Winnipeg Jets rallied with a dominant third period to defeat the St. Louis Blues 5-3 in Game 1 of their playoff series Saturday.
“Our third period was Winnipeg Jets hockey,” Kyle Connor told Sportsnet’s Scott Oake. “We limited their chances, and I thought we did a great job of coming back and defending and turning those into offensive-zone shifts.”
The Jets entered the final frame trailing 3-2 before scoring three unanswered goals.
Connor scored the game-winner with just 1:46 remaining in regulation.
Winnipeg held St. Louis to only two shots on goal in the third period.
Captain Adam Lowry praised his team’s resilience in the decisive moments.
“Kinda some emotional swings. Obviously, didn’t get off to the start we wanted, but what an incredible third period, what an incredible atmosphere,” Lowry said. “Real happy with the result.”
“I think it goes back to our mantra all year: the belief in this group, the belief in our structure. We were doing a lot of things right, it was just about finding a little more traffic. (Mark Scheifele) made a heck of a play to (Alex Iafallo). We knew when we tied it up, the place was gonna go nuts, and we kinda rode that momentum.”
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery criticized his team’s late-game execution.
“I didn’t think we managed the game very well in the third period,” Montgomery said, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford. “Penalties. Puck management. A little bit of our emotions.”
Montgomery emphasized the need for improvement before Game 2.
“We are going to grow and get better from this,” he added, per Rutherford. “That’s what we have to do. If we want to make it a series, we’re going to have to get better. We’re going to have to control our emotions better. We’re going to have to manage the puck better. We’re going to have to win more battles.”
The Jets’ traditional playoff “whiteout” created an electric atmosphere that players noticed.
“It’s awesome. It’s so special to play in front of these fans,” Connor said, per Sportsnet. “They show up every time, and it’s just electric. It gives you chills every time you step on the ice. … You kinda look around, this is what you dream of. It’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Our fans showed up. They’ve been there all year, they knew it was time to elevate their game as well.”
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck received “MVP” chants from the crowd before the national anthems.
“I’ll remember that for the rest of my life,” Hellebuyck said, according to TSN’s John Lu. “That was really cool.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
