The Blues’ power play has been stuck in neutral, and the early-season numbers only sharpen the concern.
After an ugly 2025-26 campaign on the man advantage - St. Louis finished at 17.6%, which ranked 26th in the league - the hope was that a summer emphasis on special teams would lead to a cleaner start in 2026-27.
Instead, the first five games have delivered more frustration. The Blues have had 11 power-play chances and scored just once, leaving them at 9.1%.
Even that lone goal came late against the Chicago Blackhawks, after the Blues pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and turned it into a 6 on 4.
That’s about as rough an opening as a team can have with the extra skater, and it raises the obvious question: can the Blues make a quick fix, or is this the beginning of another long season of special-teams problems?
One place to start is the personnel on the top units. Jim Montgomery has been running Adam Jiricek and Cam Fowler as the two players quarterbacking the power play, but that setup hasn’t done much to help St.
Louis establish itself in the offensive zone. That has been the biggest issue so far on the 5 on 4 - the Blues simply aren’t getting set quickly enough once they gain the man advantage.
A shuffle could help. Moving Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg into those roles is one adjustment that stands out.
Parayko’s long reach and skating ability could make a real difference in board battles and help keep the puck in at the blue line when St. Louis is trying to hold possession.
He’d also bring the kind of physical presence and slap shot that can force defenders to back off and open up space for teammates.
Broberg offers a different kind of boost. His ability to find open teammates could help the Blues cleanly enter the zone, spread out the defense, and create better looks for players like Jimmy Snuggerud or Mason McTavish.
It’s also worth remembering how early this is. Five games is a tiny slice of an 84-game season, and it’s hard to believe the power play will stay below 10% for long.
There’s still time for the coaching staff to keep adjusting and find something that works with consistency. For now, the best move may be patience, because the Blues still have the skill on the roster and the coaching staff has enough runway to solve it.
In Other News...
Cam Fowlers Quiet Start Is Hiding A Bigger Blues Story
Cam Fowlers first five games have not shown up on the scoresheet, but the early picture is more encouraging than the blank point column suggests. The veteran defenseman has logged the most average ice time on the St. Louis blue line, and the underlying numbers have been strong enough to explain why the coaching staff keeps leaning on him in all situations. Even with the quiet start, Fowler has looked like a stabilizing presence, especially in tandem with Brandon Carlo, where the Blues have controlled play at a high level.
The lack of offense has more to do with shooting luck than any real drop-off in impact. Fowler has been effective defensively and on the penalty kill, helping St. Louis survive tough minutes while waiting for the puck to bounce a little differently. If that finishing touch comes around, the Blues may find that the real story is not a cold start at all, but a reliable defenseman doing a lot of important work before the points catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Holloway Is Giving The Blues Something They Needed Early
Dylan Holloway has already given the Blues a little of the pace and pressure they were looking for early this season. Through the first five games, he has been around the puck, finishing checks and getting pucks to the net while settling into a top offensive line with Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud.
The broader value has shown up in the standings, too, with Holloway helping spark the kind of response St. Louis needed to snap a three-game slide. As the Blues head into a three-game road trip that starts in Ottawa, his early impact is the sort of detail that can make a lineup feel a little deeper and a little harder to handle. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Fowler Has A Bigger Blues Role Than Ever Before
Cam Fowlers first full season in St. Louis did not unfold the way his immediate impact suggested it might. After arriving in 2024-25 and quickly settling in as a top-pair defenseman who mattered in both the regular season and playoffs, Fowlers production slipped the following year, and his role reflected it. Even so, the Blues have gone right back to leaning on him this fall, a reminder that his value to the blue line goes beyond the box score.
Through the first five games, Fowler has been asked to shoulder more responsibility again, including work on the second power-play unit. It is a notable turn for a player who had been on the margins of a reduced role not long ago, and it leaves the Blues balancing what Fowler has done before with what they need from him now. The early returns have not shown up on the scoresheet, but the workload says plenty about how the staff views him. [Read more 🡒]