Physical Jets-Blues playoff series will take toll on players, says coach

Whichever team manages to advance from the playoff series between the Jets and Blues, they are going to be battered and bruised and still face a long road to the Stanley Cup.

"There's going to be a cost to this series for both teams because it's all checks finished, all pucks battled on," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Thursday morning, hours after Winnipeg fell 2-1 in the opening game of their first-round series against St. Louis.

"It was a good, hard playoff game. You're disappointed with the result but I think you're going to see a lot of that [physical play]."

That rough-and-tumble style of play that has historically defined the meetings between the Jets and Blues led to a staggering 57 hits in Wednesday night's game, with 36 of those delivered by the Jets.

"There's no easy ice out there, for sure. We know they're a good team, they're going to play us hard," said Jets forward Mark Scheifele. "We expect nothing less from them."

Those sentiments were shared by two of the newest Jets — Kevin Hayes and Par Lindholm — who came to Winnipeg just before the trade deadline at the end of February.

"It was a physical game for sure, but that's playoffs, everyone ramps it up," said Hayes, who played the first five years of his career with the New York Rangers and has experienced the intensity of the post-season before.

Lindholm, who was part of a trade that sent Nic Petan to the Toronto Maple Leafs, experienced his first NHL playoff game on Wednesday, and was all smiles.

"A lot of speed and a lot of hits. It was really fun. I love that [style of] game," said the 27-year-old, who was a dominant centre in the Swedish Hockey League before being picked up by Toronto last year.

He was just as pumped about the fans.

"A great atmosphere — a lot of white. There was a lot of people in the stands, a lot of cheering, especially when we came out. It was exciting."

Missed chances

It would be more exciting to score, however, said Lindholm, who was stopped by Blues goalie Jordan Binnington during a 2-on-1 break with Adam Lowry.

"I know I can score goals. It doesn't feel like that right now," he said, expressing some of the frustration that Scheifele also felt after Binnington robbed him with 14 seconds left in Wednesday's game.

After taking a feed at the left circle and facing a seemingly open net, Scheifele blasted a shot that didn't get high enough to get past the desperately-outstretched leg of the Blues netminder.

"I didn't put it exactly where I wanted to," Scheifele told reporters on Thursday, then bristled a bit when asked if he watched the replay after the game.

"I saw it, I lived it, no need to beat a dead horse. Obviously, I wish it would have went in."

Jets captain Blake Wheeler also offered an abrupt, prickly response when asked what caused the Jets, who led 1-0 after two periods, to lose the handle in the third — something that has happened to Winnipeg several times this season.

"They scored a goal to tie the game then they scored another goal to win it," he said, matter-of-factly. 

Asked why it has happened so often, Wheeler simply said, "It's just a strange coincidence."

While they might be bitter about the loss, the Jets insist they aren't letting it get to them.

If you're going to be devastated by a loss or even two losses, you have no business expecting to win a Stanley Cup.- Blake Wheeler

"Who's the last team to go 16-0 in the playoffs? Has that ever happened?" Wheeler asked, referring to the number of wins it takes from the start of the post-season to hoist the cup as champions.

"We didn't expect to do that.

The playoffs are so much about how you control your emotions, he said, noting that a win sends you soaring but a loss can make you feel like you've got no chance to advance.

"Good teams find a way to manage those emotions," Wheeler said. "If you're going to be devastated by a loss or even two losses, you have no business expecting to win a Stanley Cup."

He noted the Tampa Bay Lightning, who tied the NHL record for wins this year [in the regular season] and finished first in the league, held a 3-0 lead after the first period in their Game 1 on Wednesday.

They collapsed and lost 4-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who finished 13th — 30 points behind the Lightning.

"We're going to learn from the things we did well last night," Wheeler said. "Some of the things we can do better tomorrow night to try to get the outcome we're looking for.

"We'll show up excited, show up and work the way our team knows how to work. We think that's going to be enough."

Game 2 of the Jets–Blues series is slated for Friday, also in Winnipeg, before the series shifts to the Enterprise Center in St. Louis for Game 3 on Sunday and Game 4 on Tuesday.

"It's a chess match. That's what the playoffs are all about — little adjustments on both sides and trying to see how you can get the edge," said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey.

"We have to win four of the next six and that's all we're focusing on."

• More on the Winnipeg Jets playoff run