Blues head home with 2-0 series lead over Jets
Judy Owen | The Canadian Press | Posted: April 13, 2019 4:41 AM | Last Updated: April 13, 2019
Oskar Sundqvist strikes twice for St. Louis; Game 3 on Sunday
Oskar Sundqvist only had two shots on net Friday, but he made the most of them.
The St. Louis forward scored twice to propel the Blues to a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 2 of their Western Conference opening-round playoff series.
The Blues lead the best-of-seven matchup 2-0 and host Game 3 on Sunday.
"I was actually trying to go low blocker on the first one. I think it went under his arm," Sundqvist said of Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
"The second one, I actually wanted five-hole and he kept standing up so it's nice to see that one go in, too."
WATCH | Jets fall into big hole after Game 2 loss to Blues:
Pat Maroon and Ryan O'Reilly, with the game-winner, also scored for St. Louis.
Rookie netminder Jordan Binnington made 26 saves for the visitors.
"It's a hard barn to play in, but to take two is a really good sign for this team. But that doesn't mean nothing, we've got to focus on Game 3 right now," said Maroon.
Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and one assist for Winnipeg. Patrik Laine also scored and Dustin Byfuglien contributed a pair of assists.
"You've got to win four games to win a series. I've never met any team that won two to win a series. So we're all right," Wheeler said.
Hellebuyck stopped 28 shots and wasn't showing any discouragement.
"They haven't won," Hellebuyck said. "We've got a lot of heart in here and we're going to fight. Every inch. Every battle."
O'Reilly gave the Blues the 4-3 lead at 3:46 of the third when he used Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot as a screen to beat Hellebuyck on the blocker side. It was his first playoff goal since 2014 while he was with Colorado.
"I think lots of times you practise that [kind] of shooting through something," O'Reilly said. "It's obviously a great pass by [Jay Bouwmeester], kind of put me in there in a good spot and I'm just trying to get through on to the net.
"It was obviously a big play that was nice to have."
St. Louis quieted down the crowd by responding with goals by Maroon and Sundqvist by the 9:50 mark, but Scheifele stepped up with a power-play goal to tie it 3-3 with 1:05 left in the second.
"Both teams have played pretty well," Jets defenceman Tyler Myers said. "It just hasn't gone our way. We've got to outwork them in Game 3."