The Winnipeg Jets opened a three-game road trip in St. Louis Wednesday night, taking on the Blues for the first time since last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 7 victory. Looking to build off the three of four points they collected in their last two games, the Jets instead were shut out 1-0 by Manitoban goaltender Joel Hofer.

St. Louis controlled much of the first period, jumping out to a 9-1 edge in shots. At one point, the Blues peppered Connor Hellebuyck with four to five shots on the same shift, turning the sequence into a shooting gallery, but Winnipeg’s MVP stood tall to keep the game scoreless.

The Blues led 11-6 in shots after 20 minutes.

St. Louis finally broke the deadlock at 13:17 of the second period. Hellebuyck played the puck behind the net to Dylan DeMelo in the corner, where Pavel Buchnevich stepped him off it. Robert Thomas picked up the loose puck and fed Justin Faulk, who ripped a shot past Hellebuyck for his eighth goal of the season. Thomas recorded the lone assist, his 17th.

After 40 minutes, the Blues held a 1-0 lead while outshooting Winnipeg 23-15. They also owned a commanding 18-7 edge in high-danger scoring chances through two periods.

Late in the third, with the Jets pushing for the equalizer, DeMelo took a tripping penalty against Jake Neighbours, giving St. Louis a power play with 2:54 remaining. Winnipeg killed it off, but with just 42 seconds left, Logan Stanley was assessed a roughing penalty on Pius Suter, resulting in a 10-minute game misconduct. The Blues ran out the clock to secure the 1-0 victory.

With the loss, Winnipeg fell to 15-16-2 on the season and 2-5-2 in December. Hellebuyck finished with 25 saves, while Neal Pionk led the Jets with four shots on goal.

“I think our starts haven’t been great. Definitely work on that,” said Kyle Connor postgame. “And it’s one shift on, one shift off. It kind of seems like here, so it’s been going on for seems like a long time here, almost a month, and it’s not the way we want to play, and it’s just keep going on. So, we got to find a way to get out of it.”

Winnipeg continues its road trip Friday in Denver against the first-place Colorado Avalanche. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. CST on TSN3.