St. Louis Blues report card following an encouraging season

Special teams play needs to get better for next season

Special teams play was also no better than average, as the Blues penalty kill unit finished with the 13th-worst percentage in the league at 78.6. Ironically, they tied for fourth in the NHL with 11 shorthanded goals and were one of just eight teams to score double-digits in the category. But you’d think they would rather have stopped a few more power play goals from finding twine. 

The Blues also scored on just 18.00 percent of their power play opportunities, putting them in the bottom 10 of the league. They were also the third-worst among teams in the Western Conference, with only the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks converting fewer. 

Returning to the playoffs following a two-year layoff will be much easier if the power play and penalty kill get their respective acts together. The man advantage especially, since the Blues are too good of a team to have finished in the bottom eight. 

Unlike the previous two sections, the special teams don’t deserve a passing grade, even if they weren’t so poor that they ranked in the bottom five in their respective categories. That said, they’re getting a solid D for as far as the 2023-24 season goes. The numbers don’t lie, and Doug Armstrong must either overhaul the unit or find better assistants to remedy this issue.