Pavel Buchnevich netted a hat trick and added an assist for the St. Louis Blues in a 7-2 win against the visiting Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday night.
Cam Fowler had a goal and four assists, Robert Thomas notched four assists and Jordan Binnington made 16 saves for the Blues, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
“We felt like we went into Winnipeg, we played some competitive hockey and didn’t get the job,” said Fowler, who scored the most points by a St. Louis defensemen in a playoff game in team history. “It was important to come out with a really strong start, and in front of great fans here, and we did exactly that.”
St. Louis’ Alexey Toropchenko, Jordan Kyrou and Colton Parayko also scored.
David Gustafsson and Neal Pionk scored for the Jets, who were coming off 5-3 and 2-1 victories in the first two games of the series in Winnipeg.
Connor Hellebuyck, who led the NHL in wins (47) and goals-against average (2.00) during the regular season, stopped just 19 of 25 shots for Winnipeg before he was replaced. Eric Comrie entered and saved two of the three shots he faced.
The Blues took a 1-0 lead 48 seconds into the game when Buchnevich kicked the puck into the air and then batted it into the net.
“(Just) seconds into the game, it’s tough to start like that,” Jets forward Cole Perfetti said. “It’s frustrating and we’ve just got to come out stronger, and they came out hitting again and we’ve got to do that to them.”
The Blues were on the game’s first power play when Buchnevich tipped in a shot by Thomas from above the left circle for a 2-0 lead at 3:11.
St. Louis extended its lead to 3-0 at 15:51 of the first when Fowler beat Alex Iafallo down the ice and scored from the left hashmarks off a feed from Thomas. Buchnevich also assisted on the goal.
Gustafsson scored at 4:32 of the third to cut it to 3-1. Jaret Anderson-Dolan attracted two defenders as he drove to the net, and he backhanded a pass to a trailing Gustafsson for a one-timer from the high slot.
Thomas stole the puck from Hellebuyck behind the net and Buchnevich took possession before scoring into the vacated cage to make it 4-1 at 5:24.
Kyrou tallied during a five-on-three power play to extend the lead to 5-1 at 7:56, and Toropchenko then chipped in a redirection at 10:32.
Pionk scored from above the left circle on a power play to cut Winnipeg’s deficit to 6-2 at 12:50.
“We had some good looks,” Perfetti said. “Binnington made some good saves on the power play so far, but we’re creating those chances and that’s all you can ask for, and eventually the puck’s going to go in the net for us.”
Parayko made it 7-2 at 16:17 when he scored on a one-timer from the top of the right circle on a power play.
–Field Level Media
