In Winnipeg Friday, Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves to backstop the Jets to a 3-0 win over the St Louis Blues.
“It’s huge,” Hellebuyck said. “It’s a four-point game, and we’re kind of chasing them right now. We do want to make the playoffs, and that’s our goal here, so this is another good 
step in the right direction.”
The win was huge because the Jets are just four points back of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
The Blues have lost five straight and are now being chased down by the Jets for the fourth spot in the Central Division.
“This should be a good slap in the face for us,” Blues head coach Mike Yeo said. “I don’t know, I get the sense that sometimes we assume or think things are going to turn around for us. In fairness, I think there were some guys, [Hutton] being one of them, that their desperation was very noticeable. And then we had some other guys whose desperation level did not match our situation.”
Blake Wheeler struck for two goals and three points in the win.
“It’s self-explanatory. A team right in front of us, we’re a few points back of them. The key here is to stay in the fight as long as possible and keep yourself in shouting distance, and anything can happen,” Wheeler said.
Bryan Little also scored for Winnipeg.
WATCH: All Blues vs. Jets highlights
Carter Hutton made 37 saves in taking the loss.
“He’s fantastic,” St Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo said. “You feel bad for him when he plays that way when we don’t even score a goal and he lets in one goal. Great effort from him. He was outstanding, like he usually is.”
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