Game #9: Winnipeg Jets vs St. Louis Blues

During a season where some of the bigger scorers on the team have been keeping quiet on the scoresheet, it is hugely refreshing to see other players step up. Certainly, players less known for their scoring prowess such as defensemen are often ones who get the fuzzy end of the lollipop, but Jacob Trouba was no sucker as he banged in the overtime winner during the Jets' fifth game in their six game home stand, taking the two points with a 5-4 win.

Things didn't looks so rosy for the home team at the start of the game, however. In fact, it looked anything but as the visiting Blues got on the board first 47 seconds into the game as Ryan O'Reilly made a neat flip shot over the glove of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. A close call came again for the Blues during a power play at 4:49 but the puck, which did get past the Jets' net minder, dinged off the post, keeping it a one-goal game.

However, at 10:57 of the first, the Blues' Parayko dialed long distance, making a point shot that deflected off a Jets' defenders stick, putting the visitors up by two.

During a Jets' power play, the home answered with a nifty goal of their own as Mark Scheifele, after stripping the puck from one of the Blues' players in a scrambled defensive play, made a shot from behind the net at 12:07. From his shot, the puck bounced in off the left foot of one of the Blues' defensemen, going five-hole past goaltender Jake Allen, which is how the first period ended, with the Jets still trailing by one. However, the momentum from one man turning the Blues' defensive corp inside out like a bunch of cheap sweaty socks did a lot to help the Jets come back, but not without a battle.

Mark Scheifele's Shot from Behind the Net

The second period was a bit of a wet blanket as the Jets could not seem to even buy a goal, no matter how hard they tried. Instead, on the power play ay 9:30, the Blues' Vince Dunn put one in past an off balance Hellebuyck, leading 3-1 at the end of the second period.

The third came, and exactly 60 seconds into the period, the Jets' Ben Chiarot blasted in a point shot off a nifty pass by Scheifele, bringing the home team within one. Things were then all tied up as Scheifele popped in his second of the night on a backhand flip, off a rebound from a shot by Chiarot, into the yawning cage past a desperate looking Allen.

Scheifele and Chiarot celebrate as Allen stares into the cage.

However, the determined Blues came back and pulled ahead again, this time off the stick of David Perron in a speedy tic-tac-toe play at the 5:11 mark of the third.

Playing their determination card, Coach Maurice opted to pull Connor Hellebuyck with just over two minutes remaining in the third. The gamble paid off as, with the extra attacker, Bryan Little was able to blast one in past Allen at 18:20 of the final frame. This set the stage for the dramatic overtime, which saw defensemen Jacob Trouba win the game on a short side, giving the Jets the victory at 2:54 in the overtime period.

Jacob Trouba celebrates his overtime winner with his teammates.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This marked the third straight win for the Winnipeg Jets in this early season, and in fact, marked the fifth consecutive time the Jets avoided losing in regulation on home ice, proving there's no place like home. The one POINT STREAK that was kept alive was captain BLAKE WHEELER, who now has points in three straight games with his assist on Little's tying goal. The MULTIPOINT MEN on the night were MARK SCHEIFELE, who had 2 goals and an assist, and BEN CHIAROT, who potted both a goal and an assist. The Winnipeg Jets round out their home stand on October 24th as they face the very mighty Toronto Maple Leafs.