The Winnipeg Jets very rarely stand atop the hockey world, and they were a team I barely stole a passing glance at when the season began. To be real, I thought the Jets would be the Jets: Good enough to earn a playoff berth, then lose at some point in the first two rounds without anyone noticing.
Then, they went out and won the Presidents’ Trophy, while the Blues needed some monster performances following the 4 Nations Face-Off just to get relevant. So, call this one what you will, and for most NHL fans, they’re going to say ‘Winnipeg in four, maybe five.’ Okay, great. Let them underestimate the Blues.
Further, the Blues and Jets played four times, as they’re in the same division, with the Blues finishing 1-2-1 against their rivals. But, when you dig deep and look at the final scores of those games, two of them could’ve gone either way.
Blues aren’t in a hopeless situation as they go into battle with the Jets
Yeah, I get it. The Jets are the ‘big bad,’ the bullies, the team that would overshadow the ‘happy to be there’ Blues. And yet, I can’t help but ask myself if it’s a story I read before. And I may’ve even written a few stories like it before in another life, sometime in the not-so-distant past.
Anyway, the Blues lost by one goal to the Jets back in October, before beating them by three goals in early December. Their February 22nd game ended in a shootout, something we luckily don’t see in playoff hockey, before Winnipeg edged out the Blues 3-1 on April 7th. And it was a game in which the Blues were due to lose, as it had to have happened sometime.
So, for anyone underestimating the Blues, I’d like to remind them that, sans the April 7th game, they didn’t play too badly against the big, bad Jets. Oh, and going back to that December 3rd, game, they did face Connor Hellebuyck, and not the other guy who saw his 15 minutes of fame in Buffalo. So, it’s not like the Blues can’t get the best of Hellebuyck, who many believe is the best goaltender in the game today.
How the Blues can ‘upset’ Winnipeg and put the NHL on further notice
The Blues need to do two things: Shoot the puck and keep the Jets from shooting the puck. Sans the April 7th game, the Blues put up 28.33 shots per game in the season series, and if they can get that number to 30, I like their chances. Likewise, they allowed just 25 shots on goal from Winnipeg, and if they can keep that number to 25 or lower, it’ll limit the high-octane Jets chances.
The Blues know they’ll be facing Hellebuyck, and he’s hard to overwhelm. But even the best goaltenders in hockey slip up. So, shoot the puck from the blue line, get a good presence in front of the net, and confuse Hellebuyck early and often. That should be the bread and butter to winning this series. Not hard, right?
The Jets can score as well as anyone in the game today, and it’s why the Blues must limit their opportunities. Yes, the Jets will get their scores, and that’s a given. But don’t let them get hot with shooting the puck, and it’ll force them to lean on Hellebuyck.