The St. Louis Blues were one of the hottest offences in the NHL after the Four Nations Face-Off break. The Blues had four players producing over a point per game during that stretch(Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich, and Dylan Holloway). In the run to the playoffs, the Blues lost one of their more dynamic players, Holloway, due to injury and have been trying to figure out who will step up and replace his production. With the status of Holloway's return uncertain, and whether he will return in the series, the team will need to score by committee if they stand a chance against the Winnipeg Jets' offence.
The Jets were one of the elite offences in the NHL this season. They finished the regular season in a tie for third-most goals in the league, just behind the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning. Kyle Connor led the way for the Jets with 41 goals, the second time he has hit the 40-goal mark in his career. Mark Scheifele was not far behind, putting up 39 goals this season. The Jets had four players hit over 20 goals this season, and had 12 players this year hit the 10-goal mark.
The St. Louis Blues, on the other hand, only had one player eclipse the 30 mark this season in Kyrou, who had 36. The Blues had the edge in 20 goal scorers with five, but were a little behind on players hitting the 10-goal mark with eight. The Blues rely heavily on their top six to score goals, but if they want to beat the Jets, they will need their depth to start chipping in more. The Blues have gotten little to no scoring from their bottom six, with the top scorer being Nathan Walker, with eight goals on those bottom two lines. The Blues have been getting better production from their defencemen, with Colton Parayko leading the defence with 16 goals, then Cam Fowler with 9, and Philip Broberg with 8.
No one thought beating the Winnipeg Jets would be easy. They were the best team in the league this season, winning the Presidents' Trophy, having one of the most potent offences in the NHL and were backstopped by a player who will win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy and potentially could clean house at the award ceremony this year, in Connor Hellebuyck. In saying that, the Blues do not look like a team that will back away from any challenge. The team came out flying in game one and looked to trouble Hellebuyck early, but the Jets clawed their way back, thanks to their secondary scoring.
Connor and Scheifele will not be easy to stop, but the Blues will need to do better limiting the Jets' bottom six if they want a chance in this series. At the same time, the Blues need someone to replace Holloway's production, whether that is someone stepping up or by committee. If game one is an example of what is to come, the Blues might have to fight fire with fire and need more scoring help from their bottom two offensive lines. With game two happening tonight, let's see if anyone takes that step forward.