Kyle Connor’s one-timer with 1:36 remaining in the third period snapped a 3-3 tie and lifted the host Winnipeg Jets to a 5-3 victory in Saturday’s opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the St. Louis Blues.

Connor also contributed a pair of assists and captain Adam Lowry capped the victory with an empty-netter with 53 seconds left.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference series is Monday at Canada Life Centre, which featured a loud “whiteout” full house of 15,225 fans.

Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists and Jaret Anderson-Dolan also scored for the Jets.

Connor Hellebuyck made 14 saves for Winnipeg, which won the Presidents’ Trophy for the NHL’s best regular-season record (56-22-4).

Jordan Kyrou gave the Blues a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal early in the second period, but Winnipeg’s top-line winger Alex Iafallo tied it at 9:18 of the third.

Robert Thomas also scored on the power play for St. Louis. Oskar Sundqvist added one at even strength and Justin Faulk had two assists.

Jordan Binnington stopped 21 shots for St. Louis, which grabbed the Western Conference’s final wild-card spot with a final-game victory.

The Jets won their regular-season series against the Blues 3-1.

A four-goal first period ended in a 2-2 tie.

St. Louis outshot the Jets 9-7 in the opening period, and dished out 32 hits to Winnipeg’s 14.

After Lowry’s goal, players paired up for some fighting with 19 seconds left.

RANGERS FIRE COACH LAVIOLETTE >> The New York Rangers fired coach Peter Laviolette on Saturday in the aftermath of missing the playoffs.

The move made by general manager Chris Drury came after the Rangers missed the playoffs, the result of a lost season during which they massively underachieved preseason expectations following a trip to the Eastern Conference final last year.

Assistant Phil Housley was also fired. Owner James Dolan and Drury are expected to start the search for a full-time head coach soon, and roster changes are all but certain to happen in the coming weeks and months.

DUCKS FIRE CRONIN >> Greg Cronin was fired Saturday as coach of the Anaheim Ducks after two seasons, general manager Pat Verbeek announced.

“He is responsible in many ways for the improvement we’ve seen from our young core. However, after several weeks of careful evaluation, I concluded we needed a change in direction and a new voice,” Verbeek said in a statement about Cronin. “This was an extremely difficult decision for me to make, but I felt it was necessary to continue our progress toward becoming a Stanley Cup contender that I know we can be.”

The Ducks missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season, finishing 35-37-10. Their 80 points were a 21-point improvement over last year, but weren’t enough to save Cronin’s job.

Cronin posted a 62-87-15 record in two seasons. He joined the Ducks after five seasons with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League. The Eagles are an affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.

The next coach of the Ducks will have a talented young core to work with.

Anaheim’s 178 points from players age 22 or younger (74 goals, 104 assists) were second to the Sharks.