Heading into this Game 7 clash, the home team had come out on top in each of the first six games. That theme ended up remaining so in what was a remarkable comeback.
The Blues went in front after just 70 seconds, as a lovely combination from Colton Parayko and Jordan Kyrou allowed the latter to put the puck past a sprawling Connor Hellebuyck.
Things got worse for the Jets as six minutes later, they found themselves down two goals. Kyle Connor miscontroled the puck, giving it away to Mathieu Joseph. The winger skated down the middle before firing a shot that found its way into the net. It was not the most powerful effort, but it still turned out to be effective.
Winnipeg, playing in their first-ever Game 7 at home, got on the scoreboard midway through the second. Connor was involved, grabbing one of his three assists. A quick pass over to Cole Perfetti allowed him to take a shot from a tight angle that found the opposite top corner. The Jets were suddenly back in it.
But, with just a few seconds left in the period, St. Louis went back up by two. Another giveaway proved costly for the hosts, as Nathan Walker grabbed the puck and brought it over the blue line. Finding Radek Faksa, the Czech international put his attempt over the diving Luke Schenn and past Hellebuyck to recover the two-goal lead.
The Jets had a total of 19 shots in the third period in a desperate attempt to keep their season alive. It took until the final two minutes of regulation before they could nab one back. Having pulled their goaltender in favour of a sixth attacker, Neal Pionk found Vladislav Namestnikov on the wing, who put his shot into the goal from close range.
Just as the Blues thought they were heading to round two, they conceded at the death. An initially fanned shot was kept alive by Nikolaj Ehlers. Connor put his attempt on goal in a final attempt. That paid off, as Perfetti tipped it to beat Jordan Binnington to tie the game.
As expected, the momentum was firmly with the home team, given the circumstances. They used that to their advantage, and would ultimately prevail in second overtime. In what turned out to be the third-longest Game 7 in NHL history, the Jets found a way through. Connor grabbed his third assist by playing the puck to Pionk, whose shot was deflected in by Adam Lowry.
In what was a truly epic match, the Presidents' Trophy winners move on to face the Dallas Stars, who also survived a seven-game first-round series. Game one of that series will be on Tuesday.