The St. Louis Blues closed the first half of the 2024-25 season with a gut-wrenching loss to the Minnesota Wild. Thankfully, they opened the second half with a great performance against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Blues were given a vote of confidence by coach Jim Montgomery, who told the media in the morning that the team was ready to get out there and fans were in for a show. We didn't have to wait long to see how right he was.
Similar to what happened to them in Minnesota, the Blues had two goals in the first five minutes and three goals in the first seven minutes. The Blues had three goals before the Ducks even had their first shot on goal.
The Blues got on the board just 2:45 into the game. The Ducks kept just kicking the puck back out front of their net and eventually Robert Thomas slotted the rebound past the goaltender to make it 1-0.
St. Louis got their second goal from Tyler Tucker. The defender used a partial screen in front to send a wrister through from the high slot, and it was 2-0.
Jordan Kyrou got the third of the contest. The Blues picked off a pass at center, came in with speed and Kyrou backhanded in the rebound from Cam Fowler's shot to make it 3-0.
Dylan Holloway made it 4-0 almost 14 minutes in. Anaheim again could not clear the puck away from their own net and after a quick cycle, Holloway scored from the left hashmark.
The Ducks would steal one back, scoring on just their fourth shot of the game. A good hold in the zone led to a left-point shot headed for the near post, but a great deflection sent it to the far post for a 4-1 score into the break.
St. Louis didn't waste much time adding more to their lead. Thomas got his second of the game just before the five-minute mark. A picked-off puck up the wall led to Thomas splitting the flat-footed defenders and he backhanded one in for his 11th and a 5-1 score.
Pavel Buchnevich continued his run of decent form by making it 6-1. The hard-nosed forward cut back in front from the goal line, drove through the crease and just slotted it past the goalie with about 12 minutes left in the second.
Again, the Ducks would steal one more. A quick cross-ice pass found an open man on the right circle and Joel Hofer swung his left leg way out and up, thinking the shot would come immediately. There was just enough hesitation to allow the five-hole to open and it was 6-2.
The third period didn't feature anything to speak of, really. There were a total of 15 shots, with the Blues having eight, but neither team would score a goal.
St. Louis would see the game out with a 6-2 win.
Pro: Coming out hot
Early in the season, we got used to the Blues needing to come from behind. They were actually pretty good at it, but it was also almost a requirement as the Blues rarely got off to good starts.
What we've seen under Montgomery, and in this game too, is St. Louis plays so much better with the lead. Whether it was the Winter Classic or beating Nashville or taking down the Ducks, if St. Louis got off to a hot start, they made sure to finish it.
The opposite was true in Minnesota. They had a rotten start, managed a great middle, and then failed at the end.
It was always possible for a let down, but when you're up 3-0 before the opponent even has a shot, you've set yourself up for a great opportunity to win.
Con: A couple lapse moments
If we're honest, I'm being nit picky. However, both goals for Anaheim were preventable.
St. Louis just kind of took their eye off the ball for a moment. For the first goal, the shot was unstoppable with the deflection. However, the Blues were just a little lax on the wall trying to exit their zone. A little stronger on the puck or more decisive on the zone exit and maybe the chance never even happens.
The second goal, it's not as bad as some might make it, but it didn't have the greatest look. I'd much rather Hofer just plays the percentages and goes butterfly instead of trying to make the highlight kick save.
Pro: Big guns
No matter how positive you are or how critical, I think we all can agree the Blues are more a sum of their parts kind of team as opposed to truly being star-driven. However, of late, they have been led by their best guys.
This game was no different. Thomas gets the opening goal of the game, giving him double-digit goals.
Kyrou is now one shy of 20 for the season after adding to his total. Holloway continues to be better than advertised with 15 goals.
Buchnevich has found more confidence and consistency since being placed permanently on the wing. Thomas added another with a great follow-up on his shot.
We can argue about where he slots on the team in terms of expected production, but Brayden Schenn picked up his 15th and 16th assists of the season as well. These are all guys you need to be at their best to give the team its best shot and they have been more often than not.
Overview:
We've seen the Blues cough up playing well after games like this. Still, this was the kind of result the team needed to cleanse the palate after dropping the ball in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, the only issue, as we keep having to point out, is that it's just one win. The team needs a bunch of them.
This was a great win and a dominating performance against a mediocre team, but showed that the Blues can beat the teams they should beat. Yet it only gets you one game above .500 again.
Eventually, the Blues have to win three in a row to make headway. If you think about it, winning two out of three games sounds great, but it would take too long to get some distance between you and the .500 mark, so they have to find a way to win three or four games and try not to lose two in a row to gain some breathing room.
Focusing on this game alone, the Blues did what they needed to do. It was hard to tell if St. Louis was really playing that well or if Anaheim was having a really bad night, but you take care of what you can take care of.
The Ducks goalie was pretty poor, giving up some softies and some bad rebounds, but that's not the Blues fault. They took advantage, which is what you have to do.
Hofer wasn't at his greatest, but he didn't need to be. He made the stops he should have, even if we would have liked him to be a little less flashy on the second goal.
It's all about consistency from here on out. Win or lose, we've seen a little more consistency from the offense lately.
If we can get the same consistency from the defense and both goalies, this team will give itself at least a chance at the playoffs.
If not, they dug their hole and will have to sit in it.