The old saying goes that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. St. Louis Blues fans are doing that by expecting a different result other than a loss.
The only thing the 2025-26 Blues can do right now is get your hopes up, only to dash them in the most Blues way. It's happened time after time now, and they're quickly breaking the spirits of normally upbeat fans.
Similar to what we've seen quite a bit lately, the Blues had a good start. They opened up the scoring at 5:31 when Justin Faulk scored on a long shot from the top of the zone.
About six minutes later, the lead was doubled. Faulk got his second of the game to make it 2-0.
The Blues power play continued a decent resurgence when they went low to high. Jake Neighbours, in his first game back after a five-week absence, sent a sizzling pass from the goal line to Faulk on the left circle, and the defenseman wired a wrister in.
St. Louis felt like they were cooking with gas. Unfortunately, someone shut off the pilot light as the game went along.
The Blues had a decent second period. They kept the energy up and outshot Philadelphia 10-9 in the middle frame.
Perhaps it was recency bias of being burned too often. From a fan perspective, it just didn't feel that good, nor comfortable.
That black cloud feeling was proven correct when the Flyers got a late goal. Twice, the Blues had two players converge on the puck carrier too slowly, which put them out of position to guard the subsequent pass, and Rodrigo Abols found a seam in Joel Hofer to make it 2-1 with just over two minutes left in the second.
It was a tight third. Both teams seemed afraid to make a mistake, and both were playing with tight cheeks, so to speak.
There were only 12 shots on goal total between the two teams. St. Louis had seven, but did we really feel like they were going to score? Not very much, no.
St. Louis had a couple of opportunities to get the puck out and didn't prior to the goal. Credit to the Flyers for making them pay as they went right point to left circle for the quick slapper, and it was 2-2.
You just knew, or at least I knew, once the game went to overtime, the Blues had no chance. They gave us hope with some really good possession and even a couple of rushes at the net.
Reality sank in with 3:51 gone in the period. For the second overtime in a row, the Blues outnumbered the puck carrier and yet came nowhere close to disrupting the play. The Flyers won a puck battle, got a two-on-none, and Travis Sanheim snapped one high on Hofer for the 3-2 win.
Con: Buchnevich
I've had it with the Blues Russian winger. I've tried to support the guy and be understanding of how the team moved him from wing to center and back to wing last year. There's just no more excuses.
He's a burden on this team right now, and the coaching staff must see something no fan can see, because they keep putting him out there in key spots, and he's just a body. I know in his heart and soul he cares, but it does not translate to the legs.
He was involved in the board battle that lost the game in Toronto. He was on the ice and accomplished nothing on the puck pressure for the OT loss in Philadelphia.
I've seen the chatter that blames Brayden Schenn, but he slipped, and his man wasn't the scorer anyway. Buchnevich leaves his man to "pressure" the puck carrier along the wall.
The problem is, he was so slow in it; all he did was leave the guy he was shadowing alone, to then break into the zone and score. Either the communication was poor with Cam Fowler, who was equally lackadaisical, or Buchnevich should have let Fowler handle the one-on-one and stayed with his man.
He did neither, and we saw the result. It's time he sits out at least a game, just like Jordan Kyrou did.
Pro: First two periods
The Blues didn't dominate, by any stretch of the imagination. They were a good team through two periods, though.
If not for them being two slow to react twice, they probably would have gone into the intermission with a two-goal lead and maybe see things out. Instead, that late second-period goal changes everything.
The Blues may have outshot Philly, but you just knew that goal was coming. St. Louis buckles under pressure because they can't push back. They fight to open, absorb the push sometimes, but never find a way to counterpunch.
Con: Tucker
I love his feistiness, toughness, and willingness to stick up for teammates. Tyler Tucker is just as much a problem as anyone right now though.
He was on the ice for both goals in regulation and just looked lost. He's not slow, but he's more a stay-at-home defender and he's wandering all over the place in an attempt to compensate, but all he's doing is creating problems.
On the first goal, he probably doesn't even need to help Pius Suter, but he's slow in getting over there anyway. Then, he chases the puck instead of taking away a lane in front, which leaves the pass to the scorer wide open.
Honestly, on the second goal, he didn't really do anything wrong, but the mere fact that he's out there when the goal goes in is frustrating since he seems to always be in there when something goes wrong lately. The third pair of defenders is really a detriment to this team right now.
Overview:
The Blues are 0-6 in overtime games. It just doesn't matter any longer.
They can play well and possess the puck, or not even touch the puck and try to rely on their goalie. Either way, they're losing.
If you think they're bad in overtime, it's even less likely to win if it goes to a shootout. If the game isn't ending after 60 minutes, the Blues are losing.
They really have broken me, and other fans, in terms of bringing out old habits I thought I had left in the past. Last game, I yelled at the TV for the first time in years, and after this game, I yelled a profanity in public when the Flyers last goal went in.
You just feel it coming. There's nobody on this team that's grabbing everyone else and saying, "Come with me, I'm leading us". There's nobody stepping up in those moments to say we're not losing this one, come ride my coattails.
While Buch is making a case to be off this list, there really isn't a Blues player I don't like as an individual talent. The problem is, on a championship team, they'd all be second-line players or third line at best.
Robert Thomas is a good top center, but he's not elevating the talent around him like he should. Kyrou is working harder, but is it at the cost of what earned him the contract, i.e. the goals?
I honestly thought this team was very deep defensively, but the top guys have not been at their best, and the third pair (no matter who is on it) has been bad.
I don't see a way out of this. You can't change the coach again because Monty isn't the problem. The players I'd like to see traded either have contract clauses or are making too much money, so they're not going anywhere.
You can't go an entire season saying you're seeing improvement without the end result. I don't care how many positives you show me or I see. If you take leads and let the opponent score three or four unanswered goals, you're failing. You're incapable of taking their best shot and shoving it back in their face. All they do is buckle.