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The St. Louis Blues dropped Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. St. Louis had a 3-2 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the third period. However, head coach Jim Montgomery watched as his team blew the lead. The Jets skated away with a 5-3 victory at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
It's a heartbreaking way to lose a game. Especially when this game could set the tone for the rest of their postseason run. Getting off on a good start is the best way to ensure a playoff run lasts beyond the opening round.
However, this is a Blues roster with a bit of inexperience. There are some players on the team who have no experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This inexperience could certainly have led to the team losing its compsure a bit late on Saturday night.
Montgomery knows his team has the talent to make noise in the postseason. One game does not define this team or their run in this postseason. And he fully believes there will be improvement as the series against the Jets continues.
“I think a lot of guys got some valuable experience in their first NHL playoff game,” Montgomery said Sunday morning, via NHL.com's Tracey Myers. “They’ll be significantly better, and I still think we have a lot of guys that have experience that maybe weren’t at the top of their game yesterday for us and they’ll be better.”
There were certainly promising elements of this Game 1 loss. For instance, two of the three St. Louis goals came on three power-play attempts. Furthermore, they played with a physical edge that helped keep the Jets honest in this game. If they can build on these aspects, the Blues believe they can bounce back soon.
“There’s a lot to take away,” defenseman Cam Fowler said, via Myers. “It’s always fun coming in, playing in an environment like that. The energy was great, and it was a competitive hockey game: physical, everything you’d expect from playoff hockey.
“We were right there the whole time, and they capitalized on a couple of opportunities in the third period, and that’s the difference in the game. Our guys fought hard and have to make sure we prepare and be ready for the next one.”
The Blues and Jets hit the ice to resume their first-round series of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday night from the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
