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When the Blues needed more offense, their defensemen stepped up.

The Blues’ blue liners were major catalysts for St. Louis as it tied its first-round playoff series with Winnipeg by winning Games 3 and 4 on home ice. In Sunday’s 5-1 win in Game 4, they scored twice (Tyler Tucker and Justin Faulk), and Colton Parayko’s point shot was deflected by Jake Neighbours in front. In a 7-2 victory in Game 3, Cam Fowler scored a goal on his way to a five-point night, and Parayko scored on the power play.

Overall, Blues defensemen lead the NHL playoffs with 16 points, five more than the second-place Avalanche. Fowler’s eight points are the most in the league among defensemen and tied for the fourth-most for any skater.

“That’s what we try to do,� Faulk said. “We’ve got a lot of D that can skate and play, shoot pucks, make passes, whatever. Guys that have played in the league a long time. It’s an emphasis of ours to make sure we’re skating and doing our part to help out and create offense as much as we can.�

Of the five Blues goals on Sunday, three of them came on slap shots from the point. Parayko’s flutterer allowed Neighbours to get a stick on it (“The puck came in so slow I had time to line her up and make sure I got a stick on it,� Neighbours said). Tucker’s blast went around an Oskar Sundqvist screen at the net-front. And Faulk’s goal redirected off Jets defenseman Neal Pionk outside the crease.

That doesn’t even include Parayko’s rush up ice that helped create Brayden Schenn’s goal in Game 4.

“I think by them moving their feet, they get more into a rhythm of the game and they end up getting open looks, especially in the offensive zone,� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “If they’re moving their feet, I thought we were standing still a lot in Winnipeg, and I think as a team, we’re moving our feet and we’re getting to goal lines.

“We’re getting numbers on the puck and then we’re able to go low to high and our defensemen, because of the way Winnipeg does such a great job in the D-zone, have a little more time if they’re moving their feet to get to middle ice.�

Jets coach Scott Arniel also noticed how the Blues defensemen were able to find space.

“When we defend our numbers against their numbers, we don't let people out of the corners, we don't let them use the whole zone, and we kind of limit the amount of room they get to work,� Arniel said. “And I talked about a little bit after Game 3, but again, we did a better job, I thought, in Game 4. But obviously they, the two goals came off off a couple of mistakes by us on our coverage that allowed those shots to get there.�

The Blues defense was the most active it had been all season in Games 3 and 4.

The defensemen combined for 13 shots on goal in Game 3, which tied for the most all season by St. Louis. In Game 4, they had 12 more shots on goal, and the 50% rate coming from defensemen was the biggest share all season for the Blues. In the two games, they put 25 shots on goal, also the most for the Blues in a two-game stretch this season.

Compare that with the games in Winnipeg, when Blues defensemen totaled four shots in Game 1 and seven in Game 2. They attempted 26 shots in Winnipeg. That was up to 50 in St. Louis.

“I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we’re connected as five-man units,� Neighbours said. “The last two games our D have been phenomenal, breaking pucks out with their feet and the O-zone, shooting a lot of pucks, that’s something we thought we kind of missing in the first couple of games was just that shot mentality from up top and getting people there.

“So they’ve done a great job of being shot-ready and putting themselves in positions to get those shots off and get them through. So they’ve been fantastic the last two.�

During the regular season, the Blues were tied for third in the league in goals from defensemen (46). The only teams with more were Colorado (Cale Makar had 30 goals) and Columbus (Zach Werenski had 23).

The combination of shots from the point and traffic at the net-front has allowed the Blues to chase Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck in two straight games, scoring 11 goals on the likely Vezina Trophy winner in two games.

“You have to win the net-front battle, you have to go to the net,� Schenn said. “Not even just our series, but look league-wide right now how pucks and goals are going in in the playoffs. They’re not always going to be pretty. It’s such a cliché answer but you get pucks and people and traffic to the net, shoot the puck and hopefully good things happen.�

The Blues have four goals this postseason on tips and deflections, which is tied with Edmonton for the most in the league.

“Getting to the net front, our defensemen having a shot-first attitude has really helped us create garbage, ugly goals,� Montgomery said. “We’re getting a little puck luck, but you get puck luck when you play the right way in playoff hockey.