WINNIPEG — Scott Arniel paused for a few moments to appreciate a Winnipeg Jets’ milestone before turning his mind to the next piece of business.
Alex Iafallo scored the game-winner at 7:05 of the third period to help the Jets defeat the red-hot St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Monday and register a franchise-record 53rd win of the season.
Calling it a “great accomplishment,” Winnipeg’s first-year head coach then focused on a crucial goal around the corner.
“It’s gratifying, but it’s stuff for after the year,” Arniel said. “We’re still after something here, we’re still trying to get that (Central) Division (title), and this was another step towards it.
“It’s amazing that we’re at (win) 53 and we still haven’t clinched the division, that’s how good our division is. So it’s just move off of this one, move on to the next one.”
The NHL-leading Jets (53-21-4) travel to Dallas for a Thursday showdown against the Stars, a team that’s five points behind them in the division and Western Conference standings. Dallas has one game in hand.
Snapping the Blues’ franchise-record 12-game win streak, which was also the longest in the NHL this season, helps with preparation for Thursday.
“We got another great team,” Jets forward Kyle Connor said of the Stars. “There's a lot of good teams on the stretch here. And in the playoffs, it's gonna be every night.
“A couple times this year we win a big game and the next night it's not quite there. So that's something that we're working on.”
The battle with the Blues also produced another milestone.
Morgan Barron and captain Adam Lowry, into an empty net, also scored for Winnipeg. It was Lowry’s career-high 16th of the season.
“Real happy for him,” Arniel said of Lowry. “Obviously he does an awful lot for us. Lot of heavy lifting, a lot of the leadership role and then to have a year like this, that’s been great.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 14 saves to record his 44th win of the season and tie his franchise record from 2017-18. Mark Schiefele had one assist and tied his career high for points with 84.
Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Blues (43-29-7) and Joel Hofer stopped 23 shots for St. Louis, which holds the first wild-card spot in the conference, two points ahead of the idle Minnesota Wild.
The tight-checking first period featured some interesting numbers but no goals.
Winnipeg outshot the Blues 8-3, but the visitors led 14-3 in blocked shots. The Jets’ shot attempts in the opening frame was 31-8.
“They defended well all night, and as we’re moving to the playoffs, we’re going to see more and more of that,” said Barron, who gave his team a 1-0 lead at 2:34 of the second period after racing for a loose puck.
“It’s obviously frustrating when you’re not getting through all the time, but it’s going to be something that we work on and continue to stay patient. Obviously it paid off tonight.”
Buchnevich tied it at 7:27 of the second. His 18th of the season extended his goal streak to three in three games.
Iafallo’s goal at 7:05 of the third was his 14th goal of the season. Lowry sent the puck into the empty net with nine seconds left.
Holding the Blues to 15 shots was a point of pride for Connor.
“That just says everybody's bought in and we're focused right now,” said the team’s leading scorer, who’s a point away from matching his career high of 93. “And it's still something that we're working on – consistency.”
The good thing is they know what needs tweaking.
“There’s awareness of where this game needs to be for a team,” Connor said. “And when everybody's going, we're scary."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2025.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
