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New York Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Jets completed an incredible Game 7 comeback and beat the Blues: Takeaways
WINNIPEG – In a span of two days, the Western Conference witnessed two incredible Game 7 finishes. On Sunday, the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues matched – or even surpassed – the final game Saturday between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche in which the Stars scored four third-period goals to complete a 4-2 come-from-behind victory and clinch that series. Advertisement The Blues were leading 3-1 with less than two minutes left in regulation when the Jets pulled goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for an extra attacker and scored two goals to tie it and send it to overtime. Then Adam Lowry ended the third-longest Game 7 in NHL history when he scored at 16:10 of the second overtime period to give the Jets the unlikely 4-3 win. #GoJetsGo Adam Lowry (96:08) scores the 3rd latest Game 7 goal in history — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 5, 2025 The game went to overtime because of the latest game-tying goal in NHL history in a Game 7. With the puck on Nikolaj Ehlers' stick at the point and three seconds remaining in regulation, the Jets winger made a cross-ice pass to teammate Kyle Connor, who sent it to the front of the net where Cole Perfetti redirected it into the net with 2.2 seconds left. Perfetti's goal eclipsed the previous record held by the Vancouver Canucks' Matt Cooke in 2004. Vladislav Namestnikov had a shot go in off of Blues captain Brayden Schenn for a 3-2 score with 1:56 left then Perfetti scored the equalizer. In a series that saw the home team win each of the first six games of the series, the Jets held serve but needed the late dramatics and a memorable overtime to keep the trend alive. There was plenty of pressure on Winnipeg heading into Sunday's game, and no one was feeling it more than Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck had been pulled in three of his six starts in the series – all in St. Louis. Hellebuyck surrendered a goal on the first shot he saw Sunday, albeit on a broken play, then gave up another soft goal to fall behind 2-0. But Hellebuyck rebounded and was solid the rest of the way, making 26 saves for the win. The Jets were already playing without forward Mark Scheifele and then lost defenseman Josh Morrissey in the first period to an injury. Advertisement Down two of their top players, they had a couple of key turnovers by Connor and Ehlers that led to goals by the Blues' Mathieu Joseph and Radek Faksa. Ehlers' led to Faksa's goal with 35 seconds left in the second period, giving the Blues a 3-1 cushion that looked safe until the end of the third period. Faksa's goal to put the Blues ahead 3-1 to end the second should have been the dagger. The Jets had played an excellent second period, showing tremendous resolve in the wake of Morrissey's injury. Ehlers flew up the left wing side and blasted a slapshot wide. Namestnikov had two Grade A scoring chances in the centre slot but missed with both. Gabriel Vilardi missed the net by inches. Then Cole Perfetti, who the Jets didn't dress in four out of five playoff games last season, made the power play deflection that gave the Jets life. Faksa's goal should have brought that to an end – just as Ehlers' tripping penalty should have done right after it. But the Jets kept pushing, scoring two goals with Hellebuyck pulled – including the latest tying goal in Game 7 history. First, it was Namestnikov's lucky bounce off of Ryan Suter and past Jordan Binnington with 1:56 left. Then it was Perfetti all over again, driving to the slot and redirecting Connor's pass into the middle past Binnington with just three seconds left on the clock. It was a miraculous end to the third period of Game 7 following the best season in Jets history. The Blues had a two-goal lead in the final minutes of regulation, but when the Jets pulled Hellebuyck, St. Louis fans had reason to be concerned. The club gave up 11 6-on-5 extra-attacker goals in the regular season this season. Granted, the first one, a shot by Namestnikov, went off Brayden Schenn and past Binnington, so it was a bit of an unlucky bounce. Advertisement At that point, based on how the Blues' season has gone, another 6-on-5 seemed inevitable, and sure enough, it was. The Blues laid a physical pounding on Morrissey all series long, laying 86 hits on Winnipeg's top-four defencemen alone. Five minutes into Game 7, Oskar Sundqvist gave Morrissey his final hit of the series. Josh Morrissey leaves for the locker room after taking a hit. — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 4, 2025 Morrissey went to the Jets bench and was attended to by Jets staff, then returned to the ice for his next shift, laying a hit on Joseph. This hit appeared to hurt Morrissey further but Connor's giveaway in open ice forced him to try to defend Joseph's ensuing rush. In the first six games of this series, Jordan Kyrou played on the Blues' second line with Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours. In Thursday's practice, however, Montgomery moved Kyrou up to the top line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich and dropped Jimmy Snuggerud to the second line. 'Just getting a different look,' Montgomery said. 