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 But Pavelec lost sight of the shot and the puck floated over his
glove for Jackman's second goal of the season and the game-winner
with 1:03 to play in the Blues' 5-4 victory over the Jets on Tuesday
at Scottrade Center.
"Definitely I was aiming for the top corner," quipped Jackman. "I
was just trying to get the puck in and give our forwards an
opportunity. Their goalie kind of lost track of it. We'll take it
anyway we can."
The victory moved the Blues (42-17-5) two points behind first-place
Nashville in the Central Division with two games in hand. Meanwhile,
Winnipeg (33-22-12) is clinging to the final playoff spot in the
Western Conference by a single point.
The Jets fought back valiantly in the game, tying the score 4-4
after being behind 4-1 entering he third, only to lose on Jackman's
fluke goal.
"It's a tough loss," said Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice. "They were
clearly better in the second (period), and we were better than they
were in the third. We didn't skate in the second and they didn't
skate in the third."
Maurice didn't have much to say about the winner.
"It went in; there's nothing more magical than that," he said,
adding that he didn't know whether Pavelec was screened.
Pavelec was absent from the postgame locker room, but he had come on
in relief of Michael Hutchinson and helped spark the comeback with a
series of strong stops in the final period. With strong goaltending
by Pavelec, Winnipeg killed three consecutive penalties midway
through the final period, including a two-man Blues advantage for
1:30.
Pavelec relieved at 11:09 of the second period after the Blues
scored three goals on three shots vs. Hutchinson, who allowed four
goals on seven shots.
Left winger Vladimir Tarasenko, centers Steve Ott and Jori Lehtera
scored the goals -- Ott and Lehtera in a span of 1:01 -- and turned
a tight 1-1 contest in the Blues' favor and the Blues needed that
three-goal cushion.
The Jets scored twice in a nine-second span early in the final
period to cut the Blues' lead to one and then tied it before
Jackman's goal gave the Blues' their second victory in regulation
play vs. Winnipeg this season.
Taresenko and Lehtera each added an assist to his goal for a
two-point game. Left winger and linemate Jaden Schwartz also had a
goal and an assist. Blues defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Chris
Butler each had two assists.
Wingers Michael Frolik, Andrew Ladd, Lee Stempniak and Blake Wheeler
scored for the Jets, with Frolik lighting the lamp in the first
period and Ladd and Stempniak doing so in a nine-second span early
in the final period.
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"Great comeback and unfortunate end ... that's hockey, man, you
know," Wheeler said. "Tough goal by Pavelec and you have to feel bad
for him. That's so hard coming into the middle of the game. You're
stone cold, and he made some big saves to give us a chance to tie
the game ... we don't tie that game without him. It's a crazy game;
stuff happens."
The Blues commiserated with Pavelec but only to a certain point,
with the W being the trump card.
"He's a good goalie, and he's had a lot of success in Winnipeg,"
Pietrangelo said. "You feel for him but it's a big two points. Two
points out of first place with two games in hand. That's a big
accomplishment."
NOTES: St. Louis Blues D Jay Bouwmeester missed his second
consecutive game with an illness, which also sidelined him Saturday
in Toronto. He skated with the team Tuesday morning. D Chris Butler
replaced him for the second successive game. ... After a one-game
absence as a healthy scratch, C Marcel Goc replaced C Olli Jokinen
in the lineup. Jokinen left the game early Saturday with an
upper-body injury. He skated Friday and is expected back Thursday
when the Blues host Philadelphia. ... LW Chris Porter was a healthy
scratch for the seventh consecutive game. ... D Kevin Shattenkirk
and D Zbynek Michalek have been skating with the Blues. Shattenkirk
has missed 17 games since undergoing abdominal surgery because of an
injury suffered Feb. 1 at Washington. Michalek has been out with a
concussion suffered before the Blues acquired him for Arizona at the
trade deadline. ... Winnipeg C Bryan Little and D Dustin Byfuglien
remained sidelined with upper-body injuries. The Jets have lost 163
man-games to injury this season. ... D Paul Postma and L TJ Galiardi
were healthy scratches.
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