Browsing: Blues

Another set of back-to-backs for the St. Louis Blues, and another set of wins.

The road trip started with a thud Thursday against the Boston Bruins, but the Blues followed up a Joel Hofer masterpiece 2-1 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday with another tough one on Sunday.

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And it was Brayden Schenn and Dylan Holloway that hoisted the team on their shoulders, each collecting three points, with Schenn scoring twice with an assist – including the game-winner in the third period – and Holloway adding a goal and two assists as the Blues took down the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, at Bell Centre in Montreal.

Pavel Buchnevich also scored, and Jordan Binnington made 23 saves for the Blues (11-12–7), who now play five of the next six on home ice after taking four of six points on this three-game road trip through the Eastern Conference and scoring more than two goals for just the second time the past 12 games.

It’s the second straight weekend that the Blues have taken both ends of back-to-back games, winning 4-3 against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 28 and 1-0 against the Utah Mammoth on Nov. 29.

Letâ€s get to the game observations:

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* Schenn, Holloway delivered with major components out of lineup – The Blues have already been down three players (Jimmy Snuggerud, wrist; Alexey Toropchenko, leg burns; and Nathan Walker, upper-body) and and theyâ€ll have to do without Jordan Kyrou, who departed early in the first period Saturday with a lower-body injury.

Who was going to step up for a team already challenged on the offensive side of the puck?

Each was instrumental and worked well as a unit with Mathieu Joseph on their line, combining for seven points.

Schenn opened the scoring with a power-play goal when old friend Zack Bolduc was in the box for slashing at 7:59, and Schenn made it count when he was in the right spot inside the right circle when Holloway worked the puck off the lefthand boards to the point, and Cam Fowlerâ€s wrister caromed off Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson right to Schenn, who made no mistake beating Jakub Dobes at 8:57:

And the winner by Schenn was crucial, because with the Blues holding a 3-2 lead in the third period, and they were maintaining it well through the first half of the period, his insurance goal at the time made it 4-2 with all three linemates having a hand in it.

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With a puck in the neutral zone, Josephâ€s hustle play disrupted Canadiens forward Joe Veleno from getting to the puck, allowing Holloway to race in, scoop it up and essentially turn it into a mini 2-on-1, feeding Schenn for a one-timer to the near post past Dobes:

It was critical because the Canadiens would pull to within one late on Noah Dobsonâ€s goal at 16:15 but the Blues were able to thwart any chance by the Canadiens to tie, although Cole Caufield had a chance at the buzzer that was denied by Binnington:

But with Kyrou down, Schenn and Holloway stepped up big time for an offense that has obviously been scuffling.

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The entire line worked well together and was a threat on multiple occasions for the few scoring chances the Blues created, finishing with only 18 shots on goal.

Schenn, who has 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 32 career games against Montreal, had his first three-point game since also scoring twice and adding an assist Nov. 30, 2023 against the Buffalo Sabres in a 6-4 win.

But that trio led the way.

Not only did Holloway have a three-point night, but he also helped save a goal in the second period when Binnington was without a stick, on another old friend, Alexandre Texier:

* Quick strike second – The Blues had to be feeling down a bit after surrendering the lead late in the first on Caufieldâ€s quick strike with 57 seconds remaining in the period, the sixth time the Blues have allowed a goal this season in the final minute of a period to fall behind 2-1:

It’s the sixth time this season the Blues have allowed a goal in the final minute of a period, even getting the attention of Blues great Chris Pronger:

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But they didnâ€t allow it to affect them, scoring twice in 39 seconds to take the lead for good.

Holloway and Schenn combined on the tying goal at 2-2 on a heads-up play by Colton Parayko springing the two forwards loose with a pass through the neutral zone after Jayden Struble got caught pinching high, leaving Lane Hutson to fend the 2-on-1. Schenn fed Holloway, who pulled it to his backhand and lift it over Dobes 26 seconds into the period. Holloway got behind Texier on the play.

And Buchnevich made it 3-2 at 1:05 when the Blues had a good forecheck and cycle of the puck along the righthand side and wall, with Justin Faulk getting the puck to Robert Thomas below the goal line and he found Buchnevich at the top of the crease for the finish:

The Blues (minus-16) and Canadiens (minus-13) each came into the game with two of the worst goal differentials in the second period but winning it 2-0 on those two quick strikes served St. Louis well and enabled them to take the lead into the third period.

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* Binnington follows Hoferâ€s exceptional outing with a strong one of his own – He didnâ€t nearly see as much rubber as Hofer did on Saturday (42 shots), but Binnington was looking to build off what the Blues have for the most part been getting from their goaltending position.

