The St. Louis Blues turned in a hard-working, competitive effort Thursday night, but it wasn’t quite enough. In a game that featured plenty of chances at both ends and a fast-paced pace that favored neither side for long, the visiting Winnipeg Jets skated away with a 3-2 victory at Enterprise Center.
St. Louis controlled stretches of play and generated quality looks, especially in the second period when they clawed back from an early deficit. But timely saves from Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a late third-period goal proved to be the difference. The Blues outshot Winnipeg 32-28 and won the faceoff battle, yet the scoreboard told the story of another one-goal loss in what has become a season full of them.
The night wasn’t without a silver lining. In the second period, center Robert Thomas picked up a secondary assist on the Blues’ second goal of the game. That helper moved Thomas into a tie with Blues legend Al MacInnis for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time assists list. It was a quiet but significant milestone for the 26-year-old alternate captain, who continues to cement his place among the organization’s great playmakers even as the team fights for playoff positioning.
Head coach Jim Montgomery liked the compete level but was candid post-game about the little things that cost his club.
“We played a good hockey game for 58 minutes,” Montgomery said. “We just didn’t find a way to get that extra save or that extra bounce late. That’s the margin right now.”
The loss drops the Blues to .500 in their last eight games and keeps them chasing in the Western Conference wild-card race. With just a handful of games left on the schedule, every point is precious, and Thursday’s result felt like two that got away.
Still, nights like this remind you why this group keeps showing up. They battled, they pushed, and they celebrated a franchise milestone in real time. Now it’s about turning those moral victories into actual ones before the schedule runs out.
