For the St. Louis Blues, the early signs point to something they’ve spent years trying to manufacture: scoring that doesn’t stop with the top line.
Through six games of the 2026-27 season, the Blues are 3-2-1, and the bigger story is how they’re getting there. They’re starting to win without depending almost entirely on Dylan Holloway, Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud to carry the offense.
That shift has been driven in large part by two of the club’s newer faces. Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael have stepped in and given the Blues an immediate jolt of secondary production, spreading the offense around and easing the burden on the top unit.
McTavish has already delivered four goals and seven points in six games, while McMichael has six points of his own. Pius Suter, Jake Neighbours and Jimmy Snuggerud have also chipped in with three goals apiece.
The depth was on full display in Tuesday night’s 7-2 road win over Ottawa. Suter, Neighbours and McTavish each scored twice, Pavel Buchnevich added three assists and Adam Jiricek officially picked up the first goal of his NHL career. It was the kind of multi-layered attack the Blues have been missing in recent seasons.
That has been the problem for St. Louis for a long time: too few dependable scorers, too much pressure on too small a group.
In 2022-23, only three players reached 20 goals and four got to 60 points, and the team finished sixth in the Central. The next season brought six 20-goal scorers, but only three of them topped 60 points, and the Blues still finished fifth in the division.
The 2024-25 group had five 20-goal scorers, yet only three players finished above 60 points before the team’s Game 7, first-round loss to Winnipeg. Last season, Thomas was the only player to hit 60 points, and three players ended up above 50.
What makes this start different is the way the Blues are being built from the inside out. They aren’t just asking the top line to do everything in October and hope it lasts into spring. They’re spreading the load now, which keeps the matchup game from tilting against them.
If opponents choose to load up on Thomas, Holloway and Snuggerud, that opens the door elsewhere. Suter has already shown he can finish.
Neighbours and Buchnevich are finding ways to produce. And Montgomery’s staff appears to have answers no matter which lineup a team throws at them.
The Blues have seen promising starts fade when the schedule gets heavy, and they’ve also lived through plenty of sluggish openings. This time, though, the early offense is coming from players who were supposed to be the question marks.
If McTavish, McMichael and Berggren keep this going, a long-standing weakness could turn into one of St. Louis’ biggest strengths.
In Other News...
Blues Rolled Ottawa But One Lingering Problem Still Looks Serious
The Blues lopsided win over Ottawa had plenty to like, from strong contributions across the lineup to a scoreboard that never really let the Senators back in. Pius Suter, Colton Parayko, Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours and Adam Jiricek were all part of a night that gave St. Louis some much-needed positive momentum and a reminder of how dangerous the group can look when its moving and finishing well.
Still, the game also left one familiar concern hanging in the background. St. Louis managed to convert on only one of its three power-play chances against Ottawa, and the early-season numbers remain uncomfortably low for a unit that is supposed to help separate tight games and extend leads when the even-strength scoring dries up. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Injuries Just Opened A Real Door For Otto Stenberg
The Blues forward depth took a hit with Alexei Toropchenko and Dillon Dube both sidelined, and the timing could hardly be better for Otto Stenberg. St. Louis has been looking for answers in its bottom six, and now theres a legitimate opening for a young player to push his way into the conversation as the team sorts through its options.
Stenberg is at least on the radar for future NHL duty, and the path hed be walking is clearer than it was a week ago. A call-up has not been announced, but with openings available and the lineup needing reinforcements, the Blues have a real chance to see whether he can handle a role that would put him in the mix with the clubs third-line group. [Read more 🡒]