Not only did he have to be on the spot to deny a Caufield chance at the horn, but Binningtonâ€s best save was when he kicked out the left pad to deny Canadiens Russian phenom Ivan Demidov, not once but twice:

Should the Blues be able to get their goaltending back in a groove, and itâ€s been trending in that direction, they will undoubtedly win more hockey games.

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* Mailloux, Bolduc meet for first time – Since the 1-for-1 trade on July 1, Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux and Canadiens forward Zack Bolduc had been waiting for this game from the moment the deal was made.

Mailloux was on the ice when Hutson got behind him for the tying goal at 12:20 of the first when it tied the game 1-1, and Bolduc was in the box when Schennâ€s goal initially gave the Blues the lead:

But Mailloux finished the game an even on the plus-minus, playing 15:35 with two hits and two blocked shots, and Bolduc had an assist on Hustonâ€s goal and was a plus-1 in 13:21.

Neither 22-year-old hurt their teams on this night, and each had a decent game. Now, can we put the trade comparisons in the rear view mirror once and for all?

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* Things got a little hairy late – The Blues were doing a good job protecting that two-goal lead until the final 3:45 got dicey when Dobsonâ€s shot from distance made it 4-3.

You could see Binnington wasnâ€t thrilled when Faulk skated right through his line of vision and he lost sight of the shot off the left hand wall. I donâ€t get why D-men do that to their goalies in those situations unless youâ€re 100 percent certain youâ€re blocking the shot. Otherwise, youâ€re taking away the line of vision of the goalie, like Faulk did there:

But the Blues only surrendered three shots and blocked two (Faulk and Broberg) down the stretch to finish the job.

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No, the St. Louis Blues didnâ€t break the dam and full the net with goals. No, they didnâ€t run their opposition out of the building.

But they did get a win, and at this point, thatâ€s all that matters, bagging the two points.

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Thanks to the heroics of Joel Hofer with a career-high 41 saves, two goals from Jake Neighbours and a penalty kill that was bend-but-donâ€t-break and rock solid, the Blues survived against the Ottawa Senators, winning 2-1 at Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, Ontario on Saturday.

And with their win, the Blues (10-12-7) swept the season series from the Senators (13-11-4) after beating them in St. Louis, 4-3, on Nov. 28, and became the last team to reach double figures in wins on the season.

Even in the win, itâ€s the 10th time in the past 11 games the Blues have failed to score more than two goals in a game, but it was enough thanks to Hoferâ€s outstanding game.

Letâ€s go right into the game observations:

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* Hofer was outstanding – He didnâ€t have to sprawl all over the ice with the Senators pumping 42 shots at him throughout the game, but it was a Velcro-kind of a game for the Blues†goalie.

Everything that came his way stuck to him, there were few to no rebounds. The one save Hofer made that really stuck out was the stop he made in a 1-0 game off a 2-on-1 on Claude Giroux at 12:07 of the second period.

If that goes in, who knows how the offensively-challenged Blues react. But he just kept turning the Senators away and making them feel like they would not be able to get one past him tonight.

It almost worked until the whistle-happy officials put the Senators on the power play seven times (more on that below).

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Hofer also stopped Tim Stutzle in the waning seconds in close.

And heck, to top things off, Hofer nearly had himself a goalie goal, the second time heâ€s come close to it (one is coming). And he even earned himself a roughing minor with seven seconds left in the game when a brouhaha broke out in the Blues†zone that for all intents and purposes, cost the Senators one last-ditched effort to try and tie the game:

Hofer was only beaten by a Fabian Zetterlund power-play goal at 15:39 on a scramble in front on the Senators†seventh man advantage.

Since his last what you would consider a bad outing against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 27, Hofer is 3-3-2 in 10 appearances with a 2.26 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

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* PK won the game early – Letâ€s face it, the penalty kill as a whole hasnâ€t been good for the Blues this season. Largely due to their ineptness on home ice.

On the road, a different story, and this game could have been won or lost in the first period.

It started when Robert Thomas got a double-minor for high-sticking close pal Brady Tkachuk at 4:32. The Blues killed it off despite the Senators getting four shots.

Then Jake Neighbours was guilty of a pair of minors. One for interference at 11:05 and another for tripping at 14:03. And the Blues came out of unscathed.

They had to spend so much time killing penalties in the first period that when Neighbours put the Blues†first shot on goal 25 seconds in, they went 19:33(!) before getting their second of the period and were outshot 15-2.

