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The Blues didn’t play Game 4 inside Enterprise Center.

They played Game 4 inside Connor Hellebuyck’s head.

They skated freely from lobe to lobe, took some shots inside his corpus callosum and celebrated in his cerebellum.

We’d heard about how Winnipegians have been exposed, in years past, to the depths of “Playoff Helle.”

On Sunday, we were all witnesses.

The Blues won Game 4, yes, but really, the goalie Hellebuyck lost it.

In the Jets’ net, he should have — or at least could have — stopped three of St. Louis’ goals in the 5-1 Blues win.

It was, for all intents and purposes, gobsmacking.

See, it would’ve been wild for any goalie to get exposed this badly — this abruptly — in a playoff series. But this is the best goalie in the National Hockey League. He literally won the award for top goaltender last season — and is primed to win it this season. Heck, before Game 1 in Winnipeg, Jets fans were chanting “M-V-P!”

Yet with 16 minutes left in Game 4, Hellebuyck proved so unstable, he was pulled — and Blues fans chanted: “We WANT Con-nor!”

A tale of two chants.

Now, as I wrote on these pages after Game 1, there were some signs that Hellebuyck’s foundation was cracked. He allowed three goals on the Blues’ first 10 shots — but the Jets won Game 1 (and then Game 2) at home.

But here in St. Louis, the Blues scored six goals off Hellebuyck in the Game 3 win, and in Sunday’s Game 4, the Blues scored five off him.

Connor was pulled in both games.

Hellebuyck has a frightening history of playoff failure. Starting in 2019, Winnipeg has made the playoffs every year but one, yet only won one series. This, of course, included the first of four Blues playoff series wins in 2019.

On the road, well, it’s just been hell. In the past three playoffs, counting this series, Hellebuyck’s goals against average is over 5.00.

And there have been some bad home games, too. Two years ago, his home-and-road playoff GAA was 3.44. Last year, it was 5.23! This is a guy who has a career 2.56 — and this season had his career-low at 2.01!

It appears that the Blues broke hockey’s best goalie.

Though the best goalie’s coach disagrees.

“I’m 100% confident in Connor Hellebuyck; his resume speaks for itself,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said after the Sunday shellacking. “At the end of the day, we need to be better in front of him. We need to let him see some pucks. To me, there’s a couple there (Hellebuyck) didn’t get to see. There’s things that we have to do to help him. He knows that he has to do things to help us. That’s how it’s been all year long. So we’re all in this together. ...

“We worked our tails off for 82 games to get home ice (advantage). It’s a best-of-three now — we’ve got to make sure we take care of business.”

Game 5 is Wednesday in Winnipeg. But with the series tied 2-2, there will be another road game for Hellebuyck — Game 6 on Friday at Enterprise Center. That’s the site of what Arniel called an “unraveling” with about eight minutes left in Sunday’s second period. The coach pointed out how uncharacteristic it was for the Jets defense to falter — after all, Winnipeg allowed the fewest goals this year in the National Hockey League.

But let’s be honest.

This wasn’t necessarily about the defense, just as this game wasn’t played at Enterprise Center. It’s all in Hellebuyck’s head. He should’ve stopped Tyler Tucker’s shot. Heck, he had his stick on the puck in the crease before Brayden Schenn’s goal. And Robert Thomas skated right in and beat the future Hall of Fame goalie one on one.

“We’re just trying to get pucks in and bodies to the net, it’s a simple recipe,” Blues veteran defenseman Justin Faulk said. “I’m sure every team in the playoffs is saying that — it’s net-front battles. We got to win ours in our end and win it in their end. So it’s nothing crazy. We’re just trying to make it tough on them and their D.”

Hellebuyck’s postseasons are reminiscent of another future Hall of Fame athlete, that being Cooperstown-bound Clayton Kershaw. He has a career 2.50 ERA. But he has a career postseason 4.49 ERA in 194 1/3 innings (granted 15 2/3 of those were against the cheating trash Astros in the 2017 World Series). But at least Kershaw bounced back and helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series. Hellebuyck has two Vezina Trophies for top netminder and will win a third for this season, but he has yet to win the most important piece of hardware.

And if St. Louis can find a way to win in Winnipeg, you’d have to think Game 6 will be the Jets’ final game of 2025.

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Photos: Blues tie up series with 5-1 win over Winnipeg Jets in Game 4

Rugged defenseman Tyler Tucker spent most of his first three months this season toiling for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League.

