The St. Louis Blues have roughly a month to go in their regular season and unless they falter over these next two weeks, they’ll be playing meaningful games in April. On paper, it’s hard to see the former happening, given how easy the final leg of their schedule is. But if they’re looking to maximize those playoff chances, every player in the 20-man lineup needs to hold their weight.
Luckily, the Blues are getting productivity from seemingly all over the ice, and it’s become evident in the outstanding play from one of their more obscure wingers. This player, despite receiving limited ice time throughout what is now their fourth season in Arch City, has been known for making the most of their shots on goal and scoring goals.
But that hasn’t been the case this season for Alexey Toropchenko, who only has 15 points and three goals this season, with a meager 4.1 shooting percentage. Compare that to last season, when he scored 14 times and finished the year with a 12.3 shooting percentage, and in 2022-23, when he had 10 goals and an 11.6 percentage.
Alexey Toropchenko has been surging despite low goal totals
If you’ve been paying attention to Alexey Toropchenko’s output recently, you’ll know he’s got five points in the past five games, with two of those three goals in that span. He’s also snagged a plus-4 rating, and this has all come without sacrificing his physical play.
In that same span, Toropchenko has 14 hits and six blocks, giving him a total of 168 hits and 45 blocks on the season. Overall, you can argue Toropchenko’s turned into the Blues most complete lower liner as the ‘down the stretch’ phase intensifies with the one-month-to-go mark of the regular season.
But if you’re not convinced, check out Toropchenko’s possession metrics at even strength, which tells another cool tale. Despite a Corsi For Percentage of 46.2, that number is at a career-high, and what’s more interesting is that his 30.5 offensive zone starting percentage sits at a career low. That’s impressive.
Toropchenko has done everything right for the St. Louis Blues
The Blues have an excellent utility player in Alexey Toropchenko, whose on-ice save percentage at even strength is another one for the plus category. Sitting at 93.4 percent, Toropchenko is one player who’s rarely responsible for opponents catching him out of position.
Should Toropchenko continue making strides with primarily bottom-six minutes, look for the Blues to keep benefiting from his presence and expect them to keep up their winning ways. Sure, the rest of the team must pull their weight, but Toropchenko’s presence has given this still-retooling team a deeper group of forwards.
Now, it’s all about keeping up this consistency, sneaking into the postseason as a wild card, and maybe pulling an unforeseen postseason upset. Nobody will look at this Blues team as one that is championship-caliber, but we’ve seen plenty of underdogs do extraordinary things in the NHL Playoffs.