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On one hand, the thatâ€s good to see the penalty kill working so hard and well, but on the other hand, could some of the penalties been avoided: sure. The Thomas one was unfortunate. Brayden Schennâ€s high-sticking was a bad call, lifting the opponents†stick into his own face but wasnâ€t overturned in the second and the thereâ€s a Dylan Holloway delay of game and Justin Faulk slash (that finally yielded a goal) in the third period.

The Blues were 6-for-7 on the penalty kill and started 6-for-6.

* Blues got battered, lost Kyrou to lower-body injury – Part of the success, especially of the PK mentioned above is the blocked shots that were certainly felt by Philip Broberg, who took one off the inside of the knee and needed help off the ice before returning, and Oskar Sundqvist also slumped over on the bench after feeling one also.

But the Blues lost Jordan Kyrou to a lower-body injury when he took a hit from Stephen Halliday inside of three minutes into the game, what looked like a knock on or around his left knee and being sidelined for the remainder of the game.

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Blues coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the game that Kyrou is considered day to day and theyâ€re hopeful itâ€s no more than a week to 10 days so he will join Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Alexey Toropchenko (leg burns) and Nathan Walker (upper body) on the sidelines with various injuries.

* Like a good Neighbour(s), Jake was on the doorstep twice – Coaches continuously harp on it. Whether players heed those words or not sometimes can be a different story.

On Saturday, Neighbours scored each of his goals within a couple feet of the goal line.

His first that put the Blues up 1-0 wonâ€t make the highlight reels, but being where heâ€s supposed to be for loose pucks (in and around the crease) was enough for him to find one and tap it home at 17:36 of the second period:

It came after the Blues†first power play had ended (the Senators already had five by that point).

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And the second one, which turned out to be the game-winner, came after a face-off win, getting a puck into the Ottawa zone and Jake Sanderson trying to rim it around and out, but it was a clever play that Pavel Buchnevich picked it off the boards, spun and found Neighbours cross ice at the back post for the tap-in just 12 seconds into the third to make it an all-important 2-0:

* The Blues now head off to face the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday in the anticipated matchup since the 1-for-1 trade of acquiring Logan Mailloux for Zack Bolduc on July 1.

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Jake Neighbours scored twice for the Blues (10-12-7), including the eventual game winner just 12 seconds into the third period.

He tipped a Pavel Buchnevich pass by Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark, who made 18 saves in the loss.

The Senators (13-11-4) solved Hofer on their seventh power play of the game. Fabian Zetterlund managed to jam home a loose puck and halve the deficit with 4:21 remaining.

With the Senators pressing for the equalizer, Ullmark was skating toward the bench when he made a diving save on a Robert Thomas shot.

Neighbours was able to get his stick on a puck that flew into the air on a Brayden Schenn shot, and gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 17:36 of the second period.

The St. Louis Blues were short-handed for much of the first period and outshot 15-2, but managed to hold off the Senators thanks to some solid play by Hofer, including a stellar save on David Perron late in the period.

Ottawa was unable to solve Hofer during four power-play chances in the  period.

The Senators were without Shane Pinto, who was placed on injury reserve Friday and will be out a minimum of two weeks. Hayden Hodson was recalled from the American Hockey Leagueâ€s Belleville Senators.

The Blues lost Jordan Kyrou early in the first. Philip Broberg took a shot to the knee early in the third and needed help off the ice.

With the win, the Blues swept the season series after a 4-3 win over the Senators on Nov. 28.

Senators: Power play went 1-for-7.

Blues: The Blues didnâ€t generate a lot early on but capitalized on their opportunities.

Oskar Sundqvist played his 400th game as a member of the Blues.

In the first period, the Blues killed off a double-minor to Robert Thomas for high sticking Brady Tkachuk. Hofer made four saves during it.

Senators: Host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

Blues: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

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Senators head coach Travis Green told reporters on Friday that Pinto will not play Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.

Pinto suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday’s loss to the New York Rangers. Green said Friday that there is no timetable for his injury as he is still being evaluated.

Pinto left Thursday’s contest midway through the opening period after taking a hard hit into the boards by Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad.

The Senators centre was seen labouring while on his way to the bench before eventually exiting to the locker room and ultimately being ruled out.

He exited after just 5:07 of ice time.

Any long-term absence for Pinto will be a big blow to the Senators, as the 25-year-old has yet to miss a game this season and leads Ottawa in goals (12) and is fourth on the roster for points (18).

Green also said that centre Lars Eller will remain out on Saturday as he continues to recover from an undisclosