The St. Louis Blues would not be dead in the water if they left Winnipeg down two games in the series, but it would definitely make things tougher. So, they looked to get on the right side and steal a win on the road in Game 2 against the Winnipeg Jets.
St. Louis came out hot with some positive shifts right out of the locker room. They were throwing hits with force and getting pucks to the net early.
When that didn't result in a goal, the Jets started to get themselves calmed down. The Blues took a questionable tripping call about six minutes in, but St. Louis managed to kill it off thanks to a big kick save by Jordan Binnington in the last 10 seconds of the PK.
Later in the first period, Tyler Tucker took a penalty for cross-checking. Again, Binnington bailed the Blues out with a gigantic save.
Unfortunately, his heroics were for naught as the Jets would lead the shift following the power play. Mark Scheifele drove the net and Binnington made the stop, but Jimmy Snuggerud slipped and knocked the puck through the legs to give the Jets a 1-0 lead.
The Blues were given a power play, but it seemed like it would lead to nothing as the Blues didn't really threaten. However, after a Snuggerud miss rimmed off the wall, the Blues cycled it around and found Snuggybear on the left circle again. He snapped a wrister over Connor Hellebuyck's blocker shoulder, and it was tied with a second left.
Both teams came out hard in the second period with some early looks. Then, Blues fans had to hold their breath as Scheifele took a spill and crashed into Binnington, giving everyone nightmares of the Avalanche taking him out. There was no intent here, and thankfully, Binnington was alright.
St. Louis was awarded a power play around the game's midway point, continuing an odd trend of many calls being made in a playoff series. This time around, the Blues couldn't get anything done, and the game remained tied with the Jets finishing off the kill.
It went into the locker room tied, but didn't stay that way for long in the third. Under two minutes in, Kyle Conner snapped in a one-timer wrister from the slot with Colton Parayko kicking Binnington's stick away from him by accident just as the shot was taken. The Jets were up 2-1.
St. Louis almost answered on the next shift. Robert Thomas got a wrister up high on Hellebuyck that bounced up and over, but he could turn just enough to keep it out and Winnipeg in the lead.
The power play was given many opportunities but continued not to generate. With Luke Schenn in the box, the Blues only managed one shot on goal. St. Louis was extremely fortunate not to be down by two as the Jets missed the net with it seemingly open and Binnington out to sea.
The Blues tried, but it would prove to just not be enough. They pulled the goalie with 2:17 left and had some decent possession, but never really threatened. They did prevent the Jets from scoring, but the game ended 2-1 in favor of the wrong team.
Cons: Power play
One game after the power play was the main reason the Blues were in the game at the end; the power play was the reason they didn't tie this series. They had four opportunities, and while they scored one goal, they only managed seven shots.
That's not even averaging two shots per power play. All credit to the Jets, who pressured almost relentlessly, but the Blues have to find a way.
If the referees are going to continue calling these soft (for the playoffs) penalties, the power play has to get it done.
Pro: Snuggerud
How the first goal went in was a major blow to Snuggerud regarding confidence. However, while the Blues have had some bad luck, it can't be ignored how the kid managed to turn things around and still play well.
He had a big miss on that first power play, but he calmed himself down and made a great play to score the goal on the very next chance. While there was a hiccup here or there, his calmness and puckhandling on the power play were solid, and you would not know he was fresh out of college.
Con: Getting worn down again
In Game 1, the Blues had the vast majority of the hits, but they got worn down by the Jets defense. In Game 2, the Jets had more hits, but not by a ton.
Nevertheless, the same thing happened. The Blues came out on fire but couldn't score in that early part of the game, and the Jets just smothered them.
In both games, you could see it coming. St. Louis just couldn't do anything impressive offensively, and the gas was slowly leaking out of the tank, while the Jets were steady the entire time.
Overview:
While plenty of fans will say it's over, I am not one of them. In 2019, the Jets beat the Blues twice when St. Louis had a 2-0 lead.
Those were both vastly different teams, but the bottom line is that it's not over until it's over. The home crowd and having the last change can make the difference and the Blues can get back in this series at home.
However, they have not been able to put their stamp on this series. They've let the Jets dictate things.
The Blues have tried. They've come out hard and fast in both games on the road and forced the Jets to weather the storm.
The scary thing is that Winnipeg seemed to expect it and just dealt with it. They kept it scoreless for as long as they needed, took advantage of some fortunate situations, i.e., lucky bounces, and then just slammed the door shut.
As the game progressed, the Jets just put a lid on things. St. Louis went from 10 shots to seven to five. That's impressive on Winnipeg's part. However, when the game is on the line and still within reach, you must find a way to get pucks through. Five shots in the most critical period just won't cut it.
It's not as depressing as other playoff losses of years past, but it's disheartening. Binnington is still playing well enough to win. You've gotten timely goals, and your big names are still your best players for the most part.
There may be a bounce here or there that goes the other way, and who knows? But the Jets have been better, and they're up 2-0. Hopefully, the home crowd can spur a different result on Thursday, and then we'll see where we're at.