St. Louis and Winnipeg are gearing up for the first clash at Enterprise Center. Inside The Rink’s own Conrad Jack gears you up for game three with his gameday thoughts.
St. Louis Will Be Ready to Play at Home
This one almost didn’t need to be said, but it is without question that the St. Louis Blues will be looking to get a jump on game three, especially at home.
While the Winnipeg Jets fed off the whiteout, they will have to feed off the noise and play a closely contested game three. All of the Jets’ top players will have to be sharp, but the depth players will have to be sharper as Winnipeg will be looking throughout their entire lineup for energy and scoring.
Game three is one where Winnipeg can carry the momentum of winning the first two games and catapult it into a great position to win the series early. However, St. Louis will be putting in effort to chip away at the Jets to get into a better position to keep itself in the series.
Maintain Quality and Consistency in the Game
Better positioning for St. Louis in this series means they need to outplay the Winnipeg Jets in a significant way. St. Louis had a great start to game one with two power-play goals and a third in game two, but Winnipeg got their game into another gear by tightening up their special teams overall play.
The Jets also had a lot of quality chances in the first two games of the series, and a lot of that can be credited to their consistency in playing from the start of the game to the final buzzer.
The only differences between games one and two to game three are where the game is being played and the time of the game. Winnipeg must capitalize on the momentum they built from the first two games and maintain that level of play if they really want to get a jump on the series.
Take the Commanding Lead in the Series
If Winnipeg can win game three, they put themselves in a commanding position to lead the series. It will be a tough path, but the players on the Jets, from the stars to the fourth line grinders, will have to come together and play like they have throughout the 2024-25 regular season and the first two games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As always, physicality will be amplified, and the intensity will be even higher, so both teams will be playing to win that battle of the game alongside the scoring side of things. Winnipeg has done a great job at keeping an even playing field regarding physicality, but to take a commanding lead in the series, gaining the edge physically is a must tonight.
Let Logan Stanley Play Like He Did in Game Two
Logan Stanley had his playoff-defining game in game two, and he must build on that as the Jets and Blues shape up for game three.
Granted, his big hit on Kyrou led to a two-on-one play for St. Louis, but Hellebuyck kept the door shut to keep things even and make sure Stanley got the positive light. Game three is all about playing a tight defensive game, as were the first two games, but always emphasize these traits even more as the playoffs go on.
Jim Montgomery will be making sure his top players and more physical players have an answer to Logan Stanley tonight should he run around and hit Kyrou or another star guy, and it will only add to the intensity and importance of game three.
ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again – Inside The Rink
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