Winnipeg – The Winnipeg jets winners of the presidents said this week clearly judges their season by the quality of their qualifying series. Their 5-3 victory over home ice in match 1 showed that they were more resilient than ever.
The way the jets continued to push in the third period, Alex Iafallo equaling the game on a rebound and Kyle Connor marking the winning goal with 1:36 in the game, a first examination of the Winnipeg qualifiers shows that the team is resilient when it matters.
Winnipeg took a game that escaped, and often controlled by Blues stars, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, and transformed it into an advance in the 1-0 series. Iafallo’s goal equaled the scoring with 10:42 to do in the third period, and the upper line of Winnipeg, with Iafallo in place of the injured Gabriel Vilardi, continued to push until Connor buys the late winning goal.
Connor’s goal put a noisy crowd at his feet, and it was there that he stayed when Adam Lowry scored the goal of the empty net which sealed the 5-3 victory.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 14 out of 17 shots in victory.
The jets checked the game flow for large parts of the game, but were burned early when Thomas and Kyrou have each marked with the advantage of man, and Oskar Sundqvist took advantage of a clear of Morgan Barron and a washer that was awkwardly bouncing from Luke Schenn.
The jets preached the advantages of the “scar fabric” of the playoffs from last year and are supposed to be a more resilient group this year. They showed that to take an advance of 1-0 against a team of hard and hard checks in match 1.
Iafallo intensified in the third period
Iafallo is one of the best Brickers before Winnipeg, the hardest back-kckers and the most stubborn attackers. Coach Scott Arniel likes to refer to him as a Swiss knife for his ability to play any role that coaches ask him.
He was also a fourth line player for most of the season.
Iafallo scored four goals and three assists in 11 games on his sudden promotion when Gabriel Vilardi injured himself, but no game he made was as tall as the goal he scored against Saint-Louis in match 1.
With Mark Scheifele and Connor by bike outside, trying desperately to find a chance in the middle, Iafallo went to the net and jumped on a rebound in Scheifele, scoring the goal to equalize the match in the slit.
Hellebuyck rebounds after Blues’ third goal
Hellebuyck faces demons in the playoffs this year after abandoning 24 goals in five games in Colorado last year. The double winner of the Vezina Trophy of the Jets, who was again the best goalkeeper in the world this season, has granted three goals on the top three chances of St. Louis of the match. Winnipeg has to do much more to help him, but Hellebuyck still went up.
Connor Hellebuyck made this separation backup on Jordan Kyrou easily.
Huge backup given the score and the situation. pic.twitter.com/oj1lbwatpn
– Jesse Granger (@jessegranger_) April 19, 2025
Match 1 could have gone differently. The first goal of Saint-Louis came while the PK jets chased the transitional offensive, not bringing out the washer and leaving Thomas alone in the circle. The chaotic rebound of Schenn who helped Sundqvist to score the second goal of the Blues occurred after a failed barron, while the goal of the power game of Kyrou took advantage of a Sundqvist screen. Hellebuyck did his part to keep the jets in the game, stopping Kyrou’s five holes attempt after Dylan Samberg played a washer in the neutral area, and stopped everything he faced in the third.
This could be Hellebuyck’s first step erasing demons from the playoffs.
Connor and Scheifele can provide results against St. Louis star players
Scheifele obtained the first goal of the jets on the power game, thanks to a lucky rebound from Ryan Suter. There were parts of the second period when Scheifele and Connor organized their offensive game for two, relying on discounts, fast turns and the scope game to open seams – and that almost borne fruit, with Binnington after the post to make two difficult stops from Connor.
Connor was arrested on two cross sewing passes – one of Scheifele, one on the power game of Cole Perfetti – before piercing with the winning goal in the third. He was dancing all night, although some of his cuts kept him outside.
But there is a realistic and credible world in which Connor and Scheifle take care of the games of the series as they did in the match 1. They will have to go inside the ice and execute when they arrive – and it took until the third period so that they allow.
Iafallo was the energy of this line all night, overthrowing the washers that helped Winnipeg stars work.
Jets fans are back Luke Schenn
One of the major scenarios in the series is the fact that the Luke and Brayden Schenn brothers come against each other. In the days preceding match 1, Luke told journalists that the younger brother Brayden, captain of the Blues, played a decisive role in restoring culture in Saint-Louis, which helped them get back into the image of the playoffs.
“I agree with Luke,” said Blues coach Jim Montgomery. “I don’t think we are in this situation if it is not for Brayden Schenn. There were difficult times during the regular season for our group, and it was the glue that kept us together. ”
But if you don’t need to ask you what Schen fans in Canada Life Center supported on Saturday. After Brayden filed a blow on the captain of the Lowry Jets, the crowd started to sing: “Luke is better! Luke is better!”
Thomas continues to brush and feast on
The Blues Thomas center finished the regular season on a sequence of 12 games, in which he collected 25 points (4 goals, 21 assists). He resumed where he stopped in match 1 against the jets on Saturday, scoring the first goal of the NHL qualifiers, an electric game goal for an advance of 1-0.
“Dominance,” said Blues striker Jake Neighbors. “I think everyone saw that he brought it to a different level. He put his name in the conversation of superstar status in this league. Personally, I have the impression that he has been in this conversation for three years now, but this year, production is a little up since the 4 nations (confrontation).
“But I think that the thing n ° 1 is his defensive game. You have to worry about it to carry you three or four points every night, but at the same time, you will not have many looks with him on the ice. Just as he is able to control the game of the two ends of the ice, almost comfortable, is quite impressive.”
Thomas was enjoyed the jets this season. In four regular season games, he scored three goals and five assists. So, with the goal of the power game on Saturday, he scored four goals and nine points in five games against them. At the time of his goal in match 1, he scored four goals on only 10 shots.
(Top Photo of Mark Scheifele’s Game 1 Objective: Terrence Lee / Imagn Images)
