The St. Louis Blues have not been a consistent team in 2025-26. Every time we thought they might build on some success, they hit a brick wall.
The team had only won two games back-to-back once earlier in the season. So, coming off a win against the Ottawa Senators, the optimism was not high among fans against the Utah Mammoth.
Despite that, the Blues had a solid first period against the Mammoth. The defense was solid, only allowing four shots on goal, although Utah did ring one off the crossbar with about six minutes left.
The offense wasn't creating a ton, but they were steady. In the first five minutes of the game, the fourth line created three grade-A opportunities.
A strong push into the offensive zone by Philip Broberg drew a penalty. Unfortunately, the power play could barely hold the zone, although they did get a couple of cracks at the goal in the final 30 seconds.
St. Louis managed to keep up the pace in the second period. They did get a little sloppy with the puck, but from a stats point of view, it was all the same with the shots still 8-4 in the middle frame as well.
The Blues nearly got on the board about three and a half minutes into the middle frame. An odd-man rush nearly set up Pavel Buchnevich with a one-timer on the right, but he was denied by a sliding pad save.
St. Louis also nearly broke the deadlock with a shorthanded goal. A great pass breakup led to a Robert Thomas breakaway, but he lifted the puck too much and shot over the goal.
The Blues finally got things done in the final two minutes. They scored the first goal of the game at 18:10 when St. Louis broke out on a rush. Broberg drove the zone again, this time dropping it off to Dylan Holloway, who rifled a wrister to make it 1-0.
The Blues also drew a penalty with 1:02 left in the second. The power play for that minute and change might have been the best we've seen all season, but they failed to score.
Not as much was accomplished in the final 58 seconds of PP time to open the third. The lack of offense there would become a theme.
The Blues got outshot 10-3 by Utah in the final period. However, they didn't feel like they were doing nothing but defending.
The only time they got stuck in their zone for a long time was when the refs gave Utah a five-minute power play. Watching the game live, it seemed a weird choice for them to review the play since no call had been made live, but the reality is that Logan Cooley probably picked up a truly severe knee injury with the collision with Alexey Toropchenko. Chris Kerber was not pleased with things, but Torpo got a game misconduct.
Still, the defense buckled down and got several key clearances to keep themselves fresh. Although they were unable to get an opportunity on Utah's empty net, they still defended well, and Joel Hofer was solid when he needed to be. St. Louis earned a big two points with a 1-0 win.
Con: Power play
On the plus side, the Blues truly earned their two power plays. They drove hard into the offensive zone and forced the defenders to haul Brober down the first time, and then, tough, offensive zone pressure forced a delay of game penalty on Utah.
Then, nothing happened. Although the power play looked fantastic for 1:02 to end the second period, the reality is that they didn't score.
Although it is a problem for a lot of teams, the Blues seem especially bad at re-establishing themselves in the offensive zone.
On the first power play, Utah cleared it at least three times with relative ease. The Blues looked lost even trying to gain the zone, much less establish themselves.
Pro: Tough defending
Whether it was moving as a five-man unit, keeping sticks in lanes, or clearing the occasional rebound, the Blues defense was solid in this game. They limited the chances against, giving Hofer only 18 saves to make.
St. Louis had a total of 23 blocked shots. They added 26 hits as well.
Nobody is going to confuse the defending of this team with the 90s Devils or the dominant Red Wings teams, but they got the job done.
Pro: Logan Mailloux
Looking at the stat sheet, there's not a ton that stood out about the Blues young defender. He had two blocks and two hits in just over 13 minutes of ice time.
However, it's the way he looks right now that was impressive. He still has plenty to learn and ways to grow, but the stint in the AHL really seems to have done him good.
He looks more confident, and his positioning is so much better. Mailloux is much more confident in his puck carrying, and the passes have improved too.
Con: Passing
As well as the team played overall, the passing is still a weak point. Hofer nearly set the Mammoth up with an empty net with a poor pass early in the second, as well as a bad pass to his teammate in the first period, too.
The zone clearances were pretty weak, and a lot of that had to do with poor passing. They try some iffy passes too that are unlikely to connect, which lead to icing. St. Louis is also guilty of passing to a player with their back to the offensive zone and a defender right on their hip. Even if they cleanly receive the pass, there's nothing that guy can do with it.
Overview:
None of us should be too excited by these last two wins. There are still issues with this team that can easily send them back on a losing streak.
Yet, trying not to get my hopes up, I have to admit they looked different against the Senators and Mammoth. There was more confidence and belief.
Guys are starting to be in the correct places instead of just a step to the left or right. They still made mistakes against Utah, but they battled to get the puck back or at least limit anything the Mammoth could accomplish on their next play.
Hofer made no 10-bell saves, and maybe one that you'd consider a highlight reel save. He was just solidly positioned and cutting off angles.
We still need the offense to do more at this point, but I'm more than satisfied getting the two points with a 1-0 win. As bad as the Blues have been, they're only two points out of a playoff position, so getting wins is all that matters.