The St. Louis Blues had a very weird schedule in the late part of 2025. They played three games against Los Angeles in a short span and then played Nashville three times in nine days.
While the Blues won the first two handily, they didn't get off to the best start in the third game. The early portion of the first period was just some back and forth.
However, even with both teams on a slow start, the Nashville Predators scored the game's first goal on just their second shot. Nearly three minutes in, the Blues lost defensive positioning, leaving Fedor Svechkov open on the right hash, and he roofed it to make it 1-0.
Although the Blues started pushing a little, their power play was ineffective and bad. They couldn't even get any zone time.
Meanwhile, following a Ryan Suter penalty, the Predators scored on their man advantage. After St. Louis failed to clear the puck, Brady Skjei snapped one up high on Joel Hofer, and it was 2-0 at the midway point.
It was about as mediocre, if not bad, a first period as we've seen from the Blues in quite some time. Three shots on goal is just not going to do it, and allowing two goals on six shots wasn't the best outcome either.
The Blues had a better second period, but that was only by comparison. It was still a far cry from what we have gotten used to during the seven-game winning streak and really the last 10-plus games.
Nevertheless, despite another 20 minutes of mediocrity, the Blues did what they needed to do, which was get on the board. 10:35 into the middle frame, Dylan Holloway continued to be a revelation for the Blues.
First, Holloway bumped his opponent off the puck in the neutral zone. Then, instead of staying on his rear or heading off, he joined the rush in the offensive zone, took the pass from Robert Thomas at the left side of the high slot, and slipped it just under the armpit of the goalie to make it 2-1.
Unfortunately, that was the team's 10th shot and they finished the period with 10. That means they got no shots on goal the rest of the way.
Nashville didn't have many chances either, but it was a steady period for the Preds. Despite the lackluster showing from both, it was playing into the hands of the home team through 40 minutes.
The Blues had accomplished next to nothing in the third period. There was a shot here or there, but it was about as impotent as you can get.
Then, out of nowhere, the offense came to life. The Blues had their best offensive zone possession and the puck found Cam Fowler on the left circle with about eight minutes left. He ripped a wrist shot up high to tie the game 2-2.
Instead of playing for overtime, St. Louis came right back at it. The puck pinballed around the middle of the zone, and Holloway snuck in, found the loose change, and snapped it home just 22 seconds later for a 3-2 lead.
Nashville had some cracks toward net late. Hofer made a big shoulder save on one, and Alexey Toropchenko took one in the midsection to make the block.
It appeared as though the Predators tied the game to give St. Louis another empty net goal against. However, the Blues held on by the skin of their teeth with the shot taken as it clicked down to zero and the goal not counting.
The Blues won their eighth straight with a 3-2 win.
Con: Power play
While it wasn't as bad as the Blues' power play early in the season, it was reminiscent. It was ineffective at best and quite poor at worst.
The first one was probably the worst one. The Blues literally couldn't get into the zone. When they did, they were out of there within five seconds, and that might be too generous.
The third power play didn't last the full two minutes. The Blues had to take a penalty to save a potential shorthanded break, which was probably smart but just the fact the Blues are starting to give up so many shorthanded quality looks is very concerning.
Pro: Third period
St. Louis still wasn't perfect in the third period. They scored with about eight minutes left, but prior to that, it was a lot of nothing.
However, they found their game just when they needed it. After scuttling through the first two-plus periods, once they came to life, we saw more of the Blues we've become used to.
Even after scoring the two goals, they came close to making it a third on the very next shift. Holloway made another great defensive play that sprung the break for Jordan Kyrou. If he had just a little more room, I think he scores, but it was right there.
Not all of them were quality chances, but the Blues had more shots in the third period than the first and second combined. If you're going to have a push, might as well have it towards the end.
Pro: Holloway
It's hard not to toot this guy's horn. He keeps showing up and playing how you'd like all 18 skaters to play every shift.
The guy scored two goals, but they were huge goals within the game. The first one gets the Blues on the board and gives them a little confidence after they have played some of their worst hockey in the last 10 games.
He started the play by winning the puck in the neutral zone and then had the presence of mind to get himself into possession in the offensive zone. Similarly, Holloway knew just where to be on the second goal.
He spotted the puck, played on it, won the loose change and then deposited in the goal for what would prove to be the game winner.
Overview:
This is the kind of game that should make fans think there may actually be something special to this current squad. It's one thing to dominate bad teams or even beat some of the top teams; both are great.
However, when you can still win games when you've played a pretty poor game, that's when you know things are clicking for you. The Blues just didn't put in much effort in the first.
The second was marginally better, but still nothing to get up for. The goal was the only good shift the Blues had in that period.
The third period was much more like it: getting pucks to the net, hounding the Predators in their zone, and creating. It wasn't clean and perfect, but they got it done over the course of the entire 60 minutes.
Oddly, in a game that featured a lot of chippiness and some borderline plays in the last game in St. Louis, this game had very little physicality. St. Louis was credited with 29 hits, but neither team really felt like they were going at the other.
I was initially worried this was going to be another of those games for Hofer. The Blues had a bad habit of their goalies unraveling when they allowed a handful of goals on a few shots, but the team settled in and picked him up. That allowed him to settle down and get his feet back under him.
The offense was mediocre and the power play was poor, but they got the goals when they needed and gritted their teeth hard enough to get this win. It's simply amazing how things have gone.
As I said last game, this team didn't even win three in a row until late February. Now, we're talking about an eight-game win streak.
It couldn't come at a better time. The Canadian teams have been keeping pace and still have games in hand, so the Blues can't afford to slip up.
This game seemed prime for them to do just that. Instead, they pull victory from the jaws of defeat and make us believe they can really do something special.