The St. Louis Blues opened the 2026-27 season exactly the way they wanted: with a 4-0 shutout of the Dallas Stars in their home opener.
Mason McTavish wasted no time making his mark in a Blues sweater, scoring just 94 seconds into his debut to put St. Louis ahead 1-0.
The lead held up until the second period, when Dalibor Dvorsky added another, and the Blues finished things off with empty-net goals from Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter in the third. Joel Hofer backed it all up by turning aside all 25 shots he saw.
McTavish’s first goal in a Blues uniform came on a sequence started by Colton Parayko, whose shot toward the net created the opening. Parayko tracked down the rebound and worked the puck toward McTavish, who charged the crease and finished the play.
It was the kind of goal that fit the style St. Louis was looking for after bringing him over from the Anaheim Ducks.
The other newcomer who left a strong impression was Jiricek. He thought he had scored his first NHL goal in his debut, but the tally was waved off for offside.
Even without the goal, he was noticeable throughout the night. Jiricek logged 16:35 of ice time, made several smart reads and looked comfortable in his first NHL game.
He also played a key part in Dvorsky’s goal by getting the puck deep and around the boards, which allowed Pius Suter to win the race before Philip Broberg found Dvorsky in front.
That goal came from the kind of pressure St. Louis kept applying all night.
The Blues were on the attack from the opening shift, throwing pucks at the net, crashing hard and making Dallas deal with traffic. The approach helped them settle into their offensive game and forced mistakes from the Stars.
The physical edge showed up too. Jake Neighbours dropped the gloves with Arttu Hyry after taking a hit from behind, then landed several punches in response.
The Blues never backed off contact, but that aggressiveness came with a price: 26 penalty minutes. St.
Louis will want to keep the edge without handing opponents too many chances on the power play.
Still, the Blues kept pushing, and their second goal reflected exactly what they were doing well. Jiricek sent the puck deep, Suter won the race and poked it toward Broberg, and Broberg found Dvorsky instead of shooting. With Jake Oettinger losing his footing, Dvorsky had an open net.
If the offense set the tone, the defense made sure the night ended in a shutout. Dallas got 25 shots on goal, but Hofer stopped every one.
St. Louis did a strong job keeping the Stars to the outside, blocking 12 shots and closing off the middle of the ice.
The defensemen were active in lanes all game, breaking up plays before they could turn into real danger.
Jiricek was part of that effort too, showing the kind of defensive awareness that made him useful in his first NHL appearance. The penalty kill was sharp as well, going 4-for-4, including the long stretch after Neighbours’ fight with Hyry. Dallas never scored with the man advantage, and that structure, paired with Hofer’s perfect night, kept the Stars off the board.
St. Louis now heads to Colorado to face the Avalanche on Saturday.
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