The Blues have climbed to sixth in the Central Division, sitting at 5-5-1 with 11 points, and they head into a week that offers a clean run of Atlantic Division opponents. It’s a three-game stretch split between two home dates to finish a five-game homestand and one road game to open a four-game trip.
St. Louis opens with the Montreal Canadiens on 10/27.
Montreal comes in after a Heritage Classic win over the Winnipeg Jets and sits at 6-3-2 with an even goal differential, but the story there has been the crease. Sam Montembeault remains out for a while longer, while postseason hero Jakub Dobes has struggled badly with a 4.47 GAA and .847 SV%.
That has pushed 21-year-old Jacob Fowler into a larger role, and he has responded with six starts, a 5-1-0 record, a .924 SV% and a 1.79 GAA. Fowler is likely to get the nod against the Blues.
Montreal is also missing Selke-winner Nick Suzuki and winger Ivan Demidov, which gives St. Louis a chance to attack a lineup without a couple of key pieces.
Two nights later, the Blues get the Boston Bruins on 10/29, and that matchup looks a lot more like a measuring-stick game. Boston has been one of the early surprises in the Atlantic, sitting on top of the division at 9-2-1 with 19 points after a season in which plenty of people expected regression following their first-round exit last spring.
David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman have both been excellent again, while James Hagens, JJ Peterka, and Fraser Minten have given the Bruins strong support. If St.
Louis wants to leave that game with two points, it will need to keep Pasta quiet and find a way past Swayman.
The week closes on 10/31 with a Halloween trip to Detroit, where the Red Wings are hanging around near the bottom of a tightly packed Atlantic. Their 5-4-3 record and 13 points reflect the uncertainty around them, with the team dealing with ongoing trade requests from Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson. Detroit is in a spot where it has to keep playing through the noise, and the Blues can try to exploit that while the Wings remain stuck in limbo.
In Other News...
Blues Fans Will Have Strong Opinions On Montgomerys Latest Gamble
Jim Montgomery has reached the point every coach eventually does when the goals stop coming and the same looks keep getting generated without much to show for it. After a recent scoring drought, the Blues bench boss decided it was time to shake up the forward group, moving pieces through the top three lines in an effort to jolt a team that has been searching for a cleaner finish and a little more momentum.
The change is the kind that will get an immediate reaction from Blues fans, because it signals both patience and impatience at once. Montgomery had been willing to let things breathe, but with the offense stalled and an upcoming opponent waiting, he chose to test a different mix and see whether a new alignment can finally unlock something more consistent. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Scoring Woes Are Putting 3 Key Names Under Pressure
Back-to-back shutout losses have done more than sting the standings for the Blues. They have also sharpened the focus on three names who were supposed to help carry the offense: Robert Thomas, Cam Fowler and Dalibor Dvorsky. Thomas has had a sluggish start, with his shot and assist numbers lagging well behind where St. Louis needs them. Fowler, meanwhile, looked like he was settling in early before his play leveled off in a way that has only added to the uncertainty around his role.
Dvorsky has become part of that same uneasy picture after opening the season strongly, then fading as the goals dried up. For a Blues team already searching for answers in the scoring column, the pressure on that trio is starting to feel bigger with every scoreless night. And in the background, the questions around Fowler and Dvorsky are not just about production anymore, but about what their recent downturns might mean for how St. Louis views both players moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Face A Risky Dalibor Dvorsky Decision Too Soon
Dalibor Dvorskys development is suddenly part of a larger conversation around the Blues, and not just because of what he might become down the line. The young center is trying to find his footing while the organization weighs how much patience to afford him, all against the backdrop of trade chatter that has linked St. Louis and Detroit in a deal idea involving Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
Dvorskys early returns have been uneven, with the offensive production not yet matching the expectations that follow a highly regarded prospect. The Blues have reasons to believe he can grow into a meaningful role, but the speculation around him also underscores how quickly a promising player can become a tempting piece in talks, especially if another club thinks it can unlock more than St. Louis has seen so far. [Read more 🡒]