ST LOUIS — With two star forwards down and a starting goalie who was pulled in his two previous road games, the Winnipeg Jets have a few strikes against them as they return to enemy territory.
They still have the St. Louis Blues on the ropes though in a first-round series that has been physical, fast-paced and energetic. A spicy Game 5 that saw the departure of Jets centre Mark Scheifele has only added to the drama.
Home has felt like it for both teams. The Jets are hoping the first road win in this best-of-seven showdown will come Friday night in Game 6 at Enterprise Center.
"We don't change how we're going into this," Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Thursday. "We're going in to do what we do best and get it going right from the beginning of the game like we did last night, and hopefully that's enough to get us right to the end."
Like they did in the first two games at home, the Jets held off the opposition Wednesday night with a strong two-way game in a 5-3 victory.
Winnipeg took a 3-2 series lead but it was a costly win as Scheifele was hurt and didn't travel to St. Louis. Officially out on a day-to-day basis, the top-line centre joined forward Nikolaj Ehlers (foot) on the shelf.
"Not having Nik, not having Scheif, kind of knocks out a couple of your top-six players," Arniel said during an availability at the Winnipeg airport. "So this is straightforward. (You) grind it out, work for and fight for every inch and get those greasy goals."
Scheifele, who has six points in the series, took two punishing bodychecks early in Game 5 and didn't return after the first intermission. Injury specifics weren't provided.
He was hit along the boards by Blues captain Brayden Schenn — who was penalized for interference — and later took a stiff open-ice check from Radek Faksa.
Overall, the Jets outhit the Blues 44-40 in the teams' latest rough-and-tumble affair.
"This is playoff hockey," Arniel said. "A lot of this stuff goes on. It's tough. It's tough to manage, it's tough to ref and it's tough to coach. It's what it is. That's why everybody talks about the playoffs.
"It's a totally different animal in itself. It takes on a whole new life. It's pressure on players, coaches, referees, the league. So it's just (time to) move on. We know where we're at right now. We know Scheif won't be with us for tomorrow's game. Now we've just got to focus on winning that next one."
Hellebuyck, who has been nominated for the Hart and Vezina trophies, was chased in a 7-2 loss in Game 3 and yanked again in a 5-1 defeat in Game 4.
He posted a 2.00 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in the regular season but has a 3.96 GAA and .822 save percentage in this series.
Hellebuyck let in a softy to Jimmy Snuggerud in Game 5 but also made an all-world stick save on Oskar Sundqvist.
"It was just one of those saves where you’re like, 'Oh my goodness,'" said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo. "It gets you out of your seat. Just a fantastic save and huge moment in the game there.
"(If) they score one there, maybe that changes the outlook of the game."
Hellebuyck is not the only netminder who has been uncomfortable at Enterprise Center in recent weeks. The Blues closed out the regular season with 12 straight home victories.
"So far the road team hasn’t been able to get the job done," Schenn said after Game 5. "It’s our turn to get one at home now."
Ehlers, who's out on a week-to-week basis, has been skating in recent days and joined the team for the trip.
The Jets haven't reached the second round of the playoffs since 2021. If the Blues force a deciding seventh game, it will be played Sunday at Canada Life Centre.
"I believe in our group," said Blues head coach Jim Montgomery. "We’ve done it here for two and a half months. There’s no reason to believe that we’re not going to be coming out full force and try to force a Game 7."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
