Pavel Buchnevich notched four points (3G, 1A) alongside Cam Fowler’s five points (1G, 4A) to take game three against the Winnipeg Jets 7-2 to get the Blues’ first win of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Game Story
St. Louis wasted no time getting as Pavel Buchnevich scored his first goal 48 seconds into the game to give the Blues an early 1-0 lead. Buchnevich got too much time and space early in the game, and he made the Jets pay for it with a great snap shot.
Not too long after his first goal, Buchnevich scored on the power play for St. Louis after a weird goal that looked like he kicked it into the net, but was actually redirected to his stick and into the net to make it a 2-0 game.
Winnipeg would get caught again in this game as Cam Fowler got on the rush and scored on a quick wrist shot that beat Hellebuyck to put the Blues up 3-0 in the first period.
St. Louis would end the first period with a 3-0 edge and a lot of physical play in their favour. Winnipeg was outscored, outplayed and outhit at the end of the first 20, and it didn’t end there.
The second period, while scoreless, was another great period for the Blues, but the third period was all the rage for the Blues as they got a win in their books in this series.
Winnipeg did get a goal in the third period from their fourth line as David Gustafsson received a nice pass from Jaret Anderson-Dolan, which brought the Jets within two goals, but that wouldn’t last long.
Pavel Buchnevich would put the dagger into any momentum the Jets had with Gustafsson’s goal when he completed the hat trick to put the Blues up 4-1. Buchnevich grabbed the puck from the back of the net and got it over the goal line with a backhand to notch his first career NHL Playoff hat trick.
Not too long after Buchnevich’s goal, Jordan Kyrou scored on the power play as the Blues had a five-on-three advantage to get the 5-1 lead. A great shot with a clear line of sight gave Kyrou a big goal to cushion the Blues’ lead, but St. Louis wasn’t done yet.
Alexey Toropchenko scored his first of the series off a tip-in that beat Hellebuyck to make it 6-1 and forced the Jets to make a change in net. Toropchenko’s goal saw the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut of Eric Comrie, who relieved Hellebuyck of his goaltending duties after allowing six goals.
Winnipeg didn’t go down quietly, they kept pushing the pace physically by hitting the Blues, and with a power-play goal, Neal Pionk made it a 6-2 game late in the third to give the Jets something to work with.
It wasn’t a lot of sunshine and rainbows past Pionk’s goal as the Jets continued to make their physical presence felt by roughing up the Blues however they managed to.
To close the scoring scene, Colton Parayko scored just seconds into a double-minor penalty for roughing on Logan Stanley to make it a 7-2 game. Parayko’s slap-shot from the point was the ultimate statement as the Blues got their first win of the series.
The series is now 2-1 for the Winnipeg Jets as both teams head into game four on Sunday.
What’s Next?
Game four between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues will take place at Enterprise Center on Sunday, April 27th. Puck drop is set for noon CST.
ITR 35: Round One – Inside The Rink
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