Less than 12 minutes into the game on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks, Matt Luff went low glove side on Spencer Knight to put the Blues up 2-0 to thunderous applause in Enterprise Center. This was Luff's first goal as a Blue, but he was actually the second to accomplish this feat in this game. Just eight minutes prior, Logan Mailloux notched his first goal in the Note on a snap shot from the point on a delayed penalty for the Blues. St. Louis would go on to win the matchup 3-2, but these goals could mean much for the Blues than just 2 points and a win over their biggest rivals.
A Blues roster ravaged by injuries
The St. Louis Blues were already struggling to win games and play a consistent brand of hockey this season, and the recent injuries have set the team back even further. In the last month, the Blues have lost Jimmy Snuggerud, Jordan Kyrou, Nathan Walker, Alexey Toropchenko, and Nick Bjugstad to injuries. Many of these guys have no solid timetable for their return, putting the future of the team in limbo for the time being. Because of the loss of so many forwards, the Blues have had to turn to their AHL roster to fill in the gaps in the form of guys like Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Matt Luff, Hugh McGing, and Robby Fabbri. Conventional wisdom was that losing the level of talent that the Blues did without being able to replace them to a meaningful degree would lead to disaster.
Is this exactly what the Blues needed?
Instead, what we have witnessed is a team playing with a level of energy and grit that hasn't been seen since last season. The single biggest concern among Blues fans this year has been the apparent apathy toward mediocrity that has taken hold over the roster in St. Louis. It seemed that night after night, the Blues were simply being outworked by their opponent.
But with the desperation and fight that has been injected into the team by this group of young, fringe NHLers, they look reinvigorated and have seemed to crank the intensity up a notch night in and night out. Of course, there have been some duds from the team in the form of 5-2 and 7-2 losses to the Bruins and Predators, respectively, but much of that just comes down to the inexperience and lack of top-level talent that some of the players on the team possess. However, the production has still been there for these newcomers. In just the last two games, we have seen a goal from McGing, Luff, and Mailloux, and two really great assists from Fabbri.
It seems that having these players trying to make the most of this NHL opportunity has sparked something in the rest of the team, too, as Thomas, Buchnevich, and Holloway have seemingly returned to the kind of players they were expected to be coming into the season. It's inevitable that some of these players will be sent back to the AHL when some of the Blues' injuries get resolved, but hopefully, the level of intensity and grit that they have brought back to this team sticks around for much longer. If they do, the Blues could find themselves back in the playoffs at the end of the season - right now they sit just two points out of a wild card spot despite everything that's happened this year, and as everyone knows, once you get to the postseason, anything is possible.