After the first two games of their first-round series with the Winnipeg Jets, the St. Louis Blues 2025 playoff hopes were in jeopardy. The team trailed the series 0-2. To get back in the series and have a realistic chance to win, the Blue Note needed to win Games 3 and 4 at home to turn the best-of-seven series into a two-of-three. The Blues did that, outscoring the Jets 12-3 in Games 3 and 4. How did the Blues do it, and even their series?
How the Blues Evened Their Series
It took more than just one player for the Blues to even the series. It took more than just one thing. Rather, it took a team effort over the course of Games 3 and 4 to get to this point.
A Full 60-Minute Effort
In Games 1 and 2, the Blues played great for the first 40 minutes. However, the wheels fell off the wagon in the third period, and the Jets grabbed the victory. The Blues had played well enough to beat the Jets, but they could not finish the game in the third period. To add some context, in Games 1 and 2, the Blues outscored the Jets 4-3 in the first two periods. In the third period, however, the Jets outscored the Blues 4-0.
Now, let’s look at Games 3 and 4. In the first two periods of both games, the Blues outscored the Jets 7-1. In the third period, the Blues kept their foot on the accelerator, outscoring the Jets 5-1 in the third period. These full 60-minute efforts have put the Blues in a position to take control of the game. In addition, they have chased Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck from both games.
And of course my man @JABsMusic is playing along with it on the organ.
Playoff hockey is so back in St. Louis. https://t.co/dBGLxmn2zX
— Joey Palazzola (@Palazzola_RTN) April 27, 2025
Early and Late Goals
Momentum can change at a minute’s notice in the playoffs. The Blues have found ways to grab momentum by scoring early and late in periods.
Pavel Buchnevich scored two goals in the opening minutes of Game 3. Cam Fowler scored late in the first period to extend the lead to 3-0. Remember, the Blues entered this game facing the possibility of falling behind 0-3 in the series. The Blues grabbed the momentum early and never let up.
In Game 4, the Jets controlled the first period. A Kyle Connor goal gave them a 1-0 lead. Jake Neighbours, however, tied the game in the final minute of the first period. The momentum of the game shifted to the Blues. This was not the only time we would see this in Game 4. Late in the second period, the Blues led 2-1. Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk each scored to extend the Blues lead.
Secondary Scoring
Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Buchnevich, and Neighbours have a combined eight goals through four games. Colton Parayko has chipped in from his defensive position as well. You need your core to produce and lead the way to win in the playoffs. That is not enough, however. You also need secondary scoring.
The Blues have gotten secondary scoring in this series, especially in Games 3 and 4. Cam Fowler had a historic Game 3, recording a goal and adding four assists. Alexey Toropchenko added a goal in Game 3. Tucker and Faulk added big goals in Game 4.
To put this into context, the Jets have scored nine goals in the series. Five of them have been from either Connor or Mark Scheifele. Furthermore, of the other four goals, one was an empty-net goal, and another was a garbage-time goal in Game 3.
Jordan Binnington Does Not Look Nervous
He was not nervous in 2019, and he is not nervous in 2025. Binnington has been great in goal for the Blues, making multiple great saves. In Games 3 and 4 at home, when the Blues needed to win both games, Binnington was fantastic, only allowing three goals and making some big saves to frustrate the Jets.
An underrated part of Binnington’s game, and definitely an underrated part of these last two games, has been his puck-handling skill. Binnington has been playing the puck well. He has made long passes to his teammates following the Jets dumping the puck in. If a Jets player shoots from a way out, Binnington has efficiently played the puck to a teammate to clear the puck.
In the playoffs, the little things matter as much as the big stuff. Binnington is doing both right so far.
Net-Front Presence
This may be the most significant factor in these last two games. The Blues have been generating traffic in front of the Jets net. Buchnevich’s first two goals in Game 3 resulted from him crashing the net for a rebound and a pass. Neighbours’s Game 4 goal resulted from him parking himself in front of the net and deflecting a Parayko shot into the net. While Tucker scored the game-winning goal from the outside, Oskar Sundqvist was in front of the net screening Hellebuyck, making it harder to stop the puck.
The Blues did not have enough net-front presence in the first two games. It is not a coincidence that as soon as they did, they scored 12 goals in two games.
Game 5
The Blues have turned this best-of-seven series into a best-of-three. They know the recipe for beating the Jets. The Jets may have won the President’s Trophy, but they are vulnerable, and the Blues have proved that. The concerns regarding the Jets heading into this series have surfaced.
In Game 5, the Blues need to continue doing what they did in Games 3 and 4. If they can do that, they will have an excellent chance at winning on the road and taking home-ice advantage away from the Jets.
Game 5 from Winnipeg will be on Wednesday at 9.30 P.M. EST.
Main Photo: Jeff Le- Imagn Images
The post How the St. Louis Blues Evened Their Series appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.