The St. Louis Blues scored four goals in 5:23 to defeat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in game six to avoid elimination from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and force the series back to Winnipeg for game seven.
Game Story
St. Louis scored the opening goal at 6:05 into the first period, pushing the Jets to a third straight game where they allowed the first goal at Enterprise Center.
Phillip Broberg’s slap shot from the point beat Connor Hellebuyck, which prompted Jets head coach Scott Arniel to review the play for potential goaltender interference.
The first period ended at 1-0 for the Blues, but St. Louis’ 8-2 shot advantage gave them the extra push in momentum heading into the second period.
Seconds into the second period, Morgan Barron got on a rush after keeping the puck from gaining much ice in the neutral zone and beat Jordan Binnington high in his net, but Mason Appleton was offside, and the goal was called back.
It wasn’t long after that when the Jets got on the power play and made quick work of it. Cole Perfetti, swarming at the top of the right circle, batted the loose puck into the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Winnipeg would continue to fly through the Blues for the first half of the second period before it all crumbled in the matter of 5:23.
Phillip Broberg dished a nice pass to Nathan Walker, who went unprotected in the guts of the ice to tap in the go-ahead goal and start a flurry of goals.
Physicality continued to amp up, and both teams were being closely called, but the penalty kill units of both teams were the difference makers.
Just 53 seconds after Walker’s goal, Brayden Schenn flew up the ice with the puck on his stick and beat Hellebuyck below the glove and above the pad on a goal he absolutely should’ve saved. Brayden Schenn’s insurance marker was the turning point in the game as the Jets were caught out of position, allowing the Blues captain to put the game in their favour.
The third goal in this sequence came 1:13 after Schenn’s goal. The Jets and Blues battled behind the net, and eventually the puck got on Hellebuyck’s stick. Rather than playing it safe and covering the puck, Hellebuyck batted the puck back behind the net, allowing the Blues to gain control and get open shooting lanes from the point.
Colton Parayko, standing still at the blueline, received the puck from Alexey Toropchenko, giving Parayko the open passing lane to Cam Fowler, who skated a bit into the slot and took a hard wrist shot that beat Hellebuyck clean over his glove side. No Jets defender attempted to block the shot or clear the heavy traffic in front of the net.
Putting the finishing touches in this four-goal, 5:23 span was Toropchenko. The Jets’ defenders would dish a pizza to their blueline and make no attempt to skate towards the puck, leading to Radek Faksa picking up the loose puck and finding Toropchenko at the slot to score the final Blues goal of the game.
The Jets would find a way to stop the Blues for the remainder of the period, leaving a 5-1 deficit heading into the third. The first 30 minutes of the game were good hockey played by the Jets, but the final 10 of the second period was a total collapse.
Eric Comrie would start the third period in the net for the Winnipeg Jets as Connor Hellebuyck got chased out for the third straight road game in this series and fourth consecutive road playoff game pull dating back to the 2024 Colorado series when Hellebuyck was pulled in game four.
Nino Niederreiter scored the lone goal midway through the third period as the Jets clawed within three.
The Blues walked over the Jets yet again at Enterprise Center for the 5-2 win to even the series and send it back to Winnipeg.
What’s Next?
Game seven of the series between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues is set for Sunday, May 4th. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 pm CST in the winner-takes-all game.
ITR 36: Coaching Carousel – Inside The Rink
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