Defense-first Jets aim for 6-0-0 start as they battle Blues

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck got a quick start to his Vezina Trophy defense by winning his first four games this season while posting a 1.25 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage.

After getting a game off Sunday, Hellebuyck is expected back in the nets when the Jets visit the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

Eric Comrie got a rare fill-in start for Hellebuyck Sunday in a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"I was joking with a couple guys. I was like, ‘Don't show Helle Miikka Kiprusoff or Marty Brodeur's old stat lines on games played because it used to be 76-80 games,'" Comrie said. "I don't want to go that long between games."

The Jets fell behind 2-0 Sunday before rallying with a three-goal spurt in the second period to remain unbeaten.

"We weren't great in that period, but we found a way to get ourselves back into it," Jets coach Scott Arniel said. "I thought in the third period we came out and played the way we needed to play."

The Jets want to play to their strength, which is goal suppression with Hellebuyck starting most games.

"We're kind of a defense-first mindset type of team," Jets forward Mason Appleton said. "We would rather win a game 2-1 or 3-2.

"I thought we did a good job answering once they had that lead on us. Just kind of a game of waves and momentum changes. Glad we stuck with it and fought until the end there."

NHL.com noted that the Jets are the fifth Canadian team in the past 30 years to start a season 5-0-0.

The Blues will likely turn to Jordan Binnington to conclude their four-game homestand. Joel Hofer started the last two games, a 1-0 overtime victory over the New York Islanders and a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

St. Louis won those games without getting production from their top offensive line. No. 1 center Robert Thomas has just one goal and three assists in six games -- and zero points in his last three.

"He's still trying to find his game offensively," said Blues coach Drew Bannister, who has reunited Thomas with winger Jordan Kyrou while seeking more production. "For him we've tried different combinations, which probably is not easy to a centerman, that you're having different wingers every second, third game.

"He's getting opportunities. It doesn't seem to be going in the net for him right now. I don't foresee moving forward that there's going to be an issue. He's going to find his game offensively. I think, for him, the focus has to be away from the puck, making sure of his details away from the puck to give him more opportunities offensively. When teams make mistakes, he's able to jump on them. You don't have to hope offensively and give away your defensive responsibilities to create offense."

The Blues changed up their defensive pairings in the past two games with Nick Leddy sidelined with a lower-body injury. Ryan Suter moved up to play with Colton Parayko on the top pairing and Pierre-Olivier Joseph took Suter's spot with Matthew Kessel on the third pairing.

--Field Level Media