One more sleep and the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues battle it out for the first time since 2019 in the postseason.
Both teams have a close head-to-head rivalry since the 1999-2000 season, but have only met once in the playoffs.
A throwback to the clash in 2019 has shades of the past after the Blues and Jets went six games before St. Louis completed their miracle season to win the Stanley Cup later that year.
Head-To-Head Breakdown
From the 1999-2000 season, when the Jets were the Atlanta Thrashers, the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues played 22 seasons and 61 games.
St. Louis amassed a 27-24-10 record while Winnipeg has a 33-21-7 record. St. Louis has the upper hand with a 4-2 record in playoffs in their lone postseason meeting.
The Jets’ home record is 16-12-4 while their away record is 17-10-2. St. Louis shapes their home record with 12-15-2 while their away record is 15-13-4. Numbers might be leaning toward the 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy winners, but the lone playoff meeting between both teams has something to say.
Neither team have ever won by a margin of more than four goals, including the 2019 postseason series.
Winnipeg Jets 2024-25 Season By The Numbers:
2024-25 Season Record: 56-22-4, Presidents’ Trophy Winners
Power Play: 28.9% (1st in the NHL)
Penalty Kill: 79.4% (13th in the NHL)
Goals For Per Game: 3.4 GF/G (3rd in the NHL)
Goals Against Per Game: 2.3 GA/G (1st in the NHL)
Goal Differential: Plus-86
Home Record: 30-7-4
Away Record: 26-15-10
Regulation Wins: 43
Regulation & Overtime Wins: 54
Longest Win Streak: 11 games
Longest Losing Streak: Four games
St. Louis Blues 2024-25 Season By The Numbers:
2024-25 Season Record: 44-30-8, Fifth in the Central Division, Second Western Conference Wild Card spot
Power Play: 22.1% (16th in the NHL)
Penalty Kill: 74.2% (28th in the NHL)
Goals For Per Game: 3.0 GF/G (13th in the NHL)
Goals Against Per Game: 2.8 GA.G (12th in the NHL)
Goal Differential: Plus-21
Home Record: 24-13-3
Away Record: 20-16-5
Regulation Wins: 32
Regulation & Overtime Wins: 40
Longest Win Streak: 12 games
Longest Losing Streak: Four games
Storylines to Watch
2019 Rematch: The bell rings all too familiar for the Winnipeg Jets as they welcome the St. Louis Blues back to the Canada Life Centre for postseason action for the first time since 2019. The six-game series in 2019 ended with the Blues advancing and eventually going to the Stanley Cup Finals and winning the Stanley Cup. Regardless, the 2024 iteration of the playoff matchup will be just as intense and have a lot more on the line.
Shades of 2019? From either side of the fence, there are a lot of similarities for the St. Louis Blues as they clawed their way into the 2024 postseason. Time will tell if the Blues repeat their 2019 Cinderella story, but a monstrous hill to climb awaits the winner of this series from the Colorado-Dallas series.
Hellebuyck vs Binnington: Going all the way back to the 4-Nations Faceoff and even the 2019 series between the Blues and Jets, Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington will face each other yet again. Between both goaltenders, outperforming the other guy is the goal if you want to give your team a chance to win. Hellebuyck is coming off a massive season where he’s won the Jennings Trophy, the odds-on favourite for the Vezina and the Hart Trophy, and a likely candidate for the Conn Smythe if the Jets push that far.
From a Jets perspective, narrative shifting must be done by the end of the first round’s conclusion. However, staring down the barrel of a Jordan Binnington who elevates his play when it matters most could pose some challenges.
Binnington proved to be the guy after having a head-turning 4-Nations tournament. Binnington has clutched up in big moments, and if you’re in Winnipeg, you are likely tired of hearing about Hellebuyck’s perceived playoff shortcomings.
Luke vs Brayden Schenn: Brother versus brother, it’s Luke Schenn versus Brayden Schenn for the first time in the postseason in both players’ storied NHL careers.
Special Teams Battle: You don’t have the top power play in the NHL for the entirety of the 2024-25 regular season for any reason. The Winnipeg Jets, even with their post-4-Nations break skid, have been lethal while having a man advantage. Without Vilardi or Ehlers, the Jets’ top power play unit loses firepower. The ultimate question to be asked: Can the Winnipeg Jets rely on Cole Perfetti and Alex Iafallo to shine on the top power play unit?
Special teams are make-or-break in the playoffs, and St. Louis rolls into the postseason after cooling down from a red-hot 12-game winning streak, which was ended by Winnipeg. The biggest need for the Jets is for their success from special teams and goaltending to translate into the postseason.
Physicality & Home-Ice Advantage: It is absolutely no secret that this series between Winnipeg and St. Louis will be physical, but the turning point could be the Jets’ success at home during the regular season and having home-ice advantage all throughout the playoffs.
The physical nature of the playoffs is definitely something to be expected, and the trade deadline acquisitions of Brandon Tanev and Luke Schenn will be massive roleplayers in that regard. Of course, other players on the roster will play a role in the physicality department, but the intensity will only be turned up to 11 with the Canada Life Centre crowd.
Players to Watch
Winnipeg Jets
LW, Kyle Connor – Connor is coming off a career season of 96 points (41G, 56A). While his goal total is six shy of tying his 2021-22 47-goal season, Connor still proved as a massive contributor for Winnipeg this season. Every single season the Jets find themselves in the postseason, Connor earns his keep, and this year shouldn’t be any different for the Jets’ top-line winger.
