Blues cruise past Jets in Game 4 of Western 1st Round, even series

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues scored five straight goals and chased Connor Hellebuyck again in a 5-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round at Enterprise Center on Sunday.

“It’s playoffs. You have to win the net front battle, you have to go to the net,” St. Louis captain Brayden Schenn said. “Not even just our series, but look League-wide right now how pucks and goals are going in in the playoffs; they’re not always going to be pretty. It’s such a cliché answer, but you get pucks and people and traffic to the net, shoot the puck and hopefully good things happen.”

Jake Neighbours had a goal and two assists, Schenn had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Binnington made 30 saves for the Blues, who are the second wild card from the West and won 7-2 in Game 3 here on Thursday.

The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2. Game 5 is at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN, FDSNMW).

“We knew where we were,” St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk said. “We had a job to do when we came back -- start with the first one, come in and try and play well, get to our game. Obviously, [Game 3] went pretty well and went our way. We knew we had to try and recreate that again today. It was a tough task after losing the first two [in Winnipeg]. We wanted to get back even in the series, and that’s where we are. It’s three games now, series tied up. We’ve got to keep going and keep playing well.”

Hellebuyck allowed five goals on 18 shots and was pulled for the second straight game for the Jets, who won the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the most points in the regular season. Eric Comrie made six saves in relief.

Hellebuyck was pulled from Game 3 after he allowed six goals on 25 shots. He is 3-10 with a 4.56 goals-against average and an. 863 save percentage in his past 13 playoff games.

“I'm 100 percent confident in Connor Hellebuyck,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “His resume speaks for itself. At the end of the day, we need to be better in front of him. We need to let him see some pucks. There were a couple there we didn't let him see. There's things that we have to do to help him. He knows he has to do things that help us. And that's how it's been all year long.

“We're all in this together. You know what, it's just a situation that we've got to put our best foot forward when we go home. … We worked our tails off for 82 games to get home-ice advantage. Well, it's a best-of-3 now. Now we've got to make sure we take care of business.”

Kyle Connor gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 13:58 of the first period when he backhanded a rebound past Binnington.

Neighbours tied it 1-1 at 19:37. Cam Fowler’s shot-pass caromed to Colton Parayko at the point, and his shot was redirected in front by Neighbours for his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal.

“It felt really good because I felt I had multiple instances where I could have made a difference on their first goal, so it was nice to get one back for the team,” Neighbours said. “The emotion of it, it’s just exciting. It’s the playoffs; you want to compete for your team and help out any way you can. It was a good feeling.”

Tyler Tucker’s first playoff goal gave St. Louis a 2-1 lead at 10:46 of the second period, a one-timer from the right point that beat Hellebuyck clean low to the far side.

Schenn made it 3-1 at 17:23, five seconds after a Blues power play expired. Parayko drove the net off the left side, and Schenn roofed a shot from the top of the crease, taking the puck off Hellebuyck’s stick.

Faulk scored 1:31 later at 18:54, a point shot that caromed in off Jets defenseman Neal Pionk to make it 4-1.

It was the fourth goal the past two games by a St. Louis defenseman.

“I think by them moving their feet, they get more into a rhythm of the game and they end up getting open looks, especially in the offensive zone,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “If they’re moving their feet, I thought we were standing still a lot in Winnipeg, and I think as a team, we’re moving our feet and we’re getting to goal lines, we’re getting numbers on the puck and then we’re able to go low to high and our defensemen, because of the way Winnipeg does such a great job in the [defensive] zone, have a little more time if they’re moving their feet to get to middle ice.”

Robert Thomas scored to make it 5-1 at 2:01 of the third period when he dangled in the slot and backhanded a shot past Hellebuyck to chase the Winnipeg goalie from the game.

“Yeah, lots of confidence,” Jets defenseman Luke Schenn said of Hellebuyck. “I mean, he's had an unbelievable year and you watch the replay of the goals that went in, I mean, they’re deflections, they’re screens, they’re bouncing off us and in.

“(We) just, obviously, [have] to do a better job in front of the net. … Games are won and lost in the hard area and the hard area is in front of our net, in front of their net, and we obviously got to do a much better job of that.”

Tucker was injured late in the third period, buckling on top of his right leg after a checking play in the corner with Jets forward Brandon Tanev.

“I don’t have an update. We’ll have more [Monday],” Montgomery said. “His goal was huge for us getting a lead and being able to play with the lead. I thought he was really aggressive tonight, I thought that was his best game of the three games and I thought he was physical.”

NOTES: St. Louis has won 14 in a row at home dating to Feb. 23 and Binnington has won 13 straight home starts dating to the regular season. … The Blues have scored 12 goals in their first two home playoff games for the second time in franchise history (scored 14 in 1982). … Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo played 21:56 after missing Game 3 with an illness. … Winnipeg forward Gabriel Vilardi took warmups but did not play again due to an upper-body injury. … Jets defenseman Logan Stanley was scratched in favor of Haydn Fleury, who was minus-1 in 12:58. Arniel said Stanley is "banged up."