The Whiteout Blog

The Whiteout Party has started in downtown Winnipeg as the opening game of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs gets underway in moments between the visiting St. Louis Blues and the host Winnipeg Jets. Tom Petty's "Love is a Long Road" kicked off the Sportsnet broadcast as Ron MacLean, Elliott Friedman, Kevin Bieksa, and Kelly Hrudey set up the game, and Scott Oake is back home as he took us inside Canada Life Centre. If you don't think Winnipeg is ready for this battle tonight, I'm not sure what to tell you because the electricity in the city is certainly evident! It's a Whiteout Live Blog tonight on HBIC as I have cleared my evening for this incredible night!

First Period Action

Puck drop happens in moments as the two teams take the ice!

• Robert Thomas is in the Blues lineup tonight after leaving the last regular-season game with an injury. He looks ready to go.
• The "M-V-P" chant for Hellebuyck will likely be heard a lot tonight. Expect this crowd to be all over the Blues.
• SoulBear has anthem duty, and he's killing it. Great renditions of both songs with the Winnipeg crowd singing along!
• The RCAF fighter jets just flew over HBIC headquarters. You know it's a big game if they're lending their support!
• First stoppage in play comes 42 seconds into the frame. St. Louis defender Justin Faulk sends a puck into the crowd.
• St. Louis is the more aggressive team through the opening three minutes. The Jets need to settle into their game here.
• Adam Lowry with a thunderous hit on Ryan Suter revitalizes the crowd at the 5:28 mark. Atta boy, Captain!
• The less Logan Stanley handles the puck in the defensive zone is better for the Jets. It's the hot potato puck.
• First penalty of the playoffs goes to Winnipeg's Luke Schenn. St. Louis' 16th-overall power-play gets a shot.
• For reference, St. Louis's PP was at 22.1% efficiency while Winnipeg's PK was at 79.4% efficiency (13th-overall).
• ROBERT THOMAS GOES HIGH GLOVE-SIDE ON HELLEBUYCK FOR THE PPG. 1-0 ST. LOUIS LEADS AT 9:31.
• I repeat what I said about Logan Stanley. He handles the puck like a live grenade. He should be on "boards-and-out" duty.
• The Moose, during their IHL days, had a pile of great players. I don't recall Jim Montgomery being one of them.
• St. Louis's Jake Neigbours goes to the box for slashing. The Jets will get their first crack at a power-play.
• Winnipeg finished the season with the top-ranked PP at 28.9%. St. Louis's PK was 28th-overall at 74.2%.
• MARK SCHEIFELE SCORES ON PP AS WINNIPEG TIES THE GAME AT 1-1 AT 13:38! WHITEOUT GOES NUTS WITH THE GOAL!
• HOLY COW! MORGAN BARRON SCORES ON A DEFLECTION OF A LUKE SCHENN SHOT! WINNIPEG LEADS 2-1 AT 15:02!
• The fourth-line is pinned in the Jets' zone right now, and they look gassed. This doesn't have a good feel.
• OSKAR SUNDQVIST IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND HE ZIPS ONE HOME AS ST. LOUIS TIES THE GAME AT 2-2 AT 18:10.
• I feel like both coaches are going to ask their teams if they remember how to defend when the intermission hits.
• A scrum near Hellebuyck sees Winnipeg going back on the penalty-kill. Neal Pionk sits as St. Louis goes back to the PP.
• That will do it for an entertaining first period with St. Louis and Winnipeg tied at 2-2. Did anyone expect that?

I'm taking a break during the first intermission to have some dinner, but I'll be back for more in the second period. I'll pull a Linda Richman from SNL's Coffee Talk, and ask you to talk amongst yourselves while I chow down on some dinner. I'll even give you a topic: would the St. Louis Blues have succeeded had they moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan? Discuss amongst yourselves! I'll be back with some food and a beverage in a couple of minutes. Second period action coming up!

Second Period Action

Winnipeg starts the period down a player as St. Louis has 1:42 left on the power-play. As you know, St. Louis is 1-for-1 so far tonight.

