Hellebuyck, Jets hand Blues first loss

WINNIPEG --Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves for the Winnipeg Jets, who handed the St. Louis Blues their first loss with a 4-0 win at Canada Life Centre on Monday.

"We needed everyone tonight, and we played a full 60 (minutes)," Hellebuyck said. "Character is in this room, and now we know the game plan that we need. … This game wasn't going to be won off of a couple sweet plays. It was going to be won in the corners and making sure they got nothing."
Sam Gagner, Morgan Barron and Cole Perfetti scored in the third period, and Josh Morrissey had two assists for the Jets (3-3-0), who had lost two straight.
Winnipeg was coached by assistant Scott Arniel after Rick Bowness experienced dizzy spells and had to prematurely end his pregame availability. Bowness missed the first four games of the season after contracting COVID-19.
"We knew we were going against a team in St. Louis that made you work for every inch of the ice," Arniel said. "We did a great job of battling, getting from zone to zone to zone, getting to their end of the rink.
"That was a real complete game. I thought all our lines, all our 'D,' I think everybody was rock solid. [Hellebuyck] as well."

Thomas Greiss made 39 saves in his debut for the Blues (3-1-0).
"[Greiss] was really good tonight," St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. "We were good in the first. I thought it was a good period, a good starting period, then execution was not good by us. And the penalties (5-for-5 on penalty kill)."
Mark Scheifele gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 10:30 of the second period, receiving a shot pass from Morrissey and tucking the puck inside Greiss' left pad from the edge of the crease.
"Tonight was good for our team to play the way we did against a very, very good hockey team," Scheifele said. "Just getting used to [Bowness' new system] and getting used to each other and used to guys' routes. That was a pretty solid win."

It was the first goal the Blues allowed in 114:09.
"We deviated coming off a big, emotional win against Edmonton (2-0 on Saturday)," St. Louis captain Ryan O'Reilly said. "Whether we wanted it a little easier, we just kind of got away. We've got to stick with that game play, be hard to play against and not be the team to break. But we broke first and it just gave them momentum."

Gagner made it 2-0 at 10:38 of the third period with a slap shot from the top of the right circle, and Barron extended it to 3-0 at 13:43 with a one-timer from the low slot.
"You're always in it, but they just kind of hemmed us in there," Blues forward Brayden Schenn said. "I don't think we deserved to win it tonight by any means. We were in it, I guess, until midway through the third period, but I don't think we deserved to win it. It wasn't our best. We'll flush it out and get ready for our next one."
Perfetti shot into an empty net at 18:26 for the 4-0 final.
"I thought we did a great job tonight of getting to the net, of not playing to the outside," Arniel said. "We played a lot more on the inside of the offensive zone, and we got rewarded for it."
NOTES: St. Louis was shut out for the first time in 109 games. … Perfetti has five points (two goals, three assists) on a four-game point streak… Hellebuyck's shutout was his first this season and 29th in the NHL. … The Jets are 6-0-1 in their past seven games against the Blues. … Prior to the game, the teams observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis.