Kyle Connor feels the Winnipeg Jets' superb third period in Saturday's 5-3 Game 1 win over the St. Louis Blues was the team playing to its identity.
"Our third period was Winnipeg Jets hockey," Connor told Sportsnet's Scott Oake. "We limited their chances, and I thought we did a great job of coming back and defending and turning those into offensive-zone shifts."
Entering the final frame down 3-2, the Jets beat Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington twice and added an empty-netter, all while limiting St. Louis to just two shots on goal. Connor buried the winner with 1:46 left.
Captain Adam Lowry was happy with the way his team played when it mattered most.
"Kinda some emotional swings. Obviously, didn't get off to the start we wanted, but what an incredible third period, what an incredible atmosphere," Lowry said. "Real happy with the result."
Lowry added, "I think it goes back to our mantra all year: the belief in this group, the belief in our structure. We were doing a lot of things right, it was just about finding a little more traffic. (Mark Scheifele) made a heck of a play to (Alex Iafallo). We knew when we tied it up, the place was gonna go nuts, and we kinda rode that momentum."
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery was critical of his team's performance down the stretch.
"I didn't think we managed the game very well in the third period," Montgomery said, according to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "Penalties. Puck management. A little bit of our emotions."
"We are going to grow and get better from this," Montgomery added, per Rutherford. "That's what we have to do. If we want to make it a series, we're going to have to get better. We're going to have to control our emotions better. We're going to have to manage the puck better. We're going to have to win more battles."
Winnipeg's famous "whiteout" was in full effect Saturday and drew praise from multiple Jets.
"It's awesome. It's so special to play in front of these fans," Connor said, per Sportsnet. "They show up every time, and it's just electric. It gives you chills every time you step on the ice. ... You kinda look around, this is what you dream of. It's the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Our fans showed up. They've been there all year, they knew it was time to elevate their game as well."
Connor Hellebuyck drew "MVP" chants before the anthems from the raucous home fans.
"I'll remember that for the rest of my life," Hellebuyck said, according to TSN's John Lu. "That was really cool."
Game 2 is set for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