'I'm not really settled (on making the switch), but they haven't practiced like that, so I just wanted to get a familiarity like that in case I switch to it in games.' It seemed to be a response to Kyrou's lack of production in the series. In the first six games, he had just two points, and both were power-play goals. Kyrou scored the Blues' first goal just 1:10 into Game 7. Playing his first shift on the top line, he sent a pass to Parayko, who passed up an open shot and gave it back to Kyrou. The puck went off his skate, and with Hellebuyck well out of the net, Kyrou poked it across the goal line for a 1-0 lead. The Jets called their Game 6 problems 'self-inflicted' but got picked apart all over again to start Game 7. Bad transition defence led directly to the Blues' first two goals, with mistakes from top Jets players – and two saves Hellebuyck needed to make. Advertisement Kyrou scored on the Blues' first shot just 1:10 into the game after scorching through the Jets in the neutral zone and Mathieu Joseph doubled St. Louis' lead six minutes and seconds later. For a moment, it looked like Hellebuyck was on his way to getting lit up for a second straight game, with no help from his defence. To make matters worse, Morrissey was hurt in the build-up to Joseph's goal. In the second period, the Blues surrendered a power-play goal toPerfetti and, trailing just 2-1, the Jets were starting to gain some momentum. But with 35 seconds left in the period, the Blues got another goal from the heartbeat of their team – the fourth line. Faksa's goal on a pass from Nathan Walker gave the Blues a 3-1 lead heading into the third period. It was the sixth goal of the series from the Blues' fourth line: Walker (3), Toropchenko (2) and Faksa (1). They combined for 17 in the regular season. The Winnipeg Jets set an NHL record to start the season, going 14-1-0 in its first 15 games. They set a new franchise record with 116 points, winning the Presidents' Trophy. There's a chance that Hellebuyck and coach Scott Arniel win end-of-season hardware, while the Jets have already clinched their second straight William Jennings Trophy, giving up fewer goals this season than last – and scoring more, too. The power play was No. 1 in the league and came to life when Vilardi returned to the series. Multiple players set new career highs in points, including Vilardi, Connor, Scheifele, and Perfetti. The Jets spent the season talking about lessons learned, resilience built, and the ability to push back harder in big games this year than ever before. Maybe that's what led to the incredible comeback. (Photo of Cole Perfetti celebrating his third-period goal: James Carey Lauder / Imagn Images)
Global News
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Winnipeg middle school students provide barricade art for Whiteout parties
This year, Winnipeg's Whiteout street parties have a pop of colour, courtesy of some local students. The concrete barricades, which help direct traffic around the area, were painted by Grade 9 art students from Hugh John MacDonald School. The students created the design themselves – all showing off their playoff spirit – and had three hours to execute them. 'It was a cool experience, like being a part of this community. It was awesome,' says Ayan Ahmed. She painted her barrier with the phrase, 'Let's Gooooo.' Athena Abuda and Charisma Wozny collaborated on one of the barriers which features vertical stipes and alternating white and blue letters that spell out 'Winnipeg'. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's a chance that some people don't get,' says Abuda. Wozny jokes that their work might even give the Jets the boost they need for a deep playoff run. Story continues below advertisement 'Especially with our art, I think they're definitely gonna win — 100 per cent.' Adonia Asiimwe created a design showing off Connor Hellebuyck's jersey, with a big number 37 and 'Go Jets Go' painted on his stick. Asiimwe says it feels amazing to have his work seen by so many fans. 'It was very accomplishing, very motivating, and also very moving to me. It was the first time I've ever, ever, ever gotten acknowledged by other people who are outside of my family or school,' he says. Daniella Rand, the art teacher at Hugh John MacDonald, says the experience was both a great artistic challenge and a chance to get recognized for their abilities. 'It's very important to me that they can see their art in the world, they can see themselves — that if they're passing art in the community, they don't think it's inaccessible to them, it's something they can absolutely do,' says Rand. Principal Jennifer Scott says it's a special thing to have the students involved in the city's playoff spirit. 'What they do with their time, their energy, with their gifts, has an impact in a positive way to the rest of Winnipeg's community,' says Scott.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three Takeaways From Blues' 5-3 Loss Against Jets In Game 1 Of Western Conference First Round
Things were going like they intended it for the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round on Saturday. Their special teams were strong, they started the game hitting everything that moved, with a whopping 32 in the first period, and their special teams helped them carry a lead into the final 20 minutes. But the Blues succumbed in a big way. The Winnipeg Jets scored three times, including Kyle Connor's one-timer with 1:36 remaining to rally for a 5-3 win against the Blues at Canada Life Centre. The Blues, who trail the best-of-7 series 1-0 with Game 2 on Monday at 6:30 p.m., were 35-2-1 in the regular season when leading after two periods. It was almost automatic they would have the capability to close out a game but couldn't on Saturday. Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou scored power-play goals, Oskar Sundqvist scored and Jordan Binnington made 21 saves. Let's look at Saturday's Three Takeaways: * Horrendous third period -- The Blues are usually good at locking down the third, and coach Jim Montgomery has praised the players for their abilities to do so since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Whatever that was on Saturday, this will be a quick series if that same blueprint and way of execution is in play. Instead of managing the game, the Blues played prevent defense for seemingly 20 minutes, sat back, didn't dictate any play and had just one shot on goal until a meaningless Mathieu Joseph shot on Connor Hellebuyck with seconds remaining. They had a chance to put a stranglehold on the game with a power play after killing off a Nick Leddy minor to begin the period but Zack Bolduc took an inexplicably bad cross checking minor to negate what was left of it and it seemed the Jets, even through they didn't score on the ensuing power play of their own, fed off the momentum. "We can't take that penalty in the playoffs, I do know that," Montgomery said." I thought we killed the penalty pretty good. I can't say it built momentum for them, but it took us from a situation where I thought we were a little bit in control and then we weren't." The Blues managed things until Alex Iafallo tied the game 3-3 when Scheifele took a puck around the net, and was defended well by Thomas, but Cam Fowler jumped into try and defend as well, leaving that side of the ice open. Scheifele's pass hit the side of the net right to an open Iafallo, who deposited a lot shot beyond Binnington's right pad. Winnipeg goal!Scored by Alex Iafallo with 10:42 remaining in the 3rd by Mark Scheifele and Kyle 3St. Louis: 3#STLvsWPG #GoJetsGo #stlblues — NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 20, 2025 The Blues didn't generate any offense because their play with the puck was poor at best. They couldn't string together, forget two passes, they couldn't put one pass together. They kept giving it back in the neutral zone, then had to defend much of the period, getting hemmed in and when they would get it, would give it right back. Then they iced a number of pucks, including Kyrou late that started the sequence that led to Connor's eventual game-winner. Connor had been robbed twice in the game earlier by Binnington. After Scheifele won the face-off from Thomas, who was 11-for-15, the puck came to the point, Josh Morrissey found Scheifele curling around the net along the left side, a pass to the low circle to Connor for a one-timer and it was 4-3. Adam Lowry iced it with an empty-netter to make it 5-3 at 19:07. Winnipeg goal!Scored by Kyle Connor with 01:36 remaining in the 3rd by Mark Scheifele and Josh 4St. Louis: 3#STLvsWPG #GoJetsGo #stlblues — NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 20, 2025 It was simply a terrible period for the Blues, one of their worst third periods all season and came at an inopportune time. "I didn't think we managed the game very well in the third period," Montgomery said. "Penalties. Puck management. A little bit of our emotions. "... I didn't think our puck management and decision-making was quick enough." * Need more from Schenn line offensively -- Brayden Schenn will never be questioned for his physical nature; the Blues captain had a game-high nine hits of the Blues' 53 in the game. But with a line of Schenn, Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud, that line had a Corsi-for/Corsi-against of 0-11 in the game. The Blues will not play beyond Game 4 if they don't get supportive scoring from someone other than the Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours line. Even the fourth line of Radek Faksa, Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker had a Corsi rating of 3-13. No offense to Snuggerud, playing his first playoff game and eighth NHL game overall, but Saturday was a prime example of the Blues missing Dylan Holloway, who is a big influence in driving that line. * Special teams did its job -- You can't go wrong when your power-play gets you two goals, like the Blues' did. And quite frankly, if it wasn't for a lucky bounce off Ryan Suter's stick that gave Scheifele a gift power-play goal himself, the Blues' penalty killers would have been 4-for-4. But one way to quiet a home crowd as a visiting player is to make the opposition pay with the man advantage. Thomas made it 1-0 at 9:31 of the first when Cam Fowler kept a puck alive at the point, the second time on a backhand to Thomas, who made no mistake beating Hellebuyck with a wrister high glove. Power play goal for St. Louis!Scored by Robert Thomas with 10:29 remaining in the 1st by Cam Fowler and Pavel 0St. Louis: 1#STLvsWPG #GoJetsGo #stlblues — NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 19, 2025 And after Sundqvist tied it 2-2 with the Blues' only even strength goal at 18:10, Kyrou gave the Blues a 3-2 lead at 1:13 of the second period after a puck was worked around from left to the point to Kyrou, who had acres, it seemed, to skate into a wrister of his own and beat Hellebuyck high blocker (sense a theme here?). St. Louis goal!Scored by Oskar Sundqvist with 01:50 remaining in the 1st by Zack Bolduc and Justin 2St. Louis: 2#STLvsWPG #GoJetsGo #stlblues — NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 19, 2025 Power play goal for St. Louis!Scored by Jordan Kyrou with 18:47 remaining in the 2nd by Justin Faulk and Jake 2St. Louis: 3#STLvsWPG #GoJetsGo #stlblues — NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 19, 2025 The Blues finished 2-for-3 with the man advantage and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill, and on most nights, you're winning those hockey games, playoffs or not. Not this night though. "I think our special teams, ever since 4 Nations, it's been really good," Sundqvist said. "We just keep working on it. And, it's good to get some goals on the power play and killing some penalties off and then we just get back to work tomorrow and see what we need to do 5-on-5." * Here's what else Montgomery and players said postgame: 'We played a hard game. Lot of good things to take away from this game for sure. It's one game at a time and we know that.'Jordan Binnington and Brayden Schenn after Game 1 in Winnipeg. #stlblues — St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 20, 2025
