Alex Iafallo scored the game-winner off a rebound at 7:05 of the third period to help the Winnipeg Jets defeat the red-hot St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Monday and register a franchise-record 53rd win of the season.
The Blues had their franchise-record 12-game win streak halted, which was also the longest in the NHL this season.
Morgan Barron and Adam Lowry, into an empty net, also scored for the Jets (53-21-4), who top the overall league standings, the Western Conference and the Central Division with 110 points.
Hellebuyck made 14 saves to record his 44th win of the season and tie his franchise record from 2017-18.
Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Blues (43-29-7) and Joel Hofer stopped 23 shots for St. Louis, which holds the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the idle Minnesota Wild.
The tight-checking first period featured some interesting numbers but no goals.
Winnipeg outshot the Blues 8-3, but the visitors led 14-3 in blocked shots.
Barron beat Blues forward Mathieu Joseph to a loose puck, curved around him and shot the puck past Hofer on the stick side for a 1-0 lead at 2:34 of the second period.
Buchnevich tied it up after Robert Thomas sent him a pass from behind the net out front and he beat Hellebuyck at 7:27. His 18th of the season extended his goal streak to three in three games.
Iafallo’s goal at 7:05 was his 14th goal of the season. Lowry sent the puck into the empty net with nine seconds left.
Jets: Winnipeg was firing the puck in the first period, chalking up 31 shot attempts to eight for the Blues. The game tightened in the middle frame, 17-14 for the Jets in the attempts department. Winnipeg killed two penalties and didn’t allow the Blues to have a shot in either one. Mark Scheifele assisted on Lowry’s goal, tying his career high in points (84).
Blues: The Blues sacrificed their bodies from the get-go, blocking 12 shots in the game’s first 11 minutes. Winnipeg hadn’t blocked one and was up 4-1 for shots on goal. Thomas’s assist on Buchnevich’s goal extended his point streak to nine games (four goals, 16 assists).
After Buchnevich lost the puck along the boards, Kyle Connor scooped it up, shot it at Hofer and Iafallo put in the rebound to make it 2-1 at 7:05 of the third period with this 14th goal of the season.
The Jets have held their opponent to under 30 shots in 36 of the past 39 games, including 17 consecutive games. The mark surpasses their season long of 16 games and is also the longest stretch in the league this season.
Blues: Play the Oilers in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Jets: Travel to Dallas to face the Stars on Thursday.
