The Winnipeg Jets talked throughout the week about needing to be better if they were going to win this series. In Game 5, they brought their best, as they defeated the Blues 5-3 even with the loss of their top line center for the final 40 minutes.
There was plenty to take away from a fantastic hockey game at Canada Life Centre, as the Jets pushed the Blues to the brink of elimination.
Winnipeg Jets persevere through Mark Scheifele injury
Mark Scheifele did not come out for the second period of this game, and ultimately did not return.
Scott Arniel did not have an update on his top line center’s status after the game.
After the game, Jim Montgomery said “Let’s make it clear, 55 got hurt on the Faksa hit, not the Schenn hit.”
To which Scott Arniel replied…
“Well, I didn’t know Monty got his medical degree, trying to say how our player got hurt,” Scott Arniel said. “He’s way off base. He should not make that comment.”
Quite the dueling narrative between the two bench bosses.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
While the Jets didn’t have Scheifele for the back half of this game, they did an incredible job stepping up in his absence.
Vladislav Namestnikov slid up to the top line with Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi, and he added a goal late in the second period to push Winnipeg’s lead to 4-2.
“Yeah, it’s hard losing your best player,” Namestnikov said after the game. “But at the same time, we’ve dealt with this all year with injuries, so it’s the next man mentality. And as I said, we’ve been doing it all year, and guys stepped up today.”
That next man up mentality propelled the Jets to victory, as they got offensive contributions from Nino Niederretier and Dylan DeMelo, who each got their first goals of the series, as well as Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry, and Namestnikov.
We will know more about Mark Scheifele’s status on Thursday. Obviously, losing Scheifele for any amount of time would be a massive loss for the Jets. Players stepped up and provided offensive contributions in Game 5, and if Scheifele doesn’t return in Game 6, they’ll have to step up yet again.
Connor Hellebuyck has an up-and-down Game 5
Connor Hellebuyck’s game has been under major scrutiny in this series, and for good reason, as he had been pulled in back-to-back games coming into this one.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
In Game 5, he had an up-and-down outing, stopping 16/19 shots sent his way.
His best save of the night, and his best save of the series, came off of Oskar Sundqvist in the middle of the first period. The game was tied 1-1, with Winnipeg on the power play, and facing a two-on-one, Hellebuyck sprawled across with his stick and made a jaw-dropping stop.
“I think Helly hasn’t gotten enough credit in this series,” Lowry said. “That paddle save that he makes, you can call it series changing, you can call it game changing, but that was a key play. I thought he had a heck of a game. Disappointing to give up that third one for him, but he kept us in it and he really shut the door when we got that lead.”
Despite letting in a screened, deflection goal early in the first period, that paddle save was one of a few confident saves that Hellebuyck made near the end of the period to give the Jets a 2-1 lead.
Then in the second period, he let in a soft one. Jimmy Snuggerud is a talented winger, but as he skated down the wing, Hellebuyck simply didn’t get to his short side post and got beat on a relatively weak shot along the ice.
That’s a goal that Hellebuyck simply has to have.
With no Mark Scheifele to begin the second, and this goal from a misplay on Hellebuyck’s part, the Jets looked to be in a tough spot.
Not only did the team in front of him step up, but for the remainder of this game, Hellebuyck stepped up too. He made a few key slot shot saves off of Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours in the third period to maintain the Jets lead.
Hellebuyck talked about needing to be better. He was better, despite letting in the soft goal in the second period. With potentially no Mark Scheifele for Game 6, not only will the rest of the team have to step up, but Hellebuyck especially.
Gabriel Vilardi returns
Scott Arniel said there would be no restrictions when it came to Gabriel Vilardi’s ice time in his return, and he came through on that promise.
Vilardi played 18:22 in this game, had two shots on goal, and played a key role in entering the zone and keeping possession of the puck on Dylan DeMelo’s goal to give Winnipeg a 3-2 lead.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
“He was great,” Kyle Connor said of Vilardi. “We know what he brings to the table. Wins a ton of puck battles. Smart. Great defensively. Blocks a ton of shots. What he means to our power play, just having that right shot. He’s a game-changer, and I’m glad he’s back, feeling good.”
The Jets only had two power play opportunities, one of which Vilardi took an interference penalty and missed the remainder of it.
Despite that, he clearly made an impact on this game, and will be a big piece of what the Winnipeg Jets can do going forward.
Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk shut plays down
The pairing of Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg played a huge role in the smothering defence that the Jets played in this game, and specifically Samberg, who shut down a handful of plays before St. Louis could even enter the zone.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
From there, Pionk handled the puck-moving responsibilities and moved the puck up the ice well, and that pairing won their minutes decisively.
With Samberg and Pionk on the ice, the Jets led in the following categories:
- Goals (3-0)
- Shot attempts (20-12)
- Scoring chances (13-4)
- High-danger chances (6-1)
- Expected goals percentage (71.75%)
That pairing gets tasked with the bulk of the opposition’s top forward line on most nights, and in Game 5, they played a huge role in putting the Jets in the driver seat of this series.
Up next
During Game 5, we got news of when Game 6 will be. Friday night at 7:00 PM CT. The Winnipeg Jets will look to win the series against the Blues when the puck drops on Friday, and whether or not they will have Mark Scheifele for that game is to be seen.
Stay tuned to Illegalcurve.com for the latest Mark Scheifele updates and Jets news that you’ll need ahead of Game 6.
