As of last night, the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally locked and loaded, with the Montreal Canadiens claiming the final Wild Card spot in the East, and every 1st round matchup is now official. One of the most intriguing series out West is a throwback battle between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues — a rematch of their 2019 first-round series that ended in 6 games and launched the Blues toward their first-ever Cup. That was then, and these are 2 totally different teams now.
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This year, both teams have something to prove. The Jets are trying to break their streak of early playoff exits. The Blues, on the other hand, clawed their way back to relevance after missing the postseason the past 2 years. Now they meet again — different teams, different stakes, same intensity. This is going to be a great series to open up the 2025 NHL Playoffs.
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Location: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB
Broadcast: TNT / truTV / Max
The Winnipeg Jets earned the Presidents’ Trophy with an insanely dominant 56-22-4 record and 116 points. On top of grabbing home-ice advantage, it also sends a clear message to the rest of the league that this team is no longer just potential — they’re contenders.
A big part of this dominance is goaltending. Connor Hellebuyck has been absolutely lights-out, putting up a 2.01 GAA and a .925 SV% over the regular season. He’s been the backbone of the team and is a clear front-runner to win another Vezina. Some even call him the best netminder in the world. In a league that still hinges on elite goaltending in the playoffs, that gives Winnipeg a huge edge.
Offensively, Kyle Connor is having one of the best seasons of his career as well. With 97 points spanning 41 goals and 56 assists, he’s been Winnipeg’s top threat all year. Mark Scheifele isn't far behind with 86 points, and both have produced against St. Louis this season. But with Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabriel Vilardi both dealing with injuries, there's pressure on Winnipeg’s top line to carry the load early in the series, though there is talk that Vilardi will be back in time for tonight’s game.
Still, the Jets come into this series with some swagger in their step. They won 3 out of 4 games against the Blues during the regular season, and they’ve been especially dominant on their home ice. Canada Life Centre is going to be rocking with the infamous “Winnipeg Whiteout,” and that’s no small factor — just ask teams that have come through there in April before. It’s not fun to be on the receiving end of this.
But here’s the thing — Winnipeg’s past 2 seasons have ended with 1st round exits. That’s the shadow hanging over them. Sure, they’ve been the best team during the regular season, but all the talent in the world doesn’t matter if it doesn’t translate when the lights are brightest.
It wasn’t that long ago the Blues were written off as a rebuilding team. But since Jim Montgomery took over in November, they've gone 35-18-7. They ended the regular season on a 12-game home win streak, capped off by a 6-1 beatdown of Utah to clinch their Wild Card spot. If momentum matters in hockey — and it does — St. Louis has it. Many didn’t think they were going to make it, but when you get hot at the end of the season, anything can happen.
Robert Thomas is at the center of their resurgence. He leads the team with 81 points which includes 60 assists and a 12-game point streak heading into this playoff series. Jordan Kyrou is up there as well as he chipped in 36 goals, while Pavel Buchnevich added 20. This is a top line that can hurt teams pretty quickly if given any amount of space.
Behind them, there’s just enough experience to make some noise. Brayden Schenn and Jordan Binnington are still around from that Cup-winning team in 2019. So, there’s a bit of playoff experience here. And while Binnington's numbers this year of a 2.69 GAA, and .900 SV% don’t exactly jump off the page, he’s been solid down the stretch. If he finds another gear like he did in 2019, it will change the complexion of the series entirely.
The question is whether the Blues can actually pull off wins on the road — because they’ll have to. Winnipeg is an absolute fortress, and the Blues lost both regular-season games played there this year. They’ll need to find a way to quiet the crowd and weather the storm early, especially in Games 1 and 2.
Let’s be real — we think this series could come down to which goalie blinks first.
Connor Hellebuyck is as steady as they come. He's been nothing less than consistent all year, with great numbers against St. Louis and excellent control in high-danger situations. He doesn’t get rattled and he’s been a brick wall in the crease.
Jordan Binnington is a bit more volatile — sometimes great, sometimes not — but when he’s on, he’s capable of stealing games and keeping up with the best offensive players. The big question is whether Montgomery will stick with him throughout the series, or if Joel Hofer and his 1.97 GAA vs. Winnipeg this year see action if things start to slip.
If Hellebuyck plays the way he usually does and Binnington doesn’t raise his level, Winnipeg has a clear advantage. But if Binnington gets smoking hot? This series could get really interesting, really fast.
During the regular season, Winnipeg had the edge in special teams. Their power play clicked at a stellar 28.8%, while their PK unit hovered around 79.4%. With guys like Connor and Scheifele on the top unit, it’s no surprise they’ve made teams pay with the man advantage.
St. Louis, on the other hand, has been a bit more streaky. Their penalty kill is lacking at 74.3%, which puts them in the bottom 10 of the NHL, and the power play has started to heat up lately with Kyrou and Zack Bolduc generating chances. But they can’t afford to get into a special teams shootout because they’ll lose that every time. If this series sees a lot of PIM, that plays into Winnipeg’s hands no matter who has the penalties.
Both teams will need lots of discipline. But Winnipeg has the stronger units on paper, and that’s something that can break a game open — especially late. It’s much better for the Blues if everyone stays out of the box.
Scott Arniel has managed this Jets team with precision. They’ve been structured and calm all season long even in tough spots. His ability to match lines will be huge in this series, especially when trying to slow down Thomas and Kyrou.
Jim Montgomery has his team playing fast, structured hockey. Since he took over, the Blues have played with more identity. And while St. Louis might not have the same scoring depth as Winnipeg, they’re counting on young guys like Jimmy Snuggerud and Zack Bolduc to step up and take some chances. Montgomery isn’t just relying on the stars, he’s building depth in this lineup.
Both coaches know each other well. It’ll be a chess match, especially when the series shifts between venues and matchups start to matter more.
There are some wild cards that just might pop up in this series.
If Ehlers and Vilardi can't play or aren't 100%, the Jets will need more from Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter in secondary scoring roles. If they step up, and we don’t see why they won’, Winnipeg should be fine. But if the offense gets top-heavy, that opens the door for the Blues to sneak a few wins.
For St. Louis, this series is all about Binnington. If he channels the 2019 version of himself — the one who put up a 1.89 GAA in the playoffs — he can steal a game or two on his own. And with the way Robert Thomas has been playing, don’t be surprised if he leads the series in scoring.
This is also a test of the Blues’ physicality. They’ll need to be tough on Winnipeg’s stars early and often to keep them at bay. If they can wear down the Jets’ top line, they can drag this series into a grinding, low-scoring affair — and that’s where things might tilt in their favor. Nonetheless, it’s still a long shot.
This one feels really tight.
Nobody can argue that the Jets are the better team on paper, and they’ve proven they can beat St. Louis in multiple ways and in both venues. They’re deeper, more consistent, and have a far better goaltender. But playoff hockey doesn’t always follow logic. The Blues have been hot, and they have just enough Cup-winning DNA on their bench to be dangerous.
BettorsInsider’s Prediction: Jets in 7
We Expect a long, physical series with a couple of overtimes, maybe even a goalie duel in Game 7. In the end, we see Winnipeg’s depth and home-ice advantage to be enough to pull them through — but not without a scare.
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