St. Louis rolls into the Canada Life Centre for game one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Inside The Rink’s own Conrad Jack has some pre-game thoughts ahead of the Central Division clash.
Round Three of Hellebuyck vs. Binnington
The first big matchup between Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington came way back in 2019, while the second was during the 4-Nations Faceoff. Now, both goaltenders meet for the third round. Hellebuyck and the Jets look for the third time to be the charm as both goaltenders duel again.
Related: Winnipeg Jets vs St Louis Blues Game One Preview
Hellebuyck is coming off a monstrous season where he took home a second consecutive Jennings and likely his third career Vezina. He will also look to add the Hart Trophy to his trophy case, but this postseason has more in store for what the Jets’ franchise netminder is looking to achieve.
In Binnington’s case, he’s won the Stanley Cup and has been a dominant goaltender when called upon. The goalie who’s known to elevate his play in the postseason will be St. Louis’ number one guy, but if his confidence is shaken at any point, will it become Hellebuyck vs Hofer? That’s the million-dollar question right now.
Special Teams Are Make or Break
The Winnipeg Jets have owned the league’s leading power play all season, but after the 4-Nations break, they seemed to falter a bit. Make no mistake, near the end of the season, the Jets began to find their ways, even in injury, but they never got back to their dominating ways on the power play.
Related: Winnipeg Jets vs St Louis Blues Series Preview
The Jets’ penalty kill isn’t a massive concern, and it goes without saying that the Jets are in a position to dial it in when down a man. Given the Jets’ tendency to elevate their play in situations where their backs are against the wall this season, this shouldn’t be a different scenario for them.
Head coach Scott Arniel said himself that the Blues have nothing to lose, and the Jets must play the exact same way. Take it as if the shift they are playing will be their absolute last; that’s the mindset needed.
Secondary Scoring Could be the ‘It’ Factor
There’s been a lot of talk about the it factor in each series, but the Winnipeg Jets have to rely on the fact that their it factor relies on their depth. That’s players like Morgan Barron, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter and more getting crucial goals.
We all know Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Josh Morrissey can score, but when your top guys produce, your bottom guys need to add an element that makes them dangerous, too.
That’s what the playoffs are about.
Look at teams that have won the Stanley Cup or have gone the depths of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the past few seasons, they all have one thing in common. They’ve all acquired the right role guys for their bottom six, and those guys are secondary scorers, too.
Health is Important for Both Teams
The utmost important thing right now is health. Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari and Nikolaj Ehlers have been out for some time now, but the playoffs are a different animal.
Keeping a team healthy, especially during the early stages of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, is a key factor to success. Some injuries happen regardless, and some players play through injuries just to win the Stanley Cup or come close. In the case of both the Blues and the Jets, with their injury history for the 2024-25 season, the playoffs are a battle, but you have to wonder if it’s worth the risk of further injury.
Gaining a Physicality Edge, Especially on Home Ice
The Winnipeg Jets have a massive advantage throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As they are the Presidents’ Trophy winners, they’ve earned themselves home ice advantage all throughout the 2025 playoffs.
The Jets are in a situation where they need to exorcise some postseason demons in round one, but the numbers are on their side to do so. If the Jets lean into the home-ice advantage, they are fine in that regard, but the next question lies in their ability to physically match opponents.
Some may raise an eyebrow at that comment, and fair enough, honestly. However, if you’ve watched as much playoff hockey as I have in the last seven years (or maybe longer), you know the playoffs are an entirely different beast.
The Jets not only need to lean into having home ice advantage, but they also need to lean into their team being a physically intimidating presence against every team. Regardless, the series against St. Louis is a starting point for the Jets to exorcise some playoff demons or ease some wounds, as Mark Scheifele put it in a post-practice press scrum.
Final Thoughts
This series will be hard-hitting without a doubt. Goaltending will be excellent, and it will be hard for each team to score on the opposing team, unless it’s like game one against Colorado in 2024.
The Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues face each other at Canada Life Centre for game one in just a few hours for a 5:00 pm CST puck drop.
ITR 34: End Of The Road – Inside The Rink
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