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sabres Salvage Road Trip With Win In Winnpeg
After an embarrassing loss in Salt Lake City and a listless effort against Minnesota on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres responded with an excellent effort in a 5-3 victory over the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets to split their four-game road swing. The Sabres got top performances from a pair of Manitobans, as Souris native Tyson Kozak scored his second goal of the season and Morweena's James Reimer made 33 saves for his third win of the campaign. '(Reimer) gave us a heck of a game.' Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. '(Kozak) had a lot of people here, and he gets to play in front of a lot of family. I couldn't be happier for him. I thought he played hard, he played well. At that time, it was a big goal for us." Reimer 😂 #Sabrehood #GoJetsGo — Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 23, 2025 Buffalo got a season-best four-point outing from Ryan McLeod (1 goal, 3 assists) and goals from the usual suspects (Rasmus Dahlin, JJ Peterka, and Alex Tuch), but also got contributions from the unexpected in Jacob Bernard-Docker, who assisted on the first two Sabres goals. Other Sabres Stories Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday? Sabres Ownership Ranked Worst In NHL By Survey In The Athletic Dahlin Refutes Assertion Of Wanting Out Of Buffalo It was not all good news for Buffalo, as Jordan Greenway suffered a lower-body injury late in the first period and did not return. Ruff could not provide any update on the big winger after the game, other than to say that he would be looked at by team doctors. The Sabres did not practice on Monday after back-to-back weekend matinees, so Greenway's status will be updated after the morning skate in preparation for the club's first meeting with former teammate Dylan Cozens and the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Extending Vladislav Namestnikov Should Not Halt The Jets Pursuit Of A Second-Line Centre
Vladislav Namestnikov was more than deserving of his two-year, $3M AAV contract extension, but the contract agreement should not stop the Winnipeg Jets from pursuing a second-line centre or another skilled forward. The 32-year-old is in the second and final year of the $2M contract he signed with the Jets prior to the 2023-24 season, but the extension means he'll be with the team until the conclusion of the 2026-27 season. Vladislav Namestnikov, signed to a 2x$3M extension by WPG, is a bottom six two-way forward who plays pretty good hockey at even strength. #GoJetsGo — JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 22, 2025 Although the Russian centre has been phenomenal since they traded for him, upgrading and allowing him to play a lesser role could be beneficial in the playoffs. Namestnikov, the 27th overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, has an abundance of skill, but it doesn't always translate to big-time offensive numbers. His career-high of 20 goals and 44 points came in the 2017-18 season. Playing alongside Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti for a large part of the season has Namestnikov on pace to tie his career-high in points. He's proven to be capable of doing a fine job as a second-line centre, but acquiring a centre like Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders would allow Namestnikov to slide onto the third line next to Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter. On the third line, Namestnikov and Niederreiter can drive play from the wings and allow Lowry to continue to be the physically imposing and defensive stalwart he's been all season long. Although this would be placing Namestnikov in a role to thrive, it would help unlock Ehlers and Perfetti's skill. Nelson is one of the most efficient scorers in the NHL, averaging a shooting percentage of 14.1% throughout his 12-year career. If the price is too high for Nelson, pivoting and looking for a winger could help Namestinkov as well. Seattle Kraken's Oliver Bjorkstrand or Pittsburgh Penguins' Rickard Rakell would be upgrades on Perfetti due to their experience and would take some offensive pressure off of Namestnikov and Ehlers. 25 goals and 47 points in 55 games for Rickard Rakell this season. 👀 Showing off why he was added to Sweden's #4Nations Face-Off roster. 🇸🇪 📺: @NHLNetwork — NHL (@NHL) February 8, 2025 The contract is a tidy piece of business by GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. It can be difficult to find a player of Namestnikov's calibre at a cost-efficient price, but if the Jets have aspirations of hoisting the Stanley Cup, additional moves will need to be made. Stay updated with the most interesting Jets stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story. The Hockey News - Jets Extend Vladislav Namestnikov on Two-Year Deal The Winnipeg Jets have signed forward Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year contract extension. The Hockey News - Which Forwards Should The Jets Target At The Trade Deadline The Winnipeg Jets are in search of forward help as they approach the trade deadline, but which forwards should they be targeting to help improve their roster?
