Winnipeg Jets fend off St. Louis Blues, advance with Game 7 victory
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Jets stun Blues in double OT Game 7 thriller, advance to face Stars
Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers only needed one word to sum up the feeling after their 4-3 double-overtime Game 7 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night:
“Joy.”
Another fitting word? Historic.
Captain Adam Lowry sealed the win at 16:10 of the second overtime, sending the Jets to the second round where they’ll face the Dallas Stars, starting Wednesday in Winnipeg. But they wouldn’t have reached OT without Cole Perfetti’s clutch goal with three seconds left in regulation — a moment that set an NHL record.
Perfetti’s goal at 59:57 became the latest game-tying goal in a Game 7, surpassing Matt Cooke’s mark (59:54) from 2004. Perfetti also tied for the second-latest tying goal in any NHL playoff game, joining Dale Hunter (1993) and Eric Staal (2006). The all-time record remains Cooke’s 2003 goal with two seconds left for Minnesota.
Perfetti redirected a desperate one-timer from Kyle Connor, off a cross-ice pass from Ehlers.
“I fanned on the first one, so I told myself I wouldn’t miss again,” Ehlers said. “If we could get Binnington moving, maybe we’d have a chance.”
Despite their dramatic finish, Winnipeg’s night started poorly. Jordan Kyrou gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead just 70 seconds in, capitalizing on soft defense from Connor. Six minutes later, Mathieu Joseph’s wrist shot beat Connor Hellebuyck to make it 2-0. Hellebuyck struggled throughout the series, finishing with an .830 save percentage and 3.85 goals-against average.
The Jets, 2-25 all-time when trailing by multiple goals in a playoff game, faced even steeper odds when top defenseman Josh Morrissey exited after just four shifts with a shoulder injury. They were already without star center Mark Scheifele, out since Game 5.
Still, the Jets clawed back. Perfetti scored on the power play in the second period, but St. Louis restored their two-goal lead late in the frame with a Radek Faksa tally.
“We didn’t get the start we wanted, but no one in this group gave up,” Ehlers said.
Entering Sunday, teams with a multi-goal lead in the third period of a Game 7 were 119-4. The Blues seemed poised to close it out — until Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck and Vlad Namestnikov scored with 1:56 left. Perfetti’s last-gasp equalizer forced overtime.
The first OT was tense but scoreless, with Binnington stopping 11 shots to Hellebuyck’s four. Finally, Lowry tipped in Neal Pionk’s point shot in double OT to end the series. Born in St. Louis, Lowry’s goal knocked out the team his father Dave once played for during his NHL career.
The Jets mobbed Lowry, and Hellebuyck exhaled. Despite his struggles earlier in the series — including getting pulled in three straight road games — he stopped 13 shots in the final three periods to keep Winnipeg alive.
“Amazing. Absolutely amazing,” said coach Scott Arniel, who earned his first playoff series win as an NHL head coach. “One of the most thrilling games I’ve ever seen.”
Up next: Jets vs. Stars
Dallas coach Pete DeBoer expects to have both Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen back for the series against Winnipeg, though it’s unclear if either will be ready for Game 1.
Robertson (80 points this season) has been out since April 16 with a lower-body injury. Heiskanen (25 points in 50 games) has not played since Jan. 28 after knee surgery but could return after missing the final 32 games.
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