ST. LOUIS -- The Winnipeg Jets will try and keep their road success going and take a commanding lead against the St. Louis Blues in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round at Enterprise Center on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, ESPN2, SN, TVAS, CBC).
The Jets, who led the NHL with 26 road wins this season, lead the best-of-7 series 2-0.
"I don't know. During the season, there's a lot of factors that go into that. I think just next man up," Jets center Mark Scheifele said of the road record. "You don't have last change, so you just go out and play against whoever you're playing against and do what you can. I think our whole squad, top to bottom, has done a great job at that."
Meanwhile, the Blues will look to get back in the series at home, where they were 24-14-3 during the regular season. That included 12 straight wins to end the regular season; their last home loss was to the Jets on Feb. 22 (4-3 in a shootout).
"There's a lot of pride, and more importantly a lot of confidence in how we go about our business here," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "Our crowd's electric. This is a loud building. There is a lot of energy in it and that energy gives us energy. We have a lot more juice when we start games and we finish games here."
Montgomery wouldn't confirm if the Blues would use 11 forwards and seven defensemen again after doing so in Game 2, which allowed the top forwards to get more ice time. Robert Thomas logged 23:13 in Game 2 compared to 19:52 in Game 1, and Pavel Buchnevich played 22:47 in Game 2 after logging 19:41 in Game 1.
Teams that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 series have an all-time series record of 207-4 (.981), including a 151-3 (.981) mark when starting at home.
Here is a breakdown of Game 3:
Jets: The Jets want to keep going with what's worked for them through the first two games. Sure, getting more going on the power play would be great (they're 1-for-6 through two games), but they've been strong at even strength, with five 5-on-5 goals. The Jets also will try to keep the Blues from getting around goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Jets coach Scott Arniel said, "It's a lot tougher to move a forward when he's already standing on top of 'Helle.' That's just something for us: get into people as they're coming out of the corners, as they're moving."
Blues: Winnipeg's top line, especially left wing Kyle Connor and Scheifele, have wreaked havoc on the Blues through the first two games. Trying to shut them down, or at least contain them better, is critical. "We have to be harder on Connor and Scheifele. They've scored the winning goal both nights and they're making plays on us down low, so yes, we have to be harder on them," Montgomery said.
