3 things that went wrong for St. Louis Blues vs Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of Round 1 Stanley Cup playoffs

The St. Louis Blues dropped their opening game of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs 5-3 against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. The Blues are now down 1-0 in their first-round series with the Jets, despite leading the game after two periods.

Kyle Connor scored his first of the postseason at the 18:24 mark, giving the Jets the lead after Alex Iaffalo tied the game at the midway mark of the third period.

So, let’s take a look at the three things that went wrong for the St. Louis Blues in their opening game of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

3 things that went wrong for St. Louis Blues vs Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of Round 1 Stanley Cup playoffs

#3 The Blues stopped forechecking in the third period

The most evident issue for the St. Louis Blues on Saturday was the blown lead. The Blues entered the third period with the lead, but just couldn’t hold it. The Blues stopped forechecking and settled on defending their one-goal lead.

That’s something teams cannot do against a powerhouse offensive team like the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets outshot the Blues 9-2, signaling just how much they stopped attacking. Had the Blues entered the final frame with a two or three-goal lead, defending the lead could have worked.

However, the Blues ran out of gas, and the Jets made them pay. But it’s worth pointing out that it wasn’t just the lack of forechecking that ultimately doomed the Blues.

#2 Binnington did not have his best game

St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington did not have his best game on Saturday night. The Blues would have hoped their number-one goalie would have had a stronger performance in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

But Binnington ran into some tough luck. Let’s look at Morgan Barron’s late first-period goal:

The point shot from Luke Schenn got through traffic, with Barron redirecting the shot. There’s room to argue that the goal wasn’t Binnington’s fault given the re-direction. While that may be true, Binnington wasn’t in position to make the save. As a result, the puck got through and Binnington was unable to make the save.

#1 Parayko, Fowler torched

Binnington wasn’t the only Blues player to have a rough outing in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Blue liners Colton Parayko and Cam Flower were torched, particularly in the third period.

Let’s look at Iafallo’s equalizer:

Iafallo beat Parayko cleanly to the puck. Parayko did not anticipate Iafallo moving into the crease. As such, Binnington was all along to try and stop the puck. By the time Parayko reacted, it was too late.

Let’s now look at Kyle Connor’s game-winner:

In this play, Mark Scheifele played Fowler like a fiddle as he dished the puck to a wide-open Connor. Connor took the one-timer and buried it past Binnington who was unable to get across in time.

As for Parayko, once again, he did little to impede the shot coming across. Connor was wide open and made no mistake.

Both late goals show how the Jets were able to exploit the Blues fatigue down the stretch. At this rate, the Jets could wear down the Blues to the point where a sweep may be possible.

The two teams will meet again on Monday night for Game 2 of their first-round series of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early ’90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can’t for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan