St. Louis Blues newcomers deliver perfect first impressions against Kraken

While it’s just one of many tests, general manager Doug Armstrong looks like he more than made the right move when he pulled a pair of prospects from the Edmonton Oilers. Well, maybe prospects is no longer an appropriate term, because Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway more than made their mark for the St. Louis Blues in the second period. 

Down 2-0 and looking every bit like the bland team they were in the preseason, and yep, I could already hear the groans starting that this would be a long, long season. Yeah, it’s only Game 1, but you know how things go in today’s world - we all want to see instant results. 

Well, after Jordan Kyrou got the Blues on the board for its first goal of the season, Philip Broberg found the net for the first time in a Blues uniform. Justin Faulk provided the helper, as did Dylan Holloway, the “other” name Armstrong siphoned from the Oilers. 

Yeah, that didn’t take long, and sure, you might be saying, “It was only one goal, Todd, who cares?” Hey, first impressions still go a long way, and it was exactly what fans of this team wanted to see early. 

St. Louis Blues newcomers team up to score a big goal in season opener

After two periods, Philip Broberg saw nearly 14 minutes of ice time, with a hit and a block to go with his goal. Through the first 40 minutes, he played a rather good game, and Blues fans have got to be happy so far with the move Doug Armstrong made to bring him to Gateway City. 

As for Dylan Holloway, he’s a solid 10:46 of ice time through the first two frames, implying that he’ll be seeing middle-six minutes should he keep up this level of play. Again, it’s still ultra-early in the season, but getting on the scoresheet is the fastest way to get fans to take notice. 

It was also great to see Jordan Kyrou, one of the more polarizing players on the team, score a pair of goals in that same period. So if this inspiring play keeps up, win or lose at this point, I may change my tune on where I claimed the Blues would finish the 2024-25 season. But it’s a long year, so I’ll keep that projection as-is for the time being. That said, it doesn’t mean I won’t ‘update’ it later this year should St. Louis play some inspiring hockey.