Perfetti has 3 assists for Winnipeg; Saad scores twice for St. Louis

By Lou Korac

NHL.com Independent Correspondent

October 23, 2024

ST. LOUIS -- Kyle Connor scored for the fourth straight game, and the Winnipeg Jets extended their season-opening winning streak to six games, defeating the St. Louis Blues 3-2 at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.

Cole Perfetti had three assists for the Jets (6-0-0). Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves.

“That was a great road win,” Perfetti said. “A good way to start off the (three-game road) trip. There’s times where they made good pushes and we responded well. That was a great second period and we got some timely goals. It was a great effort by our group.”

Brandon Saad scored twice, Robert Thomas had two assists, and Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for the Blues (4-3-0), who ended a four-game homestand (2-2-0).

“We came out and had a good first,” Blues defenseman Ryan Suter said. “The second, they’re such an explosive team, you let off the gas a little bit and they take advantage of it, and that’s what happened there in the second."

Saad gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 10:11 of the first period, scoring on the rebound of Thomas' wrist shot. It was Saad's 500th NHL point.

Nino Niederreiter tied it 1-1 at 8:12, tipping in Neal Pionk's wrist shot from the right point on a power play.

“I thought we were really good in the second,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said. “We got out of our zone a lot cleaner going fast. We won a bunch of battles and obviously scored. We got a power-play goal and another goal. And then we got rolling again. We got them back on their heels a bit."

WPG@STL: Niederreiter ties game with redirection PPG in 2nd

Colin Miller gave Winnipeg a 2-1 lead at 13:58 with a one-timer from the right point off a pass from Perfetti, and Connor made it 3-1 at 17:40 with a snap shot from the left circle.

“We just kind of stuck with it,” Connor said. “Same plan (as the first period). Obviously frustrating not being able to capitalize on some of those chances with a lot of zone time. Stuck with it. Obviously, Miller’s goal was huge for us to kind of get us going. Not getting frustrated was the biggest thing. I think we did a mature job to what we do best."

Saad made it 3-2 at 5:15 of the third period on the rebound of Jordan Kyrou's shot.

Blues captain Brayden Schenn had a chance to tie it with 43 seconds remaining after a puck bounced near the goal crease, but he couldn't get a stick on it.

"It just rolled off his shoulder or blocker," Schenn said of Hellebuyck. "I had the open net and went to hit the rolling puck and it hit the top of my stick and didn't get all of it."

WPG@STL: Saad records the 500th point of his career

Thomas left the game at 8:14 of the third after blocking a shot earlier in the period from Pionk. Blues coach Drew Bannister said it was a lower-body injury and that Thomas would have X-rays done after the game.

NOTES: Connor has 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 24 games against the Blues. … Blues defenseman Philip Broberg’s season-opening six-game point streak ended.