The Winnipeg Jets rallied on Saturday to hand the St. Louis Blues a crushing Game 1 loss in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Winnipeg, the Central Division No. 1, overcame a 3-2 third-period deficit to win, 5-3, scoring the go-ahead goal with one minute, 36 seconds remaining.
Jets left wing Kyle Connor scored the goal to break a 3-3 tie, snapping a shot from the left face-off circle past Blues goalie Jordan Binnington off an assist from center Mark Scheifele.
Center Alex Iafallo tied the game when he gathered a loose puck near the Blues’ goal and quickly fired it past Binnington 9:18 into the third period.
Winnipeg added an empty net goal with 1:53 remaining to ice the Game 1 win.
The Jets (56-22-4) are coming off the best regular season in franchise history, which began in 1999-2000 as the Atlanta Thrashers, setting the team record for most points (116).
Winnipeg has eight playoff appearances in the past 11 seasons, including three consecutive. While regular-season success hasn’t been foreign, postseason success has.
In their seven previous playoff appearances, the Jets have five first-round (or qualifying round in 2020) exits. They reached the Western Conference Final in 2018 and the second round in 2021.
This season, the Jets ranked third in goals scored (275) and first in goals allowed (190). Per DraftKings, they’re tied with the Panthers (47-31-4) for the second-best odds to win the Stanley Cup (+800), trailing the Avalanche (49-29-4).
The Blues were among hockey’s hottest teams entering the playoffs. Over their final 25 regular-season games, they went 19-4-2, including winning 12 in a row from March 15 to April 5, to make the postseason as the West’s second wild card, winning a tie-breaker over the Flames due to a one-game edge in regulation wins.
St. Louis squandered an opportunity to spoil Winnipeg’s Stanley Cup playoff home opener. While it might be shellshocked after its third-period collapse, it can’t reel for long.
The Blues and Jets get a day off before Game 2 in Winnipeg on Monday.
