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The Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues will face off in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winnipeg won the Presidents' Trophy with the best record in the NHL. St Louis has taken the new-coach bump to a new level, going 34-18-7 with Jim Montgomery behind the bench. The Jets and Blues are set for an epic playoff series, so we have the bold predictions ready.
The Blues were well out of playoff contention when Drew Bannister was fired in November. While Montgomery immediately made a positive impact, the postseason did not come into focus until recently. They went 19-2-2 from February 8 to April 5 to launch into contention. Meanwhile, the Jets rode another incredible Connor Hellebucyk season to their second 110-point season.
Who will advance to the second round? Can the Blues pull off the upset again? Let's find out in these Jets-Blues playoff bold predictions.
Nikolaj Ehlers hits free agency with a massive playoff performance
After this season, Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers will hit free agency. He is set for a massive payday after his eighth 20-goal season in 10 years. The Jets may not be able to afford that, especially after giving Neal Pionk a huge extension. Much is made about the small-market aspect of Winnipeg, so the playoffs are the place to shine. Ehlers will lead Winnipeg in scoring for this series.
Ehlers was third on the Jets in scoring for the regular season, with 63 points in 69 games. He has not been a great playoff performer in his career with only 14 points in 37 games. That is the biggest mark on his resume, and he could fix it just in time to cash in. He can start that by leading the Jets in scoring in this series.
Kyle Connor and Mark Schiefele are the only Jets who scored more points this season than Ehlers. He is a dominant power-play performer who should have that translate to the playoffs for the first time in his career. Could his Winnipeg career be ending this spring?
Both goalies have a shutout
The goaltending will be the storyline for this series for plenty of reasons. First of all, Connor Hellebuyck has clinched his second straight Jennings Trophy and will likely win his second straight Vezina.
Then there's Jordan Binnington, whose heroics in 2019 led St Louis to that series win and the Stanley Cup. Finally, the goalies faced off in the 4 Nations Face-Off, which Binnington's Canada won in overtime.
Both Hellebuyck and Binnington will have a shutout in this series. The Jets and Blues have both had struggles offensively in parts of the season, so going cold for a game is not hard to foresee. However, the goalies are the biggest reason for this prediction. Hellebuyck showed in February that he can perform in the biggest games. Binnington has also been dominant in the playoffs.
Binnington was the biggest reason for the Blues' rise in 2019, and his magic continued into the playoffs. He has playoff success that Hellebuyck doesn't, which could determine this series. But Hellebuyck is putting together a stretch matched by very few in recent goalie history.
Jets beat Blues, avenging 2019 loss
There are a lot of similarities between the 2019 Blues and the 2025 team. They started with low expectations, fired their coach before the holidays, went on a franchise-record winning streak, and made the playoffs.
That year, they played the division-winning Winnipeg Jets in the first round, winning in six games. They went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Jets have a lot to prove and will not meet the same fate this year.
The Jets will beat the Blues in six games in the first round of the playoffs. Connor Hellebucyk will be incredible. Nikolaj Ehlers will lead the team offensively, and the newly signed Neal Pionk will shine defensively. There are few teams with more pressure on them this year than the Jets, and they will live up to it in the first round.
