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Sunday’s series-evening Blues 5-1 romp over the Winnipeg Jets in Enterprise Center only underscored that point. The Blues put themselves in position to potentially dismiss the Presidents’ Trophy winners, and a second line capable of changing the game with its offense will be critical.

Holloway’s lower body injury drastically changed a line that carried the Blues for portions of the regular season.

With centering a unit that included the club’s leading goal-scorer Jordan Kyrou (36 goals) and the second-leading goal scorer Holloway (26 goals) on the wings, that line became an engine of the club for much of the winter until the top line featuring Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich hit its stride.

Of course, calling the reconfigured second line of Jake Neighbours, Schenn and Kyrou a checking line is an exaggeration. It’s also not off base.

In a series largely characterized by its physical nature, Neighbours (20 hits) and Schenn (16 hits) combined for more hits than any other two players on either team through three games. Neighbours led all players and Schenn tied for second on the Blues with Nathan Walker.

Schenn helped set an in-your-face tone to the series with seven hits in the first period of Game 1, the most by a Blue since the stat has been tracked (2010). But entering play on Sunday he’d taken just three shots, hadn’t registered a point and recorded a team-high 22 penalty minutes. For the series, his plus/minus was minus-3.

Neighbours entered Game 4 having taken just four shots. He’d logged a pair of assists, but still carried a plus/minus of minus-2 and his 12 penalty minutes ranked second on the team behind Schenn.

Kyrou, who sported a minus-3 plus/minus, came in having been a more active offensive contributor with two goals on eight shots though both his goals came on the power play.

“The mentality of the guys that have to be physical on our team is ‘It’s a long series,’� Schenn said. “That’s what happens when you start in Game 1. It’s all part of the game. You have to be physical, but at the same time you have to play hockey and have to make plays.

“(Sunday), I thought my linemates did a great job of creating space and possessing the puck. I’m still going to be physical. That’s part of my game, but at the same time you’ve got to try and pick your spots.�

You have to play hockey, and you have to make plays. That’s the important part, from the horse’s mouth.

The second line played hockey and made plays Sunday in a way it hadn’t through the first three games.

Oh, the players hit and they made the Jets know they were there, made them feel them in those first three games. The scoreboard, however, was unmoved.

The Blues can’t bank on large offensive outbursts from a concentrated group like they got on Thursday when the trio of Cam Fowler (one goal, four assists), Buchnevich (three goals, one assist) and Thomas (four assists) created enough scoring opportunities to win the game.

The playoffs, particularly against a team that allowed the fewest goals in hockey, require a greater diversity of potential offensive avenues.

Game 3 and Game 4 certainly showed how big a difference it made to get the Blues defensemen into the flow in the offensive zone.

But back to the Neighbours-Schenn-Kyrou line.

When Neighbours scored the Blues’ first goal of the game and tied the score late in the first period, he skated with Oskar Sundqvist and Schenn. Neighbours went to the net front and tipped in a blast from Parayko.

“I think it’s just the mindset, the attitude to do it,� Neighbours said of getting to the net front. “It’s hard. It’s not easy, and it’s not a fun place to go. But it can be rewarding, obviously, as you’ve seen the last couple games.

“I think it’s as simple as that. It’s just an attitude, a willingness to go there, get there. You know you’re going to create space for others around you, create traffic for shots and things like that. It’s just a very necessary part of the O-zone that we’ve done a really good job of the last two.�

Then in the second period after the Blues came up empty on a power play, Schenn scored his first goal of the series — on wrister after left a rebound out in front of the crease. That made the score 3-1.

When defenseman Justin Faulk scored the Blues’ fourth goal, later in that period, it came after Schenn’s shot — off a feed from Kyrou — veered wide of the net. Neighbours then corralled it and fed Faulk for a slap shot that deflected in off a Jets defender who was occupied in front of the net by Kyrou.

Neighbours finished the game with a goal and two assists, while Schenn notched one goal and one assist. As a line, the Neighbours-Schenn-Kyrou unit led the Blues in expected goals for and shot attempts as well as goals per .

“The benefit of having guys like Kyrou, Schenn, Neighbours on your second line is you get favorable matchups at home, and give credit to them for taking advantage of it — scoring at the end of the power play and getting that other big goal five-on-five,� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said.

“When you see a skilled player like Jordan Kyrou being at the net front helping create screens, you know your team is really invested.�

The Blues need this group to have an impact offensively, going to the net, making plays, not just as heavy hitters and certainly not regulars in the penalty box.