The Winnipeg Jets continue to experience issues with depth scoring as they get shutout on the road Wednesday versus the St. Louis Blues.
The Winnipeg Jets fell 1-0 to the St. Louis Blues on home ice Wednesday night in a game that unfolded exactly as expected.
With Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and St. Louis’ Joel Hofer both owning strong track records in the matchup and both teams struggling offensively of late, goals were going to be at a premium. That proved true as the two netminders continued their success against familiar opposition with Hellebuyck stopping 25 of 26 shots in a strong performance, while Hofer turned aside all 24 shots he faced to earn the shutout.
The only goal of the night came from an unlikely source in Blues defenseman Justin Faulk, who continued his surprising offensive season, scoring his eighth goal of the year on a clean look from the high slot.
St. Louis carried the momentum early, generating pressure on an opening power play before continuing to push once the penalty expired. The Blues nearly broke the ice halfway through the first period during a lengthy sequence that exposed a Jets defensive breakdown. Robert Thomas got a quick scoring chance and rang a shot off the post, then helped cycle the puck to Pavel Buchnevich in the high slot, who also beat Hellebuyck but hit iron. Several more chances followed before Hellebuyck finally settled things down. Winnipeg found a few looks late in the opening frame, but the period was largely controlled by the Blues.
The Jets began to tilt the ice early in the second period thanks to two power play opportunities, yet they could not solve Hofer. St. Louis answered back midway through the period when Brayden Schenn broke in alone on a breakaway, only to be denied by the back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner.
Hellebuyck continued to keep Winnipeg within reach, but the breakthrough finally came after aggressive Blues forechecking forced a Jets turnover in the defensive zone as Robert Thomas collected the loose puck and slid a pass into the high slot for Faulk. The 33-year-old defenseman snapped his shot past Hellebuyck for the game’s lone goal.
The Jets had chances to respond late in the second, but the Blues once again finished the period with pressure, including more opportunities on the power play.
St. Louis opened the third period with continued pressure, highlighted by a two on one chance where they missed the net. Midway through the period, Winnipeg trailed by double digits in shots and began to pick up the pace, generating chances as they pushed for the equalizer. Hofer, however, remained steady.
Jets veteran winger Nino Niederreiter had Winnipeg’s best opportunity with six minutes remaining, finding space in the slot for a clean look, but Hofer sealed the ice with a strong pad save. A late brawl shortened Winnipeg’s bench and left the Jets shorthanded for the final minutes, effectively ending any comeback hopes.
The loss was a clear snapshot of what has plagued the Jets recently. The top unit could not break through against a hot goaltender, and there was little secondary scoring to compensate. Entering and exiting the game scoreless, the top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabe Vilardi has accounted for 47 goals this season, compared to just 36 from the rest of Winnipeg’s forwards combined.
The Jets will continue searching for answers as they head to Colorado for a challenging road matchup against the Avalanche on Friday.
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