Back then, he appeared to be buried on the depth chart. Then-coach Drew Bannister had more confidence in Matt Kessel, who had excelled for him in the minors. The Blues also opened the season with former Hobey Baker winner Scott Perunovich and veteran P.O Joseph.

Back then, Tucker couldn’t have imagined fans would be chanting his name during a raucous Blues playoff victory in April.

But that was the scene Sunday afternoon at Enterprise Center as the Blues were finishing off the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 to pull even in their best-of-seven series at 2-2.

Tucker scored a pivotal goal in the victory, blasting a slap shot past Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck from the right point. He hit the net with another shot from the right point, then tracked the rebound and fired just wide from the slot.

He landed two hits and earned two takeaways while posting a plus-1 rating during his 21 shifts. He also goaded Adam Lowry into a roughing penalty and then declined to retaliate.

Alas, Tucker’s fan salute was bittersweet. It came after he suffered a serious-looking leg injury during a corner collision with Jets forward Brandon Tanev.

Tucker heard that chant while he was being helped off the ice with his availability for further playoff action very much in doubt.

“He’s been a big part of this team for a long time,” fellow Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “He’s a great player, a great defender. We’re lucky to have him. He’s there in all situations. We just hope everything is OK.”

Blues coach Jim Montgomery didn’t have an update on Tucker after the game. Ryan Suter, who played ahead of Tucker in Game 1 of this series, seems likely to slot in for him when the series resumes Wednesday night in Winnipeg.

Regardless of what happens with Tucker during the rest of the postseason, his success against the Jets added to his growth in this campaign.

Like Jake Neighbours, Zack Bolduc and newly signed Jimmy Snuggerud, Tucker seized the opportunity this playoff battle presented. The Blues wanted to contend and build at the same time this season — and Tucker was one of the young guys who made that happen.

After sitting out Game 1, Tucker entered the playoffs when Montgomery shifted to seven defensemen and 11 forwards. Then, Montgomery stuck with Tucker in Games 3 and 4 at the expense of Suter while reverting back to six defensemen and 12 forwards.

Tucker was one of the difference-makers in Game 4.

“His goal was huge for us getting the lead and being able to play with the lead,” Montgomery said. “I thought he was really aggressive tonight. I thought that was the best game of the three games. I thought he was physical.”

The Blues missed him during the last few minutes of the game Sunday after his injury. The frustrated Jets acted out again, just as they did at the end of their 7-2 loss in Game 3.

������Ƶ were running around the rink, looking to take their frustrations out with cheap shots. Tucker’s willingness and ability to address situations helped get Tucker into the NHL while he was still developing his game.

There were reasons to doubt his NHL trajectory after he turned pro. Yes, he loved to hit. Yes, he possessed a big shot.

Yes, he always came ready to fight, should the need arise.

But Tucker’s ability to turn, recover and defend the rush — well, that has remained a work in progress. His tripping penalty midway through the first period Sunday spoke to that.

Tucker was about to get caught in the offensive zone as the Jets were taking off the other way, so he had to use his stick.

His game has continued improving, though. His toughness plus his ability to generate offense earned third-paring work as the defensive corps evolved.

The Blues traded Perunovich and Joseph. Armstrong added Cam Fowler, who jumped into a primary role. Nick Leddy returned after missing much of the season with injury. Parayko returned late in the season after missing time with his injury.

But even as Fowler starred and Leddy and Parayko got healthy, Tucker stayed in the picture.

After shuttling between the AHL and Blues for the past three seasons, Tucker proved he was ready to stick with a more polished overall game.

“He’s a really good offensive defenseman,” Montgomery said. “And it shows with how he gets shots off. They don’t get blocked. It’s because he puts himself in a shot-ready mindset.”

Tucker’s development is most important. He is 25 years old. While Philip Broberg is just 23 and Kessel is 24, Parayko is 31, Fowler and Justin Faulk are 33, Leddy is 34 and Suter is 40.

The Blues need to get younger on the blue line. Top prospects Theo Lindstein and Adam Jiricek are likely a few years away from making an impact. This is Tucker’s time to establish himself in the NHL.

He was doing just that before getting hurt Sunday. His breakthrough is just one more positive storyline in a Blues season full of them.

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Photos: Blues tie up series with 5-1 win over Winnipeg Jets in Game 4

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.

“������Ƶ won the first two at home, and to come back, it’s an opportunity to tie it,” 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.”

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.”

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