Honestly, if you wrote this as a movie script, an editor would probably toss it for being too unrealistic.
Sports have a weird way of making the impossible look like just another Tuesday, but what happened in the Jets vs Blues Game 7 this past May was something else entirely. We're talking about a game that basically reshaped how fans in Winnipeg view their team. For years, the narrative was about "fading in the clutch" or "early exits."
Then this game happened.
It was a grueling, 96-minute marathon that ended in double overtime. If you missed it, or if you just want to relive the cardiac arrest that was the third period, let's get into what actually went down at Canada Life Centre.
Why the Jets vs Blues Game 7 Was Instant History
Most Game 7s are tense. This one was suffocating.
The St. Louis Blues were essentially in "spoil the party" mode. They had Jordan Binnington—a guy who basically treats Game 7s like a casual skate in the park—and a 3-1 lead with less than two minutes left in regulation.
Two minutes.
Think about that. The Winnipeg Jets, who had just put up a monster 56-win season to snag the Presidents' Trophy, were 120 seconds away from being the biggest disappointment in hockey. Fans were already looking for the exits. The "Whiteout" was starting to look like a surrender flag.
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Then Vladislav Namestnikov happened. With 1:56 on the clock, he found a way to tuck one in off Ryan Suter’s leg. It was lucky, sure, but it gave the building a spark. But even then, you’re still down a goal. You still need a miracle.
The 2.2 Second Miracle
The Jets pulled Connor Hellebuyck. It was 6-on-5. Chaos.
The puck was bouncing around like a pinball. Nikolaj Ehlers missed a shot with about six seconds left. The air left the building. But Adam Lowry—who was a beast all night—grabbed it, fed Ehlers again, who zipped it to Kyle Connor. Connor didn't even look; he just fired a desperation pass toward the crease.
Cole Perfetti redirected it into the net with exactly 2.2 seconds remaining.
The official clock initially showed 1.6, but they added a bit back. Not that it mattered to the fans who were literally vibrating the glass. It was the latest game-tying goal in Game 7 history. Ever.
Surviving Without the Big Guns
One thing people kinda overlook when talking about the Jets vs Blues Game 7 is who wasn't on the ice for Winnipeg.
Mark Scheifele was out with an upper-body injury. Then, less than ten minutes into the first period, the Jets lost their top defenseman, Josh Morrissey. He took a heavy hit from Oskar Sundqvist and that was it.
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Imagine playing a double-overtime Game 7 with only five defensemen.
Neal Pionk basically lived on the ice. He clocked 46 minutes and 15 seconds of ice time. That’s nearly three-quarters of a standard game. By the time the second overtime rolled around, you could see the guys were running on fumes and prayer.
The Blues weren't exactly taking it easy, either. The teams combined for 122 hits. It wasn't just hockey; it was a car crash that lasted three and a half hours.
The Captain’s Final Word
Overtime in a Game 7 is a special kind of torture.
Jordan Binnington was standing on his head. He stopped Ehlers on a breakaway that should have ended the game twenty minutes earlier. On the other end, Hellebuyck was matching him save for save, despite the Blues getting some high-danger looks from Jordan Kyrou and Mathieu Joseph.
Finally, at 16:10 of the second overtime, the madness ended.
Neal Pionk (who else?) fired a shot from the point. Adam Lowry, the captain who was born in St. Louis and whose dad coached there, got a piece of it. It deflected off the seam of his pants and past Binnington.
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Game over. Series over.
Breaking Down the Stats that Matter
If you’re a numbers person, the box score for this game is wild.
- Total Hits: 122 (A series high).
- Neal Pionk’s TOI: 46:15 (A franchise record).
- Latest Tying Goal: 19:57 of the 3rd period.
- Game Length: 96 minutes and 10 seconds.
It was the third-longest Game 7 in the history of the NHL. Only a 1939 Bruins/Rangers game and the famous 1987 "Easter Epic" between the Islanders and Capitals lasted longer.
What This Means Moving Forward
For the Blues, this loss was "brutal," to use Brayden Schenn's own words. They were a second and a half away from a massive upset. Instead, they went home wondering "what if."
For the Jets, it felt like an exorcism. They proved they could win without Morrissey and Scheifele. They proved they could handle the pressure of the Presidents' Trophy curse.
If you're looking for lessons from the Jets vs Blues Game 7, it's basically this:
- Never leave early. If you walked out of Canada Life Centre with two minutes left, you missed the greatest comeback in Winnipeg sports history.
- Conditioning wins championships. Playing 46 minutes as a defenseman is superhuman. The Jets' blue line depth is the only reason they survived the second OT.
- The "Vezina" factor is real. Even when the defense broke down, Hellebuyck stayed calm. You need a goalie who doesn't blink when the season is on the line.
The Jets moved on to face the Dallas Stars, but regardless of what happened next, this specific game is going to be talked about in Manitoba for the next thirty years. It was the night the "never-say-die" attitude actually meant something.
To stay ahead of the next big matchup, keep an eye on the injury reports for Morrissey and Scheifele, as their return will be the deciding factor in whether the Jets can turn this momentum into a deep Cup run. Check the official NHL EDGE stats to see how player speeds and puck tracking data are evolving in these high-pressure overtime scenarios.