Blues extend lead in Western series against Jets with Game 2 win

WINNIPEG -- Ryan O'Reilly scored to break a tie early in the third period, and the St. Louis Blues held on for a 4-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at Bell MTS Place on Friday.

O'Reilly gave the Blues at 4-3 lead at 3:46 with a wrist shot on the rush from the top of the right face-off circle.
"It's obviously a great pass by defenseman Jay Bouwmeester], kind of put me in there in a good spot, and I'm just trying to get through on to the net," O'Reilly said. "It was obviously a big play that was nice to have."
[WATCH: [Blues vs. Jets Game 2 highlights | Complete series coverage]
Oskar Sundqvist scored two goals, and Jordan Binnington made 26 saves for St. Louis, which leads the best-of-7 series 2-0.
"I've been playing with great players all year and pucks have been going in for me," Sundqvist said. "Same way today too; the puck's going in and it's giving me a lot of confidence. It's been a good start for [the Stanley Cup Playoffs] for me."

Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist, Dustin Byfuglien had two assists, and Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves for the Jets.
"I don't think we're frustrated," Winnipeg forward Adam Lowry said. "I think for the most part we've played two pretty solid games. It comes down to a couple breaks. We miss a chance, they go down and tie the game 2-2 instead of it going to 3-1. We get a couple chances late there, they get a couple blocks and some big saves. I feel like we're right here."
Game 3 is Sunday at St. Louis.
"I would like every single goal I ever let in back," Hellebuyck said. "I'm going to prepare the same way and make sure my game's right, and we're gonna take it to them."
Sundqvist scored his first NHL playoff goal with a low wrist shot on an odd-man rush to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead at 5:23.

After the Jets killed the second of consecutive penalties that gave the Blues 17 seconds at 5-on-3 beginning at 9:41, Scheifele, who was called for interference twice earlier in the period, passed from behind the net to Wheeler in the slot for a quick shot that tied it 1-1 at 12:01.
Patrik Laine scored his second goal of the playoffs with a one-timer on the power play at 2:49 of the second period to give Winnipeg a 2-1 lead.

Pat Maroon tied it 2-2 when he jammed the puck past Hellebuyck at 6:42, and Sundqvist scored his second of the game with a wrist shot from the slot to give St. Louis a 3-2 lead at 9:50.
"I think we find a way to have a little response, whether it's bumping our physical play or a couple shifts of possession shifts down low," O'Reilly said. "We do a good job of kind of rallying and come together as a team and getting through together, and you have to do it against this team because they're obviously so skilled and they're good. We have to do those things."
Scheifele tied it 3-3 at 18:55 when he scored on the power play with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

They said it

"They are going to give us their best game, Game 3 at home. And there's no reason to get too high. You've got to stay ready and you gotta play even better than we've played." -- Blues coach Craig Berube
"If your recipe is that your goaltender is going to have to be the best player on your team, you're not going to spend ... it won't be a long playoffs. You've got to have some nights where you either give him run support or block enough shots or play tight enough that on a maybe an off night, it's three and two instead of four." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice

Need to know

The Blues are taking a 2-0 series lead back home after starting on the road for the fourth time in their history. Binnington is the second rookie goalie in St. Louis history to win his first two playoff games. Curtis Joseph won Games 1-3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990 Norris Division Semifinals. … Jets forward Mathieu Perreault was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury. Maurice had no update but said the injury happened in the morning skate Friday.

What's next

Game 3 of Western Conference First Round at Enterprise Center on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; CNBC, CBC, SN, TVAS2, FS-MW)