The St. Louis Blues season has to be divided into three parts to tell the whole story. Part one was with Drew Bannister as the head coach, who got promoted from his interim position following a solid end to the 2023-24 campaign. Part two was when the Blues fired Bannister to hire Jim Montgomery, who spent five days on the market following his firing from the Boston Bruins. Part three of the Blues season has been since play resumed from the Four Nations Face-Off.
The Blues have been lights out since returning from the Four Nations Face-Off break. The Blues looked like their tank was on empty, losing seven out of their last 10 games. However, since play has resumed following the mini-tournament, the team is refreshed and destined for a playoff berth, which seemed unlikely before the break. The Blues have won 13 out of 17 games since returning and are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. Just weeks ago, sneaking into the second wild card seemed like their best hope, but now they are within striking distance of overtaking Minnesota for the first wild card spot. But what has been behind the Blues turnaround?
1. Special Teams
One major factor has been their play on special teams, which has gone from a liability to a strength at the perfect time. The St. Louis Blues are the 28th-ranked team in the league in penalty kill percentage at 72.9. However, since they resumed from the Four-Nation Face-Off, the penalty kill unit has been red hot. In their last 17 games, the penalty kill percentage is 80 percent. The past 10 games have been even better, only allowing two goals on the penalty kill, with the rate at 90.5. It's not just the Blues' penalty kill that has stepped up over the past 17 games, as their power play has been firing on all cylinders. On the season, the Blues have the 17th-ranked power-play percentage at 21.7. Over their last 17 games, the Blues have increased their powerplay percentage to 30, which, if they did that for the entire season, would rank 2nd in the NHL. People always talk about how the teams that win the Stanley Cup are the teams that get hot at the right time, and the Blues are getting hotter as they get closer to the playoffs.
2. Goals, Lots of Goals
At the beginning of the season, the St. Louis Blues struggled to score goals, but that changed under Montgomery. It has become more evident since returning from the break. Over the past 17 games, the Blues have been on a scoring tear, averaging 4.06 goals per game, which ranks first in the NHL. The Blues are getting goals from everyone, but the biggest surprise is rookie Zachary Bolduc, leading the way in that span, with nine of his 15 goals on the season coming in the last 17 games. He is not alone, as Jordan Kyrou and Dylan Holloway have chipped in with eight goals each in that span. Robert Thomas is leading the way in points with 23 in the last 17 games. It is not like one player is carrying the load offensively, as the Blues have 10 skaters with double-digit points in that span. The saying is speed kills, and the Blues have lots of it. Combine that with the team's physicality, and the team has a perfect recipe for success heading into the playoffs.
3. The Goaltending Duo
While the Blues' offensive firepower has been key, their defensive play, especially in goal, has been just as important. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer have been excellent for the Blues since the Four Nations Face-Off. They have been performing so well that some believe the team should consider rotating goalies once it is playoff time. For the longest time, Binnington's save percentage has been hovering just under .900 for the season, which has happened once in his NHL career. Since returning from the Four Nations Face-Off, Binnington appears to have brought the form that helped backstop Team Canada to victory over Team USA in the final. Binnington's numbers have improved, posting a 2.19 goals against average and a .912 save percentage in the 11 games since returning from the break. Joel Hofer has had stretches where he has played well this season, but has found his groove recently. In his eight games since the play resumed, Hofer has posted a 1.97 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. The Blues have been giving up an average of 2.18 goals a game in their last 17 games, which would rank 3rd in the NHL. You can not give all the praise to the goalies, but the way they have been playing, they deserve some credit for how well the Blues have been during this stretch.