Schenn brothers putting friendship on hold for Game 7 of Western 1st Round

WINNIPEG – Brayden Schenn sat atop the boards on the St. Louis Blues bench and argued with his brother Luke, a defenseman for the Jets, who was standing nearby.

It was just the latest bit of intensity in a Western Conference First Round series that’s been loaded with it.

“Just brotherly love. We’re just competing. That’s what we do,” Brayden Schenn said after the Blues defeated the Jets 5-2 in Game 6 to force Game 7, which will be at Canada Life Centre on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX, FDSNMW).

“I love Luke, and he’d say the same thing about me and it’s nothing offside, it’s just the game and at the end of the day, we’re competing for our teams for the Stanley Cup.”

Indeed, the back-and-forth series has brought out a new level of intensity across the board, whether related by blood or not. And for a series that’s already required plenty of mental and physical fortitude from all involved, Game 7 will demand that much more.

“These are kind of the moments you live for. Whether they happen in Round 1 or the (Stanley Cup) Final, these moments, to be in these situations, the mental side of it is making sure you're doing your job and you're the best version of yourself each and every shift,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said.

“Then, the physical side is, it's been an extremely physical series. That part of it is, again, continuing to be in battle mode and winning your battles and that compete is there every shift you're on the ice.”

The Blues and Jets have 501 hits combined in their six games. The Blues are third among Stanley Cup Playoff teams with 252 hits and the Jets are right behind them with 249.

So far, the home team has won each game in the series. For the Blues, who were dominant at Enterprise Center, outscoring the Jets 17-5 in their three wins there, it’s about bringing that game on the road.

“I think both teams have proven the game that they want to play on their home ice. We’ve done it here, they’ve done it there. Now we have to go in and try to get to that game early. I think we can take a lot of the things that we’ve done here in our own building and transfer them to Winnipeg,” Blues defenseman Cam Fowler said.

“But we know the situation we’re walking into, the team we’re playing against, the season they had, and they play really well on home ice. So, we have to get off to a good start, stick to the things that we’ve done well in this series and look at those tomorrow. Game 7, it’s a great opportunity for both teams, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The Jets, meanwhile, are hosting the first Game 7 in their history. It’s going to be another frenzied environment, but the Jets want to stick to what’s worked here in Games 1, 2 and 5.

“I just feel we’ve been really solid all year at home. We know that, and we’re comfortable playing here and the crowd really helps as well,” Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg said. “I think we just have to use that home-ice advantage to our advantage and just make sure we stick to the simple details and try not to waver.”

The Blues and Jets have put on quite the first-round show. It’s been entertaining. It’s been back and forth. It’s been intense. Game 7 promises to bring more of the same.

"Hopefully it has a great ending to it. All year long we've put our work in to build towards this. We've talked about these situations and certain things that have happened over the course of the year that we don't know when it'll rise in the playoffs but now it's here. Now it's here. It's Game 7,” Arniel said.

“We've gone through building blocks to get here, to get to this moment. Whether that was through the 82 games, or the six games we have just played, these are all things that now (we) put it on the line here for Game 7 and I'd like to think our group’s prepared. Now we go out and do what we do best.”