Disastrous start sinks Winnipeg Jets in 7-2 Game 3 loss in St. Louis – Winnipeg

In the first two games of their series with the Blues, the Winnipeg Jets managed to overcome some not-so-great starts to win both contests.

But in Game 3 in St. Louis, they dug themselves such a deep early hole that they could not dig out, falling 7-2 as their series lead was cut in half.

After a quiet first two games, Pavel Buchnevich got the scoring started just 49 seconds in. He got free near the crease and a cross-ice feed went off his skate and fluttered in the air towards the net. If the puck crossed the line, it would have likely been disallowed for a kicking motion but he got his stick on the puck just before it entered the net, a good goal to give the Blues the early lead.

The Blues found themselves on a power play just a few minutes later and Buchnevich scored again, this time redirecting a shot-pass from Robert Thomas past Connor Hellebuyck at the 3:11 mark to make it 2-0.

St. Louis continued to dominate as the period rolled along and while the Jets tried to steady themselves late in the first, another goal from St. Louis really took the wind out of Winnipeg’s sails.

It began as a simple breakout up the ice for the Blues as Thomas carried the puck into the Winnipeg end but nobody picked up Cam Fowler as he streaked down the middle, breezing past Alex Iafallo before collecting a pass from Thomas and wiring past Hellebuyck to make it 3-0 at the 15:51 mark of the first.

Neither team scored in the second period, though Winnipeg had several power play looks to try and get back in the game and on one of them, they thought they had a goal.

Right around the midway point of the second, Jordan Binnington appeared to have robbed Cole Perfetti with a great glove save, though Perfetti immediately pointed at the net, suggesting that Binnington’s glove was behind the goal line when the puck entered it.

After a nearly five-minute review that appeared to show the puck over the line, officials let the call on the ice stand, with the NHL saying that “there was no conclusive video evidence to overturn the Referees’ call on the ice.”

There didn’t seem to be much hope for Winnipeg but just over four minutes into the third, their fourth line finally found a way to get one past Binnington. Jaret Anderson-Dolan drove the puck wide into the Blues’ end, drawing two defenders to him and freeing up space for David Gustafsson in the slot. He took a pass from Anderson-Dolan and buried it to make it 3-1 with 15:29 left.

But any hope generated by that goal was short-lived because of a mistake by Hellebuyck.

After the Blues dumped the puck in, Hellebuyck went behind the net to play it but as he tried to clear the puck, a forechecking Thomas knocked it off his stick and right to Buchnevich, who deposited the puck into an open net for his third goal of the night just 53 seconds after the Gustafsson goal.

St. Louis added another on a 5-on-3 with 12:04 remaining as Jordan Kyrou got in on the fun, firing a wrister high past Hellebuyck through a screen.

The nightmare night for the Jets wasn’t over yet.

The Blues made it 6-2 after Luke Schenn was hammered by a forechecking Radek Faksa, who took the puck away from Schenn and sent a pass cross-ice to Jake Neighbours, whose pass to the slot was steered past Hellebuyck by a streaking Alexey Toropchenko, ending the presumptive Vezina Trophy winner’s night with 9:28 left in the third.

Winnipeg did get one back on the power play with 7:10 left as Neal Pionk beat Binnington with a one-timer from the point, but the Blues then scored another power play goal with 3:43 left as Colton Parayko slammed a one-timer past Eric Comrie on the first shot that Comrie faced after entering the game.

It was also the fourth goal for the Blues on just five shots in the third.

St. Louis would finish the night with seven goals on 28 shots with Hellebuyck allowing six on 25 shots.

Binnington picked up the win, having to make just 16 saves in the game.

The Blues also went 3-for-8 on the power play and now have six power play goals in the series to just two for the Jets.

Several St. Louis players finished with monster stat lines: Buchnevich netted the hat-trick and added an assist, Fowler had a goal and four helpers, and Thomas had three assists. Conversely, the Jets’ top-line, after a great start to the series, was held off the scoresheet. Kyle Connor finished the game with a minus-four rating while Iafallo and Mark Scheifele were each minus-three.

Also of note, Dylan DeMelo did not dress in the game for Winnipeg as Colin Miller took his place on the blue line.

The Jets will look to rebound in Game 4 of the series Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. The puck drops just after noon with pregame coverage on 680 CJOB beginning at 10 a.m.