A rough week for the St. Louis Blues still ended with a jolt of life, and that finish against Columbus changed the tone of what had been a frustrating stretch.
Losses to Chicago and San Jose made for a rough ride, but the comeback win over the Blue Jackets gave the Blues something to build on. That late surge also put a few players front and center, with three skaters carrying the load more than anyone else.
Jimmy Snuggerud earned the top spot after completely flipping the game against Columbus. He also remained a factor in the two earlier losses, even if the scoresheet didn’t show it.
No. 21 keeps showing the kind of growth the Blues have been waiting for, and head coach Jim Montgomery and General Manager Alexander Steen have kept giving him the ice time to prove it. Snuggerud has logged more than 17 minutes a night, and he’s continuing to look like the kind of scorer this team needs.
Dylan Holloway came next, and his performance against Columbus was the kind that can change a player’s week in a hurry. After beginning the season on a shaky first line, he broke through with three assists against the Blue Jackets. Those were the first points of the season for No. 81, and they may have given him the spark he needed.
Joel Hofer rounded out the trio. The goaltender has already made his case as the present and future in net for St.
Louis, and this week only strengthened that view. His record may not fully reflect it, but his play has been excellent.
Before the Columbus game, the Blues offense couldn’t “hit the ocean” falling out of a boat, and Hofer was left doing his part while the attack sputtered around him.
Mason McTavish deserves an honorable mention after posting a point in three straight games. The Blues got a strong summer pickup in No. 83, with Alexander Steen and former GM Doug Armstrong finding a player who has brought no negatives to his game. He wasn’t quite one of the week’s top three, but he was close.
It wasn’t a great week for St. Louis. But it was a good one, and these four players were a big reason why.
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The opening at Arizona State comes in the wake of the school moving on from Greg Powers amid an investigation tied to a player injury incident involving Matthew Mayich. That backdrop gives Hakstols arrival a different kind of urgency, since he is stepping into a job under scrutiny and with immediate expectations attached. For the Avalanche, the bigger question is not whether the move makes sense for Arizona State, but how quickly Colorado can absorb the loss of an assistant it only recently added. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Center Question Fans Cant Ignore
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One wrinkle in the broader market is that the teams circling around those kinds of moves are not operating in a vacuum. The Rangers are also looking for answers after losing Igor Shesterkin for the season, and that ripple effect can change which names are available and how willing clubs are to listen. For Detroit, the challenge is finding the right center target before the market tightens even further. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Injuries Are Piling Up As Binnington Talk Gets Louder
The first week of the season has already put the Blues in a familiar spot, trying to balance their early results with a growing list of health concerns. St. Louis is 2-2-1 through five games, but the lineup has taken hits, including Dillon Dube, who is set to miss a lengthy stretch after suffering a neck injury. Around the league, several players are also dealing with notable injuries, adding to the sense that the opening month is already testing roster depth in a hurry.
Jordan Binningtons name keeps surfacing anyway, because the goaltending market has been squeezed and teams are watching for any possible solution. With the Blues still sorting through their own injury picture, the talk around Binnington has only grown louder as clubs look for stability in net. The Rangers move with Igor Shesterkin has only added to the churn, and it leaves St. Louis in the middle of a situation that feels bigger than one hot rumor. [Read more 🡒]