Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t imagine how Blues players are feeling this morning after 96 minutes of grueling playoff hockey ended in defeat.
In today’s SI:AM:
🏒 Game 7 thriller
⚾ Tough injury news for Red Sox
🏊♀️ Katie Ledecky’s record-setting weekend
By the skin of their teeth
The Winnipeg Jets, the best team in the NHL during the regular season, were two minutes away from having their season end on Sunday night at the hands of a St. Louis Blues team that barely snuck into the playoffs. And then they turned the game on its head.
Winnipeg trailed 3–1 as the clock ticked down in the third period before Vladislav Namestnikov scored to cut the deficit to one. The Jets appeared to have tied the game less than a minute later, but a replay review found that the puck did not cross the goal line. Things were getting dire for the Jets. And then, with just 1.6 seconds left on the clock, Cole Perfetti’s redirected shot hit the back of the net to tie the game and save Winnipeg’s season.
Perfetti’s goal was the latest game-tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history, surpassing the previous mark set by Matt Cooke of the Vancouver Canucks, who scored with 5.7 seconds left in Game 7 of his team’s first round series against the Calgary Flames in 2004. The record for the latest game-tying goal in any playoff game is, unbelievably, also held by Cooke. In 2003, in Game 1 of a second-round series against the Minnesota Wild, Cooke scored the tying goal with 1.2 seconds left.
With Perfetti’s clutch goal, the Jets became the 20th team in NHL history to tie a playoff game in the final 10 seconds and just the third in Game 7. But the drama wasn’t over. It took an agonizing 36 minutes of overtime before captain Adam Lowry scored the winner for the Jets in the second OT period, making this the third-longest Game 7 in NHL history.
It was a gut-wrenching way for the Blues to end what had been a miraculous season. They had been on the outside of the playoff picture before reeling off a 12-game winning streak in the final month of the regular season to secure a spot in the postseason.
“A second and a half away from closing out the series … it’s brutal,” St. Louis captain Brayden Schenn said.
The Jets, however, can breathe a sigh of relief. Last season ended with a crushing defeat in the first round at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, who scored a whopping 28 goals in the five-game series. This year, Winnipeg had the best regular season in franchise history with 116 points. It led the league in goals scored and allowed the third-fewest. Another first-round exit after such an excellent regular season would have been devastating for a city that has seen just one conference finals appearance since the original Jets franchise joined the NHL in 1979. Sunday’s unbelievable comeback kept hope alive, though.
“It’s euphoric,” Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor said of Perfetti’s tying goal. “It’s emotional. It’s motivating. We used that in overtime. The crowd was incredible, we really felt like they were standing on their feet. The loudest they’ve ever been, and I’ve ever heard them. I think we just fed off that and just kept rolling. It gives you that extra energy to dig in at the back end of your shift and bear down.”
The Jets’ win sets up a second-round showdown with the Dallas Stars, who are coming off their own grueling seven-game series against the Avalanche. Game 1 will be Wednesday night in Winnipeg.
The best of Sports Illustrated
• Pat Forde was on hand at Churchill Downs, where Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott won his second Kentucky Derby—under much different circumstances than his first.
• Forde also wrote about Katie Ledecky’s unbelievable performance this weekend, breaking her own world record in the 800-meter freestyle.
• The Red Sox got some brutal news on Saturday when first baseman Triston Casas was ruled out for the season with a knee injury. Tom Verducci believes Boston needs to act quickly to come up with a solid plan to replace him.
• The Warriors sent the Rockets packing in Game 7 thanks to a late surge from Stephen Curry.
• Donovan Mitchell broke a playoff record held by Michael Jordan, but the Cavs still lost Game 1 to the Pacers.
• Michigan coach Sherrone Moore will serve a two-game suspension this season related to the Connor Stalions scandal.
• Washington, D.C., is reportedly set to host the 2027 NFL draft.
The top five…
… things I saw yesterday:
5. Jarrett Allen’s big dunk over Myles Turner.
4. Nolan Arenado’s interaction with a young fan after crashing into her to make a catch.
3. Victor Scott II’s perfectly timed jump to rob Juan Soto of a homer.
2. This step-back three by Stephen Curry in the fourth quarter.
1. The home radio call of the Jets’ game-winning goal.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Jets-Blues Was As Dramatic As a Game 7 Can Be.