Game 1 takeaways: 4 thoughts as the Winnipeg Jets defeat the St. Louis Blues 5-3

The Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived, and they began in downtown Winnipeg on Saturday night, where the home squad walked away with an impressive 5-3 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series. 

There was plenty to take away from a back-and-forth Game 1 where the Winnipeg Jets stayed resilient and won it late. 

Kyle Connor & Mark Scheifele make a special play late

The saying goes that your best players must be your best players in the postseason. In the late stages of a 3-3 game, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor rose to the occasion. 

A faceoff play that the Jets have run relentlessly this season was used in a big moment, as Scheifele hit Connor on a seam-pass for a blast of a one-timer, capping off an impressive third period for the home team. 

“I thought they had a heck of a Game 1.”-  Jets Captain Adam Lowry, after the game on Connor and Scheifele. 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

Don’t forget about Alex Iafallo, who tied the game up with a crease-crashing tally midway through the third period, sliding the puck five-hole on Jordan Binnington. 

Iafallo, recently signed to a three-year, $11M extension, provided Scott Arniel and the Jets with exemplary work on the top line in Game 1. 

Scott Arniel highlighted that line’s play against Robert Thomas, St. Louis’ top line centre, and how that propelled the Jets to victory: “When you go head-to-head against top players, you have to be at your best.”

Jets stuck to their structure

Trailing 3-2 heading into the final period, the Jets were out-chancing (22-11) the Blues and had the majority of the high-danger chances (10-3). 

They stuck to their game in the third period, knowing they were playing well enough to win, and that paid off for them in a big way. 

“I thought the first period, we looked real nervous,” Arniel said of his team. “Just trying to find our way, get going. Built it up in the second but then stuck with it and really played well in the third. We had talked about, as a group, that you don’t know how long these games are going to last. They could be three periods, or they could go into overtime. You have to stay in the moment,” 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

Adam Lowry loved the way his team played, and more importantly, how they didn’t stray away from their structure. 

“I just like that we didn’t start cheating the game,” Lowry said. “The structure was there once we settled into the game, and then we really limited their chances, didn’t give up a whole lot. I think that’s a good blueprint for success. Staying above their speed, controlling the tempo and playing fast.”

The Jets will look to replicate that effort on Monday as they strive for a 2-0 series lead. 

Connor Hellebuyck’s save off Kyrou looms large

No Jets player is under more pressure this playoff run than Connor Hellebuyck. He only faced 17 shots on this night, but made one key stop to keep this game within reach. Late in the second period, on Jordan Kyrou. 

Kyrou got behind the Jets’ defence as Dylan Samberg misplayed a puck that was flipped out of the zone, and Kyrou was all alone on the breakaway. Hellebuyck made a huge stop to keep the game 3-2. 

“He kind of drove wide. He had a couple options but he kind of looked like he was trying to use his speed to get around me,” Hellebuyck said about the stop. “In that moment I was just trying to smother him because he got a little tight to me and it stuck to me.”

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

Hellebuyck’s teammates took note of the save as well, coming at a crucial time of the game with the Jets trailing by one.

“Yeah, big save at a big time,” Mark Scheifele said. “That’s Helly for us. He’s the backbone of this team and that was a tremendous save and obviously at a big point in the game. He kept us in it and played awesome tonight.”

It wasn’t Hellebuyck’s best game by any metric, but key saves like the one on Kyrou are key to any playoff series, and when looking back at Game 1, that save can be remembered as one that the Jets needed to take the series lead. 

Winnipeg whiteout is back

The Winnipeg whiteout proved once again why it is the best atmosphere in hockey. Fans were in their seats for warmup, chanting ‘Go Jets Go’, the streets were packed with outfits, and the crowd’s pop on all three third-period goals was deafening. 

Sometimes with that crowd it’s so loud, you can feel it, you can hear the oohs and the ahhs when we miss, or if there’s a bad call or a missed call,” Scott Arniel said after coaching in his first home game. 

Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)

“It’s amazing how that’s so loud and it flows. And then they got up on the lead, and our whole crowd was very quiet. So there’s an ebb and flow coming from the fans. But we’ve been through it. We’ve obviously had lots of sellouts here, especially in the last part of the year. Hopefully next game, period No. 1 we are up and running right away.”

The crowd will certainly be ‘up and running’ on Monday for Game 2, when the Jets look to take a 2-0 series advantage over the Blues. 

Up next

The Jets will practice Sunday before their morning skate Monday, and Game 2 goes at 6:30 PM Central on Monday evening. 

Stay tuned to Illegalcurve.com for all the news and notes coming out of practice, the post-game show after Monday’s game, and much more.