Embrace the possibility of another heartfelt tribute and celebration at the St. Louis Blues game this evening, as they host the "Golden Goal" hero, Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils. This has been a growing trend across the NHL, as every member of the United States team, as well as the Canadian team, have gotten a bit of a pregame round of applause.
Hughes, who scored the overtime winner to give the United States its third-ever Gold Medal in Men's Hockey, is going to be a key x-factor in this game when it does begin. He is a talent that the Blues should be striving to grab, should they find themselves in a position to get the first overall selection in this upcoming draft.
This is going to be an interesting game, as it will be the first game back at the Enterprise Center for Nick Bjugstad, as he is a part of the Devils now. No doubt he will get some pregame love as well from the Blue Note faithful.
The Blues are coming off a solid victory against the Seattle Kraken, with a 5-1 bludgeoning courtesy of a complete team effort. A healthy Dylan Holloway had a fantastic hat-trick and added an assist to give himself a four-point night. It was also the debut of Jack Finley, a St. Louis native who is repping the same number his dad, Jeff, wore as a part of the Blues in the late 90's and early 2000's.
This matchup against New Jersey is going to be a tricky one, as Robert Thomas is still a question mark. When the Blues returned to practice, prior to most of the Olympians returning from Italy, Thomas went on a leave of absence for personal reasons. It is unclear if he will be ready to go for tonight's game.
Jim Montgomery said Robert Thomas is potentially available tomorrow. They'll know more in the morning but there's no update right now. Sundqvist is also an option. #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 27, 2026
Thomas is also in a flurry of trade rumors spreading across the NHL social media world, and it is also unclear whether or not it has to do with this breakaway from the team.
Nevertheless, this team endures another game in this mysterious time. There is still no indication of a complete firesale or if they will give it their all for the rest of the 2025-26 season and regroup over the summer.