The St. Louis Blues may have had a miracle walk through their doors this past week. With the signing of Head Coach Jim Montgomery, the 2024-25 season may have been saved.
it is no secret that the Blues were faltering in their first 22 games of action this season, under ex-head coach Drew Bannister, but the past three games have shown a completely different story. This team looks like a winning hockey club, that also may be eyeing down a potential playoff run come next April.
But, let's not get ahead of ourselves, it isn't even Christmas yet.
The Jack Adams Effect
Plain and simple, this Blues team is thriving under their new head man. The "Jack Adams effect" is in full swing, with Montgomery taking his valued and appreciated experience with the Boston Bruins over the past few seasons, and has transplanted it into the Blues.
It all started with a statement win against a floundering New York Rangers team. A 5-2 victory against one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, is certainly a way to silence critics that there is no way this team can compete in the goal-scoring department.
The next battle against the New Jersey Devils was a similar story, with this game ending in a shutout, 3-0. This was a big night for Jordan Binnington, as he secured his franchise-leading 152nd win with the Blues.
Both of these games had very high chances of being chalked up as L's, but instead, they were four big points for their standing in the Central division. Despite not being able to get another two pints against the Philadelphia Flyers, they still managed to force overtime and walk away with something. At the moment, they sit in the sixth-spot in the Central, with 24 points, tied with Utah and just two points back of Colorado.
Long Road Ahead
Montgomery and the Blues have a long road ahead of them. With only 25 games completed of the 82-game marathon, it certainly feels like we have just sprinted to this point. This team has to keep this newly-found pace and composure to ensure the best possible outcome at the end of the season.
The next test may be their mightiest foe of the season thus far, and they are the Division and NHL leader in points, the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets have cooled off some since starting the season 15-1, but they remain an elite hockey team. St. Louis came fairly close to defeating the Jets in their first match-up this season on October 22nd, ending 3-2 in favor of the opposition.
Can Montgomery get the Blues past the Jets, and past the rest of the Central Division in hopes of Playoff run?