Connor, Scheifele's chemistry on display for Jets in Game 1 win 

WINNIPEG -- Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele supplied a bulk of the Winnipeg Jets offense this season, Connor leading them in points and Scheifele 10 points behind him.

They’re the go-to guys, for the Jets and for each other, their chemistry and familiarity from years of playing on the same line together so evident when they’re on the ice. So, it came as no surprise that when the Jets needed answers in the third period when they were down a goal, those two were at the forefront yet again.

“They are just two elite players who see the game so well. There are guys with a ton of skill and then there are guys who are smart. They kind of have both. And when you put them together, they use both. That’s what makes them so elite together,” Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said of Connor and Scheifele after they led a third-period comeback in a 5-3 win against the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Canada Life Centre on Saturday.

Game 2 is in Winnipeg on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS2, ESPN2, FDSNMW).

Connor and Scheifele each had three points in Game 1 for the Jets. Connor had the game-winning goal at 18:24 of the third, the primary assist on Scheifele’s power-play goal in the first and the secondary assist on their linemate Alex Iafallo’s game-tying goal at 9:18 of the third.

Scheifele had a power-play goal and two primary assists. His first assist came on Iafallo’s goal and the next on Connor’s winner. His assist to Iafallo gave him the most playoff points in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history with 41 (22 goals, 19 assists).

“It’s obviously really cool” Scheifele said of his milestone. “To do it in front of the fans tonight was pretty special. That was a fun game to be a part of, just had a fun time.”

Connor’s goal was his fourth game-winner in the playoffs, tying him with Paul Stastny for the most in franchise history.

“The way they see the game and they read off each other,” Jets center Adam Lowry said of what makes Connor and Scheifele so dynamic. “'KC’s got such a deceptive release. He gets his shot off in traffic, he’s able to get separation when it seems like there’s not a lot of space. And then 'Scheif’s so cerebral that he’s able to buy time.

“You look at that play where they’re able to just find a seam. It was similar to where 'KC' hit the one on the power play that (Blues goalie Jordan) Binnington got across on. This one he didn’t miss. But I think they read off each other so well, they’re so dynamic together, and then their space is incredible. They don’t crowd each other in the (offensive) zone, but they always seem to have that tight support whenever they need an out. It was great to see them rewarded. I thought they had a heck of a Game 1.”

On Connor’s game-winning goal, Scheifele took a pass from defenseman Josh Morrissey, came up around the top of the left circle and passed to Connor, who had enough space in the right circle to capitalize on a one-timer.

When talking about Connor, Scheifele came back to one descriptor often.

“All I want to do is put the puck in his hands and he does some fantastic things. I’m lucky to play with him. He’s absolutely fantastic, he shoots the puck fantastic, he does so many little things fantastic. Like I said a million times, he’s amazing to play with.”

So, does Connor just expect that pass from Scheifele, given their years together?

“Uh, yeah, I’d like to think so,” Connor said with a laugh.

On his assist to Iafallo, Scheifele kept possession of the puck behind the net, and slipped a centering pass between Blues center Robert Thomas and defenseman Cam Fowler to Iafallo, who scored glove-side on Binnington.

“I think there’s been a long list of things that kind of shows what type of player he is in the playoffs. I look at 2017-2018 and kind of the run that he had, (he) really carried the mail offensively with the number of goals he scored in that year. But every year, he seems to work on some new skills, come back an even better player than he was before,” Lowry said of Scheifele, who had 20 points (14 goals, six assists) in the 2017-18 playoffs, when the Jets advanced to the Western Conference Final.

“It’s difficult to kind of understand that someone in their 30s is continuing to get better, they’re not kind of plateauing. But he puts in the work, he’s rewarded for it. I thought tonight was a perfect example of our stars being our stars.”

Connor and Scheifele’s work in the regular season is a big reason why the Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded annually to the team that finishes with the most points in the regular season. Connor had 97 points (41 goals, 56 assists) in 82 games. Scheifele had 87 points (39 goals, 48 assists) in 82 games. The two combined for 19 game-winning goals this season, Scheifele having 11 of them.

They’re the backbone of the Jets offense, and they showed that again on Saturday.