The St. Louis Blues redeemed themselves after their abysmal showing against the Colorado Avalanche on New Year's Eve with a 4-3 thriller at home to Vegas. It had a little bit of everything, and at the end of it, it left a positive ringing in 2026.
There was a lot to takea way from this game, and one of them stood above the rest. There was a moment in the first period that had the Blues down 1-0 to Vegas, and then something miraculous.
What happened?
A Blues team, that has been beaten down and battered early in hockey games with no intent or virtue to try and comeback, put it all on the line with an all-out assault to tie the game 19 seconds later.
Alexey Toropchenko, who was amongst a fantastic fourth-line trio that completely took over this game, scored that crucial goal to tie the game early. It was nice seeing this team try and rediscover that comeback mentality, as it has been missing for a very long time from this group.
It always seemed like whenever the Blues would fall behind early or by a significant amount, the game was all but over. It was just a cardio workout, with little to no pushback from the Blue Note. This was a completely different performance.
On home ice, when the opposition scores first, the Blues have a record of 1-7-1. If that doesn't paint a picture as to the grit of this group, than I don't know what to tell you. In comparison to last season, in which the Blues were a much more respectable 8-11-3 at home.
New look Blues?
The calendar has flipped over to 2026, and this first win of the year could be the turning point. It is the 42nd game of the season, meaning they are over the halfway point of the season, and there are 40 more games to go to try and improve their current standing.
Toropchenko's gut-punch goal against Vegas might have been the spark this team needed. Now, only time will tell if this win sticks.