St. Louis Blues Expect a Strong Response From Winnipeg Jets Coming Into Game 3

St. Louis Blues proved that their superb form is still lasting. Last night they defeated the Jets on the road and increased the lead in the series over the division rivals to 2-0.

Craig Berube’s boys won 4-3, after an interesting battle at Bell MTS Arena, and made a huge step towards the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Berube is aware that the next game is the crucial one for the whole series. The 51-year old coach expects from the Jets to make their strongest push and try to come back into the matchup. Therefore his team doesn’t have the right to underestimate Winnipeg.

“They are going to give us their best game, Game 3 at home. And there’s no reason to get too high,” said Berube, adding that Blues have to play even better than they did in the opening two matches. “You’ve got to stay ready, and you gotta play even better than we’ve played.”

And the Blues did play very well so far. The first match was won after a big comeback in the final period, while the previous also saw the guests cracking Winnipeg’s resistance during that part of the event. The composure and the mental strength, were the edge which helped the guests to come out as winners from both.

The latest contest was more intense. The teams exchanged hits subsequently, making a couple of lead changes throughout the clash.

At first, Oskar Sundquist scored and brought the lead to the guests, then Blake Wheeler equalized, after which Patrik Lane completely turned the result upside down at the beginning of the second sequence.

Patrick Maroon and Sundquist made another change of lead before Mike Scheifele tied the game 65 seconds before the end of the second period.

Ryan O’Reilly beat Connor Hellebuyck and set the final result early on in the final period. Until the end of the game, Jordan Binnigton was the difference maker, because Blues’ goalie had 15 of his 26 saves then.

He became only the second rookie goalie in the history of the franchise, who won the first two playoff games.

His teammates were praising his performance after Game 1, saying that he was the x-factor on the ice which made it possible to open the series in the best possible way.

“Binnigton made some big saves in both games in the third period,” Berube once again mentioned during the press, emphasizing the contribution of the young fella.

Berube: "We've got everybody pretty dialed in… They're playing hard for each other… It's a battle… It's good hockey." #stlblues pic.twitter.com/V9goEWUPOP

— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) April 13, 2019

As you can see, Berube’s boys had to work hard to get here, and both games were very close, and could have gone both ways.

The series is now moving to St. Louis where Blues smashed almost everything in the last two months. If we take a closer look at the latest 15 matches they played at Enterprise Center we can see that they have only two defeats.

Still, both events against the Jets here ended with convincing defeats, 1-5, and 4-8. But that was long ago, while this team struggled and was at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The current situation is a bit different than back then. Blues are the hottest team in the league, and are flying on positive vibes.

The motivation for getting even with the Canadian team because of those two hard losses is, no doubt, high, but the Blues are not thinking about that now. The only thing on their mind is continuing to play at the same level, keeping the focus on the play and the momentum this team has at the moment.

O'Reilly took note of Sundqvist's strong game tonight: "He fights for everything… He's physical, he's making plays… He's doing whatever it takes and he's a huge reason we won the game tonight." #stlblues pic.twitter.com/P8exKqlQwZ

— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) April 13, 2019

“It’s not going to get any easier,” Ryan O’Reilly, the guy whose goal decided Game 2 said in the locker room. “We have to get a rest and come back even more hungry.”

Game 3 will start this Sunday at 7:30 pm ET. The home team holds everything in their hands, and has a nice chance to settle this series quickly and without too much problems.