, before Kyle Connor fired one on net, and Iafallo made a nice effort to find the puck before wristing the rebound past Hofer for his 14th of the season.

With 10 minutes to go, the Blues started to gain a little momentum, but the Jets did well to limit their chances. The Jets only allowed the Blues 12 shots on goal through 50+ minutes, as it was clear that the defence was set on shutting down this Blues team that has been on a roll lately. With the lead still 2-1 for the Jets, the Blues pulled their goalie with 2 minutes left.

Mason Appleton had a great chance to put this game away with an empty netter, but he just backhanded the puck under pressure off the post. Hellebuyck made a nice save with 26 seconds left, and then the Jets took their timeout to ensure they were set up for the final Blues push. The Jets gained possession, and Scheifele found Adam Lowry, and he fired one into the empty net to make it 3-1 Jets with 9 seconds left. Shots on goal in the 3rd were 10-4 Jets, and the final shots on goal in this game were 26-15 Jets. It was a big win for the Jets tonight, as they became the team that finally ended the Jets 12 game win streak.

Tonight was yet another example of how the Jets have been able to bounce back after a loss this season. This game was a very detailed one for both teams, with the Jets defensive performance the difference maker. Iafallo’s 3rd period goal was the game winner, as he led the Jets with 6 shots on goal and a strong two-way performance throughout his 17:23 of ice time. Overall, it was a great team effort from the Jets, as it was one of those games that reminded fans of how good this Jets team can be when they’re at their best.

Up next for the Jets is another tough test, as they’ll head to Dallas on Thursday to play the Dallas Stars at 7 pm CT. Tonight’s win puts the Jets 5 points up on the Stars with 1 more game played, and a win on Thursday would almost secure the Jets 1st place in the Central Division. Make sure to check back here on Thursday morning for a preview of another important matchup, as the final 2 weeks of the NHL season continue to unfold.

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