Game 7. The two best words in sports.
On Sunday night inside Canada Life Centre, we discovered exactly why Game 7s can be so thrilling, as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in double overtime.
Jets Captain Adam Lowry scores the overtime winner
Who else besides the captain, Adam Lowry, who delivered Winnipeg’s first-ever Game 7 win on home ice and first playoff series win since the 2021 season.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Lowry said about his team’s comeback in Game 7.
The Winnipeg whiteout brought their A-game, as every fan in the building was standing for the entirety of both overtimes.
Jets fans inside and out of Canada Life Centre understood the magnitude of the moment, and when Lowry’s goal went in, it was one of the loudest crowd pops I have ever heard.
“Yeah, it’s incredibly special,” Lowry said of the game-winning moment. “I probably dreamt it was a little nicer than just going off my leg, but it’s one of those things, on the outdoor rink, in the driveway, you dream about being the hero in a Game 7 and giving yourself a chance to continue chasing a Stanley Cup.”
Adam Lowry was under a microscope coming into this pivotal Game 7. He had two goals in this series, both empty netters, and was labelled as a player who was going to have to chip in as a secondary scorer.
Yes, it bounced off his leg, but he earned his luck on this night. He was one of Winnipeg’s best forwards from start to finish, and this OT winner was a byproduct of him going to the front of the net and getting a playoff-style goal.
Jets’ Cole Perfetti is the Game 7 hero
Lowry was one of the Jets’ best forwards in the game. However, the Winnipeg Jets’ best forward in Game 7 was none other than 5’11, 185lb, ‘too small and too slow for playoff hockey’, Cole Perfetti.
For a player who has evolved past his 20+ goal drought and playoff healthy scratches a season ago, all the way to playing a pivotal role in winning a Game 7 on home ice, Perfetti’s evolution has been a treat to watch.
In a game full of spectacular moments, how the Jets got to overtime was the jaw-dropping part of this game.
With 2.2 seconds left, Perfetti redirected a Kyle Connor slap pass past Jordan Binnington and sent Canada Life Centre into a frenzy.
Perfetti’s goal with 2.2 seconds left was the latest game-tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history.
“It’s pretty cool,” Perfetti said of his tying goal. “It’s kind of what you dream of. Playing in a Game 7. First time doing that, it was awesome playing in front of this crowd.”
Perfetti has battled a ton of adversity throughout his short career. Jets fans are excited about the short term, but to see Perfetti rise to the occasion in a game of this magnitude should have them excited for the future as well.
Neal Pionk plays incredible in 46:15 of TOI
Josh Morrissey played just 2:09 on this night, as he left the game after a collision with Oskar Sundqvist early in the first period.
Scott Arniel said he would be re-evaluated Monday, and with the Jets having an off day, we won’t know until Tuesday.
The Winnipeg Jets were down to five defencemen in this game. Little did they know it would head to double overtime.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Neal Pionk played an incredible Game 7. He logged 46:15 of time on ice, had three assists, and had the primary assist on the double overtime game-winner. His partner, Dylan Samberg, played an even 44 minutes of time on ice. It was an incredibly gutsy effort from the Jets’ defence core as they mitigated the loss of Morrissey.
Don’t forget about Haydn Fleury, either, as he stepped in for Logan Stanley and was effective in his 33:02 of time on ice.
“To play this long of a game with five defencemen, it’s pretty incredible,” Ehlers said of his defence core. “So hats off to those guys. They stuck with it. They battled, as forwards, we tried to help out as much as possible with getting pucks out of our zone so they could get some quick changes. But those guys stuck with it, battled their asses off and stepped up.”
Connor Hellebuyck looks sharp in OT
Connor Hellebuyck was shaky to start Game 7. Jets fans inside the building were likely thinking “here we go again” as a shot from Mathieu Joseph beat Hellebuyck from outside of the faceoff dot.
There were tense moments after Radek Faksa’s goal to make it 3-1 Blues late in the second period, as well.
However, if you were on the hunt for the soon-to-be three-time Vezina Trophy winner and 2024-25 Hart Trophy nominee, you found him in both overtimes.
Connor Hellebuyck was dialled in. Not only was he making key saves through screens, in high-danger spots, but he controlled the rebounds coming off of those shots.
That, in my opinion, is the number one sign of a locked-in Connor Hellebuyck. When there isn’t a second or third opportunity to be had because Hellebuyck is covering the puck, it’s tough to beat him.
The Jets deserve a ton of credit for persevering through the Scheifele and Morrissey injuries in this game. Hellebuyck, despite the shaky start, deserves some of that credit as well for his play in overtime.
This was simply an incredible game from start to finish. In what was easily the most entertaining game in franchise history, the Jets came out on top and are off to the second round.
Up next: The Dallas Stars
The Winnipeg Jets have advanced to the second round, where they will take on the Dallas Stars. Game 1 from Canada Life Centre is Wednesday at 8:30 PM CT, with Game 2 Friday night. Dallas mounted a third-period comeback in Game 7, so these teams have at least one thing in common.
It should be a fantastic series, and for all the series preview content and news, you can find it all right here on Illegalcurve.com.
