Game five is crucial, simply put. If the Winnipeg Jets cannot win game five, their backs are against the wall heading back to St. Louis for game six. With the series shifting back to Winnipeg for one game, it’s a do-or-die scenario for Winnipeg that dates back to 2019 when they last rebounded from a playoff win.
Winnipeg will look to feed off home ice in game five to take a 3-2 series lead, but it goes just deeper than that.
Related: Winnipeg Jets vs St. Louis Blues Game Four Recap
Hellebuyck Has to Prove that He Will Be Better
Connor Hellebuyck spoke to the media yesterday, acknowledging that he has to play better, but it is up to him to prove that he will be better.
Getting pulled in the third period in back-to-back games isn’t how the Jets had drawn things up, but it’s something Hellebuyck will look to avoid in game five. At one point, the Blues scored three goals on three shots on Hellebuyck. Ultimately, you could say maybe four of the goals scored in games three and four were on Hellebuyck completely.
The other seven? There are some other issues at play when you look at the highlights of the goals.
Hellebuyck and the Jets are allowing the opposing team to adapt to their game while the Jets won’t budge, and it shows in the scores from the first two games compared to the last two games.
Everything they’re doing isn’t enough right now, and the defensive dominance that won Hellebuyck and the Jets had in the 2024-25 regular season seemingly evaporated as the playoffs hit.
Clear the Net and Protect the Guts of the Ice
I alluded to some ‘other’ issues at play when you look at the highlights of the goals, and it’s clearing the net and protecting the guts of the ice.
Remember way back in January when Scott Arniel hated the Jets’ effort against Utah and said the team needs to protect the guts of the ice better? I surely do.
This is a similar situation for Winnipeg, but they do not have answers at the moment. If the Jets can protect the guts of the ice and clear the net, they will have a better time in game five defensively and in the case of Hellebuyck.
Vilardi’s Return is Needed, but He Has to Perform Too
It is confirmed. Gabriel Vilardi will be making his return to the Winnipeg Jets roster for game five after being out of game action since March 23rd.
This adds significantly more firepower to the Winnipeg Jets’ first line, which has been on a roll all season long. When Vilardi went down with an injury, Alex Iafallo took his place and exceeded all expectations in that role.
Vilardi will return to his first-line spot while Iafallo heads down to the second line. It goes without saying that the confidence that is being placed in both players is great to see, but they must perform to the levels that they’ve already been and previously have performed to.
Bringing back one-third of the Jets’ league-leading first line adds to their punch, but he has to perform and play the way he has played year-round. While there will be obvious signs of not being in a game for over a month, Vilardi will still be impactful for the Jets as they look to take game five.
Secondary Scoring
Do you hear the sound of me beating the same drum that I’ve been beating since this series started?
Anyways, games one and two had Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor written all over them, and I was fairly certain that scoring pace was not going to last.
St. Louis came to play in games three and four, chasing Hellebuyck out of the net, but as I discussed in my previous section, there were deeper issues than just the score.
Players like Cole Perfetti, Nino Niederreiter, Alex Iafallo and Adam Lowry will have to lead the charge for the Jets’ secondary scoring core if they want to have a hope for winning game five.
Secondary scoring, or lack thereof, has been an issue pretty much all series, and the main key to success for the Jets’ winning chances tomorrow night is just that.
Feed Off the Whiteout
The Jets are back home for just one game, and it could mean that they gain their mojo back by feeding off the home crowd.
The whiteout will, without a doubt, be in full effect tomorrow night, but it’s up to the Jets on the ice to change that narrative of collapsing in four straight games for a fourth consecutive playoff series.
Game five is dubbed as the ‘best-of-three’ within this best-of-seven series, as the Jets could take the edge by winning tomorrow night on home ice, while the Blues could put themselves in a familiar position to the 2019 series with a 3-2 series edge.
What’s Next?
Game five between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues is set for Wednesday, April 30th. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 pm CST.
ITR 35: Round One – Inside The Rink
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
