WINNIPEG – The whiteout was wild, the crowd was electric, and Kyle Connor delivered the knockout punch. With just 1:36 left in regulation, Connor blasted home a one-timer to break a 3-3 deadlock and lift the Winnipeg Jets to a thrilling 5-3 comeback win over the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of their Western Conference First Round series at Canada Life Centre.
And folks, that’s just Jets hockey.
“That’s what we do,” Connor said postgame. “Roll through the O-zone, cycle hard, wear ’em down. We got our looks and made it count.”
Count it, indeed. Connor’s game-winner came off a sweet feed from Mark Scheifele, who was in top form with a goal and two helpers. Scheifele was quick to give credit back: “Connor’s just unbelievable. You put the puck in his hands, and he makes magic happen. I’m lucky to play with him.”
Jets fans in Thunder Bay and across the northwest will love this: Winnipeg showed championship poise, storming back with three unanswered goals in the third period after trailing 3-2.
GOALS GALORE, MOMENTUM SWINGS EARLY AND OFTEN
St. Louis opened the scoring with Robert Thomas cashing in on a power play midway through the first. Winnipeg answered fast—Scheifele tied it with a fortunate bounce off a Blues stick, and Jaret Anderson-Dolan followed up to make it 2-1.
But the Blues wouldn’t go quietly. Oskar Sundqvist tied it late in the first, and Jordan Kyrou’s power play snipe early in the second had St. Louis back in the driver’s seat.
That lead held until Alex Iafallo cleaned up a beauty of a spinning dish from Scheifele to make it 3-3 in the third. Then came Connor’s dagger, and captain Adam Lowry sealed it with an empty-netter.
“You see it every year—Game 1 is always a war,” Lowry said. “It’s about making a statement. We want to be that team that comes at you in waves.”
HELLEBUYCK SOLID, BLUES SEEK ANSWERS
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 14 of 17 in the Jets net, steady when it mattered. Blues goalie Jordan Binnington had 21 saves, but Winnipeg’s third-period pressure was relentless.
“We’ve got to regroup,” said St. Louis captain Brayden Schenn, who led all skaters with nine hits. “They took it to us late, but it’s a long series.”
Blues coach Jim Montgomery didn’t mince words: “Our habits weren’t good tonight. That third period—puck management, penalties—bit us.”
UP NEXT: Game 2 at the Canada Life Centre on Monday night. Puck drop at 7:30 p.m. ET. If this one’s anything to go by, buckle up for a wild ride.
