Jokinen scores shootout winner to cap Jets comeback

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets juggled plenty of emotions following a thrilling, come-from-behind victory Friday night.

Olli Jokinen scored in the seventh round of the shootout to lift the Jets to a 4-3 win over the red-hot St. Louis Blues, ripping a shot over the shoulder of goaltender Brian Elliott.

Jets' goalie Ondrej Pavelec stopped Chris Stewart to end the shootout.

The shootout win was made possible when Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom scored on a slap shot with just under two minutes left to knot the game at 3 to complete the comeback after the Blues held a 3-1 lead early in the third period.

Jets left winger Evander Kane started the comeback when he added his fourth goal with just over six minutes left in regulation to make it 3-2.

Jokinen also scored in the first period for Winnipeg.

Alexander Steen fired two goals for St. Louis, his sixth and seventh of the season, while David Backes added his sixth.

The victory was marred by a scary scene in the middle period when Jets rookie defenseman Jacob Trouba fell head-first into boards behind the Blues' goal, silencing the usually raucous Winnipeg crowd. He was down for a considerable amount of time and had to be taken off on a stretcher, but was alert and waved to the crowd as he was wheeled off the ice.

Between periods, the club said Trouba was alert, communicating and moving all limbs while awaiting X-rays in hospital.

"It's definitely hard after something like that," said center Bryan Little, who scored in the shootout. "That's your teammate and you're watching him get carried off. You just hope that it's precautionary and he's going to be all right.

"There's not much you can do until after the game. But it's tough because he's down for a long time. To refocus and get back in the game is hard."

Jets' head coach Claude Noel was impressed with his club's resilience after Trouba went down, limiting the Blues to just one goal afterward.

"Our focus was good at that point. It was a fairly long time before we got to play again. But I thought our guys showed good character at keeping it simple," he said. "If you don't manage the puck against them and through the neutral zone and be too cute, you're really going to get in trouble and it becomes a tougher task.

"We battled hard for 60 minutes. It was good for us to win, to play a complete game."

Noel said he didn't see Trouba crash into the boards, but saw the video after the second period.

"It was scary. It's never a good moment, no matter what team it is," he said.

Pavelec made 29 saves for the Jets and stopped five opportunities in the shootout. Only Steen and T.J. Oshie beat him on the first two shots.

"It's tough, but you have to forget right away," he said. "It's 50-50 and you have to focus for the next guy. It's no different than the game. You let one in and you just have to be ready for the next one. That's what I try. I was happy to make some saves in the end."

Andrew Ladd also scored for the Jets in the shootout.

The Blues led 2-1 through the first period and also after 40 minutes.

Elliott stopped 26 shots for the visitors in his first start of the season.

The Jets (4-4-0) host the Nashville Predators on Sunday night, the fifth game of a six-game stretch at home.

The Blues (5-1-1) have a rare week off before hosting the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.

NOTES: Blues C Maxim Lapierre was suspended Friday for five games without pay by the NHL for his hit on San Jose Sharks' D Dan Boyle three nights earlier. Lapierre received a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct for the hit. He served his first game of the suspension Thursday while awaiting a hearing with the league Friday. Boyle was taken off the ice by stretcher and had to spend a night in hospital. ... RW Devin Setoguchi was a healthy scratch for the Jets on Friday. The former 30-goal scorer was acquired in the summer from Minnesota to provide some offensive punch, but has just one goal in seven games. ... Kane hurt his leg in practice Wednesday but took the morning skate Friday and was in the lineup against the Blues. ... Steen was born in Winnipeg and is the son of former Jets captain Thomas Steen, who played 14 years in the league (1981-95), all with Winnipeg, and had 817 career points. Steen, 29, was playing his first career game in Winnipeg. He's now tied for the league lead in goals with San Jose Sharks' rookie forward Tomas Hertl.