The St. Louis Blues dismantled the Ottawa Senators, 7-1, in their preseason home fianle. It was a complete team effort, with offense being registered by the top-six, fourth-line and from the blueline.
There is a lot to unpack here, so let's take a look at three of the bigger takeaways from this stellar game.
Finally, a win
After not being able to win a preseason game, going down in the first four meaningless games, the Blues exploded for a monumental win. This was a great effort from an opening-night blueprint of a roster, and that should get the fans excited.
There wasn't a reason to fret over not winning a preseason game, but with an NHL-ready roster, that really looked great. At least for one night, it looks like head coach Jim Montgomery has figured out the roster.
Edmonton's kicking themselves
Last season showed a lot from Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, and the hope was that their sophomore season in the 'Lou was going to be just as great. Instead, it seems like both players have completely bought into this franchise and are poised to be even better than last season.
Both players are up for a new contract at the end of this season, and both will get paid handsomely for their efforts. Broberg had a set of goals against Ottawa, inside of 27 seconds of each other. Holloway, who scored a set of goals against Dallas in their previous loss on Tuesday night, netted a goal and assist against Ottawa.
Edmonton is really missing those guys right now.
Bring on the regular season
The Blues have one more preseason game left to play, but after a game like that, bring on the regular season. Thankfully, this is the last time that the entirety of the NHL has to play this six-game slate before the start of the real deal, the regular season.
Even though it was only one victory, the Blues are already warmed up and ready to go. With one game to go before it actually matters, nothing can go wrong and shift the vibe of this team.