• How come none of the Sportsnet stats are the same? Everyone has different numbers depending on who you ask.
• JORDAN KYROU GOES HIGH ON THE BLOCKER SIDE FOR THE PPG. ST. LOUIS LEADS 3-2 JUST 73 SECONDS IN.
• I guess Scott Arniel didn't talk to the Jets about better defence in the middle period. Sundqvist stood untouched there.
• St. Louis is now whistled for a penalty as Colton Parayko is called for tripping Mark Scheifele. Jets to the power-play!
• Jets are unsuccessful on the power-play. They move to 1-for-2 on the night with the man-advantage.
• I'm not even qualified to be a waterboy, but it seems like Binnington is struggling to find the puck through traffic.
• Winnipeg's fourth line can be so effective when they get moving. Barron and Anderson-Dolan could be keys.
• They iffy penalties early on seem to be making net-front scrums far less intense. That may be a factor later.
• I'm not sure how he does it, but Mason Appleton is a complete enigma on the ice. Like be effective in some way.
• Kyle Connor with a good chance, but Binnington keeps it out of the net. Might this be the Jets' period?
• Holy moly did Kyle Connor come close. The collective Blues defensive unit kept that puck out the net.
• Wow. That hand-pass call at the St. Louis blue line was creative by the officials. As in they made it up.
• As Sportsnet's commentators wax poetic about Binnington, I feel my dinner coming up. I dislike him.
• I'd like to see Binington become unhinged tonight. See Appleton to the crease since he does nothing else.
• A rare mistake by Samberg leads to a Jordan Kyrou partial breakaway. Connor Hellebuyck says "I got it, boys."
• With 13.8 seconds remaining, some pressure sees Vladislav Namestnikov draw a penalty!
• Blues defender Nick Leddy is sitting in the box. The Jets need their power-play to gear up again!
• Time will expire on the second period as the St. Louis Blues take the one-goal lead into the intermission.

Third period action is coming up, and I was reviewing some trade history between these two teams. I'll ask the question of which trade was bigger when it comes to the Jets: the 2018 deadline deal that saw the Jets acquire Paul Stastny for Erik Foley, a 2018 1st round pick, and a 2020 4th round pick... OR... the trade that sent Phil Housley to the Blues for Nelson Emerson and Stephane Quintal? Obviously, one trade helped the Jets immensely while the other removed a key weapon the Jets had in their lineup. Which one do you feel was bigger in terms of the impact it had on the team?

Third Period Action

Third period action will get underway with the Jets holding 1:45 of power-play time to begin the frame. They are 1-for-2 with the man-advantage, and need to get that top-ranked power-play rolling.

• I have no idea how Jordan Binnington stopped Kyle Connor. Like that's just throw-anything-in-the-way netminding.
• Jets can't convert on the power-play despite getting a few chances. They'll need to keep pushing in this period.
• Mason Appleton. Enigma. Not sure what he's doing out there. Lowry can't be the only "scorer" on that line.
• Jordan Kyrou had a step on Dylan Samberg, and Samberg put his stick into Kyrou's hands. That's a penalty.
• The penalty is erased as Zack Bolduc cross-checks Alex Iafallo to end the power-play. 35 seconds of 4-on-4 hockey.
• Jets move to 1-for-4 on the power-play after failing to convert on another opportunity. These may be regrets soon.
• I'm not one to lament over who isn't playing, but the Jets could really use Ehlers' speed and creativity right now.
• ALEX IAFALLO FROM HIS OFFICE THREE FEET OUTSIDE THE CREASE BANGS ONE HOME! GAME IS TIED 3-3 AT 9:18!
• Jets seem to have a little life now, but the Blues are still holding strong. Might we get free hockey tonight?
• I'd normally say something about Walker's late hit, but Canada Life Centre is loud. That whistle wasn't heard.
• I like when Morrissey is feeling spicy. Jumping into the offence, throwing a hit... gimme more of that, #44.
• I'm not predicting anything, but I feel like Cole Perfetti or Kyle Connor are on the verge of something big.
• Seeing Steve Ott on the St. Louis bench reminds me why I don't like St. Louis. It's because of Steve Ott.
• Like I'm sure he's a great dude, but I just generally disliked him as a player. And yet he played forever.
• KYLE CONNOR ONE-TIMER FROM SCHEIFELE! WINNIPEG LEADS 4-3 WITH 1:36 TO PLAY! DID I CALL THAT?
• Binnington heads to the bench. Extra skater on for the Blues. They need a goal late to keep this one going.
• ADAM LOWRY SCORES ON THE MASON APPLETON MISS! JETS LEAD 5-3 WITH 53 SECONDS TO PLAY! PUT THIS ONE TO BED!
• Binnington remains on the bench as the Blues are going with the "we got nothing to lose" strategy.
• The scuffles begin with 20 seconds to play. Dance partners for everyone will send those lines to the rooms.
• More scuffles with seconds remain, and the officials will escort more players to their benches to close out this one.
• THE FINAL HORN SOUNDS ON A 5-3 WINNIPEG WIN AS THEY GO UP 1-0 IN THE SERIES AGAINST ST. LOUIS!

Winnipeg rallies in the third period to down the St. Louis Blues who, despite the loss, looked just as hungry as the Jets did all night. Both teams have things they need to improve for Game Two - Winnipeg's penalty-killing has to be better while St. Louis can't take their foot off the gas pedal - but the Jets break the ice with the 5-3 win.

Game Two is scheduled for Monday night at Canada Life Centre, and the Winnipeg Whiteout will be back. Can the Jets go up 2-0 before leaving for St. Louis or will the Blues even the series as they head home for Games Three and Four? We'll know Monday night, and here's hoping that Game Two is just as entertaining as tonight's game was!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!