ST. LOUIS — The Blues couldn't tiptoe their way back into play on Saturday night. Not against the team that entered the day leading the Western Conference by nine points.

Kyle Connor ensured that the Blues would emerge with just one point on Saturday night in a 4-3 shootout loss, scoring the game-deciding goal in the second round of the shootout.

Pavel Buchnevich scored the go-ahead goal for St. Louis with 2:50 remaining in the third period at Enterprise Center in each team's first game after the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but Gabriel Vilardi's tip with 28 seconds remaining tied the game and sent it to overtime.

Joel Hofer denied Connor on a pair of chances in overtime, and Justin Faulk couldn't convert on his opportunities to win the game, sending the game into a shootout for the second straight game for the Blues.

The Blues went on a late extended power play when Neal Pionk was whistled for two separate holding penalties with 4:28 remaining in the third period. Buchnevich cracked a slap shot from the hashmarks before Pionk's first minor expired.

Robert Thomas scored twice and added an assist for the Blues, as the Jets received goals from Vilardi (two) and Nikolaj Ehlers.

Thomas tied the game when he scored just 16 seconds into the third period, tucking a backhanded wraparound through Eric Comrie. It was Thomas' second goal of the game, and he now has three multi-goal games on the season.

The teams were playing 4 on 4 during Thomas' goal after Mathieu Joseph (roughing) and Colin Miller (cross-checking) were each called for minors at the end of the second period.

The Jets could have taken the lead later in the third period, but Ryan Suter's one-handed sweep took a puck off the goalline. Joel Hofer also made big saves on Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry in tight during the third.

The Blues play again Sunday evening against the Avalanche at home.

Take a hit, make a play

Buchnevich set up Thomas' goal with 4:26 remaining in the first period, muscling the puck through the neutral zone to create a 2 on 1 with Thomas and Jake Neighbours. Buchnevich got the puck out of the defensive zone, checked Vilardi off the puck and then shoveled it forward before Logan Stanley hit him along the boards.

Thomas took it and picked the far corner on Comrie for his 14th goal of the season, and his 100th of his career. The goal extended Thomas' point streak to five games, his longest streak since a seven-gamer in December when he had 13 points.

Thomas entered the break with an assist in each game against Utah, Edmonton and Florida, before a goal and an assist two weeks ago against Chicago.

The goal tied the game at 1, nullifying Ehlers' goal for Winnipeg about five minutes into the game. Ehlers swatted a shot home off a Cole Perfetti pass on a Jets 2 on 1 rush. Winnipeg got out in transition after Jordan Kyrou and Tyler Tucker combined to turn the puck over at the offensive blue line.

The Jets outshot the Blues 10-5 in the first period, including a stretch of seven straight Winnipeg shots after the Blues had the first two of the game.

Something out of nothing

Mark Scheifele and Vilardi combined on a goal that regained the lead for the Jets at 11:01 of the second period. Both players were at the end of a shift — Scheifele had been out for 1:55, Vilardi for 1:27 — and carried the puck into the Blues zone as the rest of their teammates were changing.

Scheifele fought off Radek Faksa in the corner, while Vilardi got interior on Tucker and Suter. Scheifele's pass ricocheted off Suter's skate, and Vilardi slipped the puck between Joel Hofer's legs.

Moments earlier, Nathan Walker missed a chance wide in the Jets zone.

— Alexandre Texier and Nick Leddy were scratches on Saturday night, as Zack Bolduc and Tucker were in the Blues lineup. Texier was on the ice for morning skate after missing all three practices this week while sick, and appeared set to play against Winnipeg.

But Texier did not come out for warmup, and Bolduc skated on a line with Oskar Sundqvist and Mathieu Joseph.

©2025 STLtoday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.