The St. Louis Blues faced a formidable challenge against the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets, ultimately falling short in a dramatic 4-3 shootout loss. With both teams featuring players returning from the Four Nations Tournament, the Blues rested Jordan Binnington, giving backup netminder Joel Hofer the start against Eric Comrie.
The Blues struggled to start, with a miscommunication leading to a turnover and Nikolaj Ehlers’ goal. Despite being outshot 7-2 midway through the first period, they built momentum through physicality and forechecking.
Alexey Toropchenko’s rush led to Colton Parayko’s 102 MPH slap shot, the fourth-fastest this season. Pavel Buchnevich’s hard work allowed Robert Thomas to score his 100th career goal, tying the game. Despite being outshot, the Blues outhit Winnipeg 18-7, setting the tone for a physical contest.
Robert Thomas gets his 100th career goal and it's a beauty in the top corner. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/ikxpjRou50
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 23, 2025
In the second period, Hofer continued to hold strong against Winnipeg’s attack, and the Blues successfully killed off a carry-over penalty from the first. The period saw St. Louis struggle on the power play, managing just one shot with minimal sustained offensive pressure. Winnipeg took advantage of the Blues’ missed opportunities when Mark Scheifele’s centering attempt deflected off Ryan Suter’s skate, allowing Gabe Vilardi to bury his 25th goal of the season for a 2-1 Jets lead.
Toropchenko created a shorthanded scoring chance that nearly resulted in a penalty shot but was instead called as a minor infraction, leading to a brief 4-on-4. Despite late pressure from St. Louis' third line of Mathieu Joseph, Oskar Sundqvist, and Zachary Bolduc, the Blues couldn’t break through, entering the second intermission down 2-1.
The third period commenced with 4-on-4 play, and St. Louis wasted no time in leveling the score. Buchnevich swiftly carried the puck into the offensive zone, and Thomas capitalized on a wraparound attempt just 16 seconds into the period, skillfully maneuvering the puck past Comrie to tie the game at 2-2.
On the man-advantage, Buchnevich ended his 13-game goal-scoring drought, scoring in the very first two minutes of the power play to give the Blues a 3-2 lead. Thomas provided an assist for his third point of the night.
Big goals from Buchnevich are #EasyToCelebrate.#stlblues | @budlight pic.twitter.com/OjhuxvLXjZ
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 23, 2025
On the man-advantage, Buchnevich ended his 13-game goal-scoring drought, scoring in the very first two minutes of the power play to give the Blues a 3-2 lead. Thomas provided an assist for his third point of the night.
However, the Blues couldn’t close out the victory. With Comrie pulled for the extra attacker, Vilardi found his second of the night and the equalizer with just 28 seconds left, forcing overtime. In the extra frame, St. Louis deployed its hottest trio—Thomas, Buchnevich, and Parayko—but despite solid chances from Justin Faulk and Thomas, Comrie stood tall, sending the game to a shootout.
The Blues ultimately fell short, failing to capitalize in the shootout as the Jets secured the 4-3 victory with Kyle Connor scoring the shootouts lone goal.