The St. Louis Blues just took two of their last three games into the win column, and the season is seemingly back on with a very productive 48 hours in Canada. After beating the Ottawa Senators with a tough victory, 2-1, they traveled across the way to Montreal and took it to the Habs with a 4-3 win.
Here are some takeaways from the success, and where this team goes from here.
Binnington proves he is still "The Guy"
After backup goaltender Joel Hofer put on a clinic against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, making 41 spectacular saves, Jordan Binnington had to try to one-up him against Montreal. It has always been the winningest goalie in Blues history's role, but as of late, Hofer has appeared to be the better goalie of the two.
In the 4-3 win over the Canadiens, it seemed like Binnington might have gotten some of his mojo back, which is the most valuable thing the Blues need right now. With 23 saves against a really good Habs attack, he kept his team in the game and secured the win. Now, No. 50 just has to do it again and again and again to keep his starting job secure.
Banged up offense pulled through
Imagine being without Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud, Nathan Walker, Alexey Toropchenko, and then seeing Oskar Sundqvist hurt his arm during the game against Montreal. There is surely no possible way that this team, which has only scored four goals one time in its last 11 tries to score that same amount again, missing that many key pieces.
Well, the banged-up offensive unit pulled through thanks to their captain and their rising star. Brayden Schenn had two goals and an assist in his first three-point game of the season, which either helped his trade return or is a sign that he can push this team forward with performance over leadership. And then Dylan Holloway, who had a goal and two assists,continues to prove that he and Philip Broberg were blessings and curses, as they both were every contingency with the offer-sheets, but will both be worth a lot of money at the end of this season.
Road warriors go home
The Blues have been great this season on the road, with a 6-6-3 record. As opposed to their home record of 5-6-4, this team has secured a better win percentage on the road and has cut their goal differential down considerably. They are -7 in opposing barns, versus -17 in the Enterprise Center.
Now, this team has five home games over its next six games. This is going to be a true test of whether these back-to-back wins are going to change the demeanor of this team. Can they keep the momentum going back home, in front of the Blues faithful?