This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets have extended this first-round series to game seven. Tied at three games apiece, it is all or nothing for both squads on Sunday night.
For the Blues, this improbable season continues. For the Jets, they could become another in a long list of teams to have disappointing endings to Presidents’ Trophy seasons.
This is as good as it gets folks.
Blues must break cycle
This series has featured home victories throughout. The Jets took games one and two at the Canada Life Centre, then the Blues stood their ground at the Enterprise Center for games three and four. The Jets won game five at home, and the Blues won their 15th straight game at home, dating back to the regular season.
The Blues must break the cycle and be the first team to get a road win to move on to the second round. The winner of this series will be Dallas, which won three of its four home games in round one.
This game seven could be one for the ages
This is the Blues' first game seven since their magical victory over the Boston Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. The team itself looks a little different, and the stakes are high, but not as high as they were back then. But one constant from then and now is the Blues' goaltender, Jordan Binnington.
Binnington still has that clutch gene, as evident in his 4 Nations faceoff victory with Team Canada. After losing to Team USA in the round robin play, Binnington shut the door on them in the game that mattered most. Now faced with another crucial, do-or-die match, he must be able to do it again in game seven.
The big difference maker will be whether Jets star center Mark Scheifele can play on Sunday night. His status remains uncertain, as he will stay in Winnipeg for game six.
The puck drop is for 6:00 PM CT.