The Blues have only played two games, but their power play is already looking like the kind of problem that can linger if it’s ignored.
St. Louis opened the 2026-27 season with a clean road win over the Dallas Stars, thanks to Joel Hofer’s 25-save shutout and a strong debut from Mason McTavish. But the mood shifted fast after the blowout loss to the Colorado Avalanche, and the man-advantage issues that showed up in the preseason have carried right into the regular season.
The numbers aren’t pretty. St.
Louis went 0-for-18 on the power play in four preseason games, and through two games that drought hasn’t really budged. The Blues were 0-for-4 against Dallas and 0-for-2 against Colorado.
The missed chances didn’t cost them against the Stars, but against the Avalanche they may have made the game a little closer.
There is some context here. Both opponents came in with penalty kills that were tough to crack last season.
Colorado led the league at 84.6 percent, while Dallas finished 13th at 80.3 percent. Still, the Blues now have three more games this week against the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Columbus Blue Jackets, and that stretch looks like a real chance to get things moving.
Chicago was unexpectedly solid on the penalty kill last season, but San Jose and Columbus were not.
At this point, the fixes are limited. It usually comes down to two things: more time or a personnel change.
Given how early it is, a major overhaul seems unlikely right now. McTavish is expected to get time to settle in with his new teammates, and Cam Fowler will get a chance to show he can still handle the quarterback role on the top unit. McTavish’s spot looks safe for now, but Fowler’s grip on that job feels shakier.
Fowler’s track record on the power play has never really screamed elite. In Anaheim, he wasn’t especially effective there, and his chance generation didn’t really tick up until he arrived in St.
Louis, where he was playing with a better, more experienced group. Even so, the power play has never been his calling card, and at 34, it’s fair to wonder what the Blues are really getting from him in that spot.
Philip Broberg is the obvious alternative. He hasn’t exactly lit up the power play so far, but he also hasn’t had a lot of chances to work on the top unit.
He did get a solid look last season after Justin Faulk was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, and it’s a little surprising he hasn’t kept that role. He’s younger than Fowler and signed longer term, so the case for giving Broberg more man-advantage reps is easy to make.
For now, the Blues can still point to sample size and say it’s too soon to panic. Two games can turn into nothing more than a blip. But if this keeps going, changes feel inevitable - and Broberg looks like the most likely name to replace Fowler.
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From the Blues side, that type of deal has some appeal because it could address a need on the back end without forcing a bigger shakeup elsewhere. St. Louis has its own blue-line injuries to consider, which makes a depth defenseman part of the conversation rather than just a throw-in, and the structure of these talks leaves enough room for a tidy fit if the sides decide the math works. [Read more 🡒]
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A 1-1 start usually feels manageable in October, especially when one win comes against a division rival like Dallas and the lone loss comes against a Colorado team that can pressure anyone. The Blues have already seen both ends of their goaltending picture too, with Joel Hofer looking sharp in the opener before Jordan Binnington had a rougher night in the setback to the Avalanche. Add in Adam Jiriceks NHL debut and the steady buzz around prospects such as Justin Carbonneau, and there were at least a few early signs of depth and promise.
The bigger concern is the health picture, because the Blues have already had to shuffle their lineup before the season has settled in. Alexey Toropchenko is now on injured reserve, joining a growing list of absences that can quickly test a roster built to stay competitive over a long year. For a club trying to sort out its early rhythm, the challenge is no longer just about points in the standings - it is about how long the lineup can keep absorbing these hits before the margin gets a lot thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Robert Thomas Already Faces Pressure As Blues Captain
Robert Thomas has barely settled into the captaincy, and the Blues are already asking plenty of him. Through his first two games wearing the C, he has been logging nearly 20 minutes a night while the team works through early injuries and uneven goaltending, a reminder that St. Louis is leaning on its new leader for more than just clean shifts and steady habits.
The start has come in a mixed team environment, with a strong opening win over Dallas quickly followed by a rough night against Colorado. Thomas is expected to drive the offense as the season unfolds, which only sharpens the attention on his production and makes the early stretch feel bigger than two games usually would. [Read more 🡒]