Kyle Connor has a goal, 2 assists to lead Jets to 5-3 win over Blues for 3-2 series lead

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists and the Winnipeg Jets overcame the loss of star center Mark Scheifele to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-3 on Wednesday night and take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

The Jets lost Scheifele after he was crushed into the boards by Brayden Schenn early in the opening period.

Vladislav Namestnikov, who replaced Scheifele on the top line, had a goal and an assist.

“When things don’t go your way, we lost (Scheifele), people have to step up. So I think as a team we stepped up today and got the win,” Namestnikov said.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel had no postgame updates on Scheifele and couldn’t say if he would make the trip to St. Louis for Game 6 on Friday.

Nino Niederreiter also had a goal and assist. Dylan DeMelo and Adam Lowry had goals while Mason Appleton had three assists.

Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves for Winnipeg, which had top-line winger Gabriel Vilardi back in action after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury.

“Really proud of the effort,” said Lowry, who scored an empty-netter. “Sometimes when you lose your No. 1 center, you lose a key piece to your lineup there can be a bit of a sag, an emotional letdown. But you know, I thought the guys really rallied around it.”

Nathan Walker scored twice and rookie Jimmy Snuggerud also had a goal for the Blues. Jordan Binnington stopped 21 shots.

“They’re a good team, but we’ve played some good hockey at home for a couple of months now, so we’re comfortable there and fans (are) behind us,” Schenn said.

After being outscored 12-3 in two losses in St. Louis, the Jets jumped to a 1-0 lead 1:23 into the first period.

Scheifele sent the puck from behind the net out to Connor, who snapped it past Binnington.

The Blues responded when Walker stayed in front of Hellebuyck and tipped in a point shot from Colton Parayko at 3:42.

St. Louis defenseman Cam Fowler also picked up an assist, extending his point streak to five games with one goal and eight assists.

Winnipeg got the game’s first power play after Schenn crushed Scheifele. He was called for interference and then roughing after Jets forward Brandon Tanev defended his teammate.

Twenty-seven seconds after Schenn’s extra penalty expired, Niederreiter tipped in Dylan Samberg's shot at 8:39.

Both teams took four penalties, and had 17 hits each.

After the Jets only got one shot on goal in their second power play, Snuggerud scored his second goal of the playoffs with a low shot that went between Hellebuyck’s left pad and the post at 6:06.

DeMelo scored Winnipeg’s first second-period goal of the series when his point shot went off the back of Parayko and into the net at 11:05.

Connor sent a backhand pass across the front of the net to a rushing Namestnikov, who made it 4-2 with 1:09 remaining in the second.

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Winnipeg Jets' Neal Pionk (4) defends against St. Louis Blues' Oskar Sundqvist (70) in front of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Nathan Walker (26) tips the puck past Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) for the goal as Nino Niederreiter (62) defends during first period NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Dylan DeMelo (2), Vladislav Namestnikov (7), Gabriel Vilardi (13) and Kyle Connor (81) celebrate DeMelo's goal against the St. Louis Blues during second period NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Nino Niederreiter (62) celebrates his goal against the St. Louis Blues during first period NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Morgan Barron (36) and St. Louis Blues' Robert Thomas (18) collide during first period NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Nino Niederreiter (62) attempts to tip the puck past St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) as Justin Faulk (72) defends during second period NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Nathan Walker (26) celebrates his goal against Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during first period NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Nathan Walker (26) tips the puck past Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) for the goal as Nino Niederreiter (62) defends during first period NHL playoff action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.

Another 119 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:

— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”

— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.

—“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.

Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”

— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.

People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)