Epic game.
Lowry was a beast, especially after Arniel pulled out the line blender and put him with Connor and Iafallo. The Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti line were clicking after being reunited, too.
Pionk with a performance that should rank high in Jets lore. He ignited offense from the point but he was also fierce on D. Samberg was also a stalwart. Schenn with his best game as a Jet. Fleury showed poise and verve that I didn't think he possessed.
Perfetti with a performance that stamps his arrival on the biggest NHL stage. He's had a strong series, and last night his mitts were surgical.
Hellebuyck has been waging a psychological battle this series, and maybe that performance lets him relax a bit and get back to his game.
The post game reactions and scrums were full of the best vibes, from the on-ice passion of Lowry with Scott Oake to Perfetti's ode to the captain in the scrum. Chevy and Simmons went bananas in their suite, and Chipman sharing the joy as the Jets headed off the ice. They were all spitting mad about the lack of response by officials to the Blues' star-targetting, so the win was extra sweet. The entire NHL media was laser focused on this game, and the Jets and their fans have them an unforgettable spectacle. (Predictably, the only sour note was from Paul Friesen who wanted to recount the gaffes with Connor and Ehlers. Connor was gracious, but Ehlers gave him a swift kick. Read the room, Paul).
Now up to 60 wins since this season started. It's a great time to be a Jets fan.
I can't help but think of how many players just got over a hump in their careers.
Hellebuyck couldn't win the big game until he did.
Pionk, when you think of how last year finished for him, game 5, and the unrelenting wrath he took from so many Jets fans. Without a question he was the best player on the ice last night. Passes were good, he bailed out his d-partner Samberg when he got the yips, which all year long you heard that Samberg was carrying Pionk.
Hayden Fleury came to camp without a guaranteed job, and at times was probably considered for waivers. To have the game he did with Josh out, who was -2 in 3 and a half minutes of ice time, was unreal. Couldn't have predicted that one.
Cole Perfetti, who started the year slow, and a lot of people wondered if he was going to work on a line that was small, or could play on the top PP, and he just kept improving over the course of the season, and came through in the clutch.
Up until the last minute, if the game ended the way it was looking to, I would have said Ehlers isn't a playoff guy. But that was a crazy good pass he pulled out off his knees, when everything was looking lost.
Vladdy, the 2nd line center who couldn't, did it. Got the Jets in the game.
Lowry played over 32 minutes, more than Robert Thomas, and the Jets don't tie the game or win the game without him on the ice. Winning battles, winning position. Pretty good for a 4th line center, as the knock had been on him for years here.
And jeez the Luke Schenn thread got gloomy in this series. But the hits he made last night, every time he hit someone he separated them from the puck. 7 hits for him, 10 hits for Tanev in just under 13 minutes of ice time. Tanev's blocks were unreal, covering up some of Toninato's struggles defensively.
How this team persevered is something special, that we got to witness.