C, Cole Perfetti – Perfetti just wrapped up his first full 82-game season with the Winnipeg Jets, and he broke out in 2024-25 for the Winnipeg Jets as a constant on the second line. Perfetti also recorded a career season of 50 points (18G, 32A), and he was one goal shy of tying his 2023-24 19-goal season. Given the confidence Perfetti has shown this season, it was easy to put a pin on him as a player to watch in every Jets game this past season, as he always was driving play and looked to have a standout moment.
LW, Brandon Tanev – Physicality is the name of the game, and Brandon Tanev fits the bill. Tanev, deep into his second run with the Jets, has been a machine for the Jets’ bottom six. Whether he’s putting his body on the line by blocking shots or hitting opponents, Tanev will be looking to make his mark for the Jets in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
C, Mark Scheifele – The Jets’ first-ever draft selection after relocating from Atlanta is having a resurgent season at 32 years old. Scheifele’s point total was a career high at 87 (39G, 48A), but his goal total fell three short of tying his 42-goal season in 2022-23, while his assist total fell two short of tying his 50-assist season in 2016-17.
D, Luke Schenn – The battle of the Schenn brothers is done in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and for the first time in Brayden and Luke’s lengthy NHL careers. Luke has been a monstrous acquisition for Winnipeg and has proven that a physical veteran was desperately missed after Brendan Dillon’s departure. Schenn brings Stanley Cup experience after winning the cup in back-to-back seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021. His physicality is a piece that will electrify the Jets and the team, but his presence also lies in his effectiveness at blocking shots, breaking up passing lanes, and being a thorn in the opposing team’s side.
RW, Gabriel Vilardi – If Gabriel Vilardi is ready to go at any point of the series against St. Louis, it will be a highly welcome addition, as Vilardi hasn’t played since the Jets’ 5-3 loss against the Buffalo Sabres on March 23rd. Like a lot of his teammates, Vilardi posted a career season with 61 points (27G, 34A) in 71 games played. At training camp, Vilardi said that his goal was to play all 82 games, but a late-season injury derailed that. Vilardi is one-third of the Jets’ league-leading top line, and having him back at any point will give the Jets a boost.
G, Connor Hellebuyck – There was no quadruple crown in the major stats categories for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. His case to defend his Vezina and Jennings Trophy is halfway done, but he looks to become the first goaltender to win the Trophy Triple Crown by adding a Hart Trophy to his collection. Hellebuyck single-handedly stole games for the Jets with eight shutouts and 19 games where he let in just one goal. With a fire in his belly after how the past two playoff series turned out, Connor Hellebuyck could be the Jets’ ‘It’ factor as the team looks to change the narrative once and for all.
St. Louis Blues
C, Robert Thomas – The Blues’ assists and points leader is coming off a second consecutive 80-point season. Thomas has shown yet again that he is one of the Blues’ premier players and will be a thorn in the side of other players. Should Thomas continue his scoring ways in the playoffs, it will give the Jets a hard challenge
LW, Jordan Kyrou – Kyrou is back to his 70-point ways and has been a massive factor for the Blues in pivotal moments of their season. Shutting down the top line will be no easy task for either team, but some extra push and specific roles for the Snuggerud-Schenn-Kyrou line make the Blues’ top six deadlier, and Kyrou’s regular-season success translates into the postseason significantly more important.
LW, Pavel Buchnevich – Buchnevich is a wildcard player, you just don’t know what you’re getting outside of a consistent 50-60 point scorer, and that should frighten any team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In his eight postseason games with the Rangers, Buchnevich only posted one assist, but he blew up for 11 points (1G, 10A) in 12 postseason games in 2022. Since that, he has not played any postseason games. Like Kyrou, the Blues’ postseason success is dependent on Buchnevich’s regular-season success translating into the postseason.
C, Brayden Schenn – Brayden and Luke face off for the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their lengthy NHL careers, and it is going to be a must-watch. Brayden has been a driving factor for the Blues, and he’s been effective as the team’s second-line centre and captain. Schenn looks to lead the Blues back to the Stanley Cup Finals after an eerily similar season to 2019.
G, Joel Hofer – The Blues will give Jordan Binnington full confidence ahead of game one, but the Winnipeg, Manitoba-born goaltender could be called upon should Binnington get shaken early in the series. Hofer leads the Blues in goaltender statistical categories, and he’s fared well this season in his 31 games. I have said it on the Inside The Rink Podcast: goaltenders are voodoo, and we could see some more of that in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Season Leaders
Winnipeg Jets
Goals: Kyle Connor, 41
Assists: Kyle Connor, 56
Points: Kyle Connor, 97
Plus-Minus: Dylan Samberg, plus-34
Goals Against Average: Connor Hellebuyck, 2.00
Save Percentage: Connor Hellebuyck, 0.925 SV%
St. Louis Blues
Goals: Jordan Kyrou, 36
Assists: Robert Thomas, 60
Points: Robert Thomas, 81
Plus-Minus: Jordan Kyrou, plus-23
Goals Against Average: Joel Hofer, 2.64
Save Percentage: Joel Hofer, 0.904 SV%
Complete Schedule
Game 1: St. Louis at Winnipeg, 5:00 pm CST, Saturday, April 19th
Game 2: St. Louis at Winnipeg, 6:30 pm CST, Monday, April 21st
Game 3: Winnipeg at St. Louis, 8:30 pm CST, Thursday, April 24th
Game 4: Winnipeg at St. Louis, Noon CST, Sunday, April 27th
Game 5*: St. Louis at Winnipeg, Time TBD, Wednesday, April 30th, *If Necessary*
Game 6*: Winnipeg at St. Louis, Time TBD, Friday, May 2nd, *If Necessary*
Game 7*: St. Louis at Winnipeg, Time TBD, Sunday, May 4th, *If Necessary*
ITR 34: End Of The Road – Inside The Rink
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