Honestly, I didn't think they had it in them.

Not that kind of game. They had the ability to win but when was the last time 'that' team showed up? My memory says Game 7 versus Nashville.

The funny thing about the game tonight was that the numbers don't actually tell how dominant the Jets were. This will probably come back to bite me in some way down the road but in the end the Jets and Blues were quite even at 5vs5 but the Jets looked a lot better.

The raw numbers paint a picture of a team that controlled play for 2 periods had, all the scoring chances and then took their foot off the gas. That really wasn't the case, other than a scramble in the third period, the Jets were in full control and they let the Blues know it.

Sure had Hellebuyck set up the Blues for a freebie behind the net then that would have changed events but the same has happened the other way with Binnington and 'timely saves'. The Tanev goal was more of exactly what has been missing from this team for long stretches and most of this season- that "We don't give a crap" mentality.

The Jets didn't, and certainly not for Buff who saw that things were getting inside of Binnington's head so he decided to bank one off his melon and into the net. By the time Connor had his second goal of the game the frustration was front and centre for Binnington who looked on at his players as he whiffed his glove at the puck passing by him and into the net.

The Hayes goal, the greasy softball from out of nowhere that beat Binnington to get the Jets on the board and tie the game was the game changer. He was never the same after that and the Jets went to work in a ferocious manner, one not scene in a very long time. Binnington gave up the most goals of his career tonight as he had never surrendered more than four in a game thus far.

The Jets matched all the physical play with their own and returned the favour the Blues had been giving to them in the previous two games, not time or space. They took it away and made the Blues work for every inch of ice out there. Every. Single. Inch.

The Tanev Lowry Copp line was back together and while they did not have best night on by the numbers at 5vs5 they made Berube adjust his tactics. They matched up against Schawartz, Sundqvist and Perron but eventually Berube didn't like it and with last change he started trying to find some space for them eventually moving Steen in and Sundqvist out. It got them a late goal.

The difference though was the Jets' first and fourth lines finally had some space and they used it. Both were dominant in possession and it was affirmed in their expected goal numbers too. The second line of Ehlers Little and Laine- they held their own by not allowing too much to happen while making life just difficult enough when they had time in the Blues end.

The collective effort was good though and sure there is something to be said about allowing the Blues back in to make it 3-2 or giving a bit to get to 5-3 but it didn't matter in the end because whenever the Blues made a step forward the Jets took one too.

There's probably some tactical things to work with and other details but Jets fans should relish in what they saw tonight because it's been a long time coming. A very long time and now it's time to see if it's repeatable with after a day of rest. If the Jets getting back into it was not enough, it's easy to see that there's a series now because even when the game was all but detmermined the hate was starting to spill over. That's makes it fun as long as no one gets stupid.

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