Blues 5, Jets 4
Defenseman Barret Jackman scored from just inside center ice with 63 seconds to play in the third period as host St. Louis withstood a furious comeback.
Jackman flicked a harmless shot from about 80 feet and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec never reacted, giving the Blues a seventh consecutive win over Winnipeg and pulling St. Louis within two points of first-place Nashville in the Central Division. Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera each had a goal and an assist, Steve Ott also tallied and captain David Backes and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo each had two assists.
Captain Andrew Ladd and Lee Stempniak scored 11 seconds apart in the third before captain Blake Wheeler notched a short-handed tally to erase a 4-1 third-period deficit for the Jets, who are clinging to the second wild card in the West. Michael Frolik added a first-period goal while Pavelec stopped all 19 shots before giving up the game-winner in relief of Michael Hutchinson, who surrendered four goals on seven shots.
St. Louis countered Frolik's first-period tally when Schwartz's shot bounced off the arm of Hutchinson on the power play 5 1/2 minutes later before Tarasenko scored 31 seconds into the second, burying a wrister from the right dot. Ott made it 3-1 midway through the period, converting Backes' backhand pass from the right boards before Lehtera finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence into an open net 61 seconds later.
Winnipeg stormed back as Ladd scored in front on a power play 94 seconds into the third and Stempniak beat Brian Elliott (12 saves) with a laser from the right circle shortly thereafter. The Jets finally pulled into a tie with a short-handed tally by Wheeler that whistled past the glove of Elliott with 5:28 left in the contest.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lehtera, who ended an 18-game goalless drought, has collected five points in the last two contests. ... Frolik extended his career-high point streak to seven games with his fifth tally in that span. ... Schwartz has goals in three straight and points in four consecutive games.