ST. LOUIS – Hats of many styles and life stories went flying onto the Enterprise Center ice Thursday as Pavel Buchnevich completed a hat trick, leading the St. Louis Blues to a dominant 7-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in their first home playoff game in three years.
Buchnevich opened the scoring in the game’s first minute, then added another on the power play just past the three-minute mark, helping the Blues jump to a quick 2-0 lead.
With a 3-1 Blues lead in the third and the Jets showing a flicker of momentum, Buchnevich’s goal sealed the milestone hat trick (his first in playoff action) and erased any doubt the game might slip away.
Buchnevich capitalized on a misplay behind the nets from Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, scooping up a loose puck on the left side of an open cage and not looking back.
Fully aware of the moment, just seconds after his third goal, Buchnevich playfully pretended to toss his helmet like a hat.
This was the 18th playoff hat trick in Blues franchise history. It was the first since Vladimir Tarasenko did it against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of playoffs in 2022. On home ice, it was the first since Jaden Schwartz earned one in 2019, also against the Jets and in a first-round series clinching win.
Buchnevich’s hat trick opened the floodgates in the Blues’ offensive attack to seal a Game 3 victory. Cam Fowler, Jordan Kyrou, Alexey Toropchenko and Colton Parayko also lit the lamp, chasing Hellebuyck out of net after six goals with roughly 10 minutes left in the game.
So what do the St. Louis Blues do with the hats that fans toss onto the ice to celebrate a hat trick?
A Blues communications spokesperson tells FOX 2 that the hats are typically donated to the St. Patrick’s Center.
According to its website, the St. Patrick’s Center is a nonprofit that has served the St. Louis community for more than 40 years and is “dedicated to combating homelessness.”
In some cases, players may be offered the chance to sort through the hats and keep a few, but the rest go the St. Patrick’s Center.
Powered by Buchnevich’s hat trick and Fowler’s five-point night, the Blues earned their first win of the 2025 NHL Playoffs, now trailing the Jets 2-1 in the first round. The Blues and Jets return to action Sunday for Game 4 at the Enterprise Center, a noon CT scheduled puck drop.