St. Louis controlled much of the first period, jumping out to a 9-1 edge in shots. At one point, the Blues peppered Connor Hellebuyck with four to five shots on the same shift, turning the sequence into a shooting gallery, but Winnipeg’s MVP stood tall to keep the game scoreless.
The Blues led 11-6 in shots after 20 minutes.
St. Louis finally broke the deadlock at 13:17 of the second period. Hellebuyck played the puck behind the net to Dylan DeMelo in the corner, where Pavel Buchnevich stepped him off it. Robert Thomas picked up the loose puck and fed Justin Faulk, who ripped a shot past Hellebuyck for his eighth goal of the season. Thomas recorded the lone assist, his 17th.
Top corner where momma hides the Christmas cookies. #stlblues
Late in the third, with the Jets pushing for the equalizer, DeMelo took a tripping penalty against Jake Neighbours, giving St. Louis a power play with 2:54 remaining. Winnipeg killed it off, but with just 42 seconds left, Logan Stanley was assessed a roughing penalty on Pius Suter, resulting in a 10-minute game misconduct. The Blues ran out the clock to secure the 1-0 victory.
With the loss, Winnipeg fell to 15-16-2 on the season and 2-5-2 in December. Hellebuyck finished with 25 saves, while Neal Pionk led the Jets with four shots on goal.