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The calendar read late April, but the feeling might as well have transported the Blues back to mid-February.

Last week, the Blues returned to St. Louis after losing the opening two games of their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series in Winnipeg. They burned through two of the three losses they could manage before elimination and faced the reality of having to win four of the next five games against the league’s best team.

Well, they’re halfway there.

Following Sunday afternoon’s 5-1 win over the Jets, the Blues evened the series at two games apiece leading into Game 5 on Wednesday night in Winnipeg.

Jake Neighbours (goal and two assists), Brayden Schenn (goal and an assist) and Colton Parayko (two assists) each had multi-point games, and Robert Thomas, Justin Faulk and Tyler Tucker also scored for the Blues. Jordan Binnington stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced.

“Both teams have done their job at home,� Schenn said. “Best of three now. Playoffs are full of momentum swings. That’s how it goes from game to game. We’re happy where we’re at right now. We’ve got to do a good job of try and limit those opportunities or offensive momentum shifts in Game 5 here.�

The Blues have become accustomed to this story arc across the past 2 1/2 months. Back at the 4 Nations Face-Off break in mid-February, they were eight points out of a playoff spot. They knew they needed to go on a run, and they were a team that had not yet won three games in a row. Even at the trade deadline, general manager Doug Armstrong conceded it would be an uphill climb to qualify for the postseason.

All the Blues did after that was become the best team in the league. When St. Louis hosts Game 6 on Friday, it will have been 69 days since the Blues lost a home game. Sunday was the team’s 14th straight victory on home ice.

“We were down and out a long time ago,� Schenn said. “Our mentality in our room is keep on playing hard and keep on playing for one another and go out there and worry about the little details and habits that are going to win you hockey games. So far, that’s kind of what we did after Game 2. I felt like we actually played really good hockey in Winnipeg and just didn’t get the result.

“We were up in Game 1 and Game 2; we just didn’t have a good third period. It’s been a tight series. It’s going to be a tough Game 5. Just rely on one another to go out there and do your job, and that’s been getting us results for a couple months now.�

In coming back to St. Louis, the Blues transformed a close series into a pair of laughers.

All but 53 seconds of the first two games were played within one goal. Games 3 and 4? Only a third was spent with the score within one goal. The Blues had multi-goal leads for the entirety of both third periods.

They chased likely Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck for the second straight game and scored the final five goals of the afternoon after a first period in which the Jets outshot the Blues 12-5. Neighbours’ deflection of Paryako’s shot with 22.7 seconds remaining sent the Blues into the break tied at 1, though.

“The timing of it was perfect,� Faulk said. “We needed a little jump there. They got a couple power plays and took over the momentum a little bit. To come in here tied up at 1, it’s a boost for us. I know it’s deflating on the other side when that happens.�

Tucker’s point shot midway through the second period gave the Blues a 2-1 lead, then Schenn boosted it to 3-1 with a rush right after a Blues power play ended. Faulk’s slapper from the point bounced off traffic in front to push it to 4-1, and then Thomas chased Hellebuyck two minutes into the third period.

The two wins were an embodiment of the Blues’ calm and confidence, conviction and certainty in themselves, something built in the two months of becoming the hottest team in the NHL.

“We knew where we were,� Faulk said. “We had a job to do when we came back. Start with the first one, come in and try and play well, get to our game. Obviously, the first one went pretty well and went our way. We knew we had to try and re-create that again today. It was a tough task after losing the first two there. We wanted to get back even in the series, and that’s where we are. It’s three games now, series tied up. We’ve got to keep going and keep playing well.�

Had the Blues lost either of their home games, they would have given Winnipeg two chances to close out the series on home ice. Instead, St. Louis put itself in a position to potentially clinch at home by the end of the week.

“ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ won the first two at home, and to come back, it’s an opportunity to tie it,â€� Parayko said. “Just hit the reset button; it’s a long series. I thought we did a good job investing in the first couple of games as well; now it’s opportunity to go back there and see what happens.â€�

Momentum lives in St. Louis right now, but the Blues still understand they must win at least one game in Winnipeg to advance to the second round. The Blues have lost their past three games in Winnipeg — the first two games of the series, plus an April 7 loss that ended the Blues’ franchise-record 12-game win streak.

“I think we held a majority of the lead both games in Winnipeg,� Montgomery said. “So we felt we played well, but we didn’t feel we played to our identity for 60 minutes. So it gave us confidence that we were able to play for 60 minutes, then we’d have success. It’s a 2 out of 3 now. Both teams won on home ice. now we have to go to Winnipeg and try to win one on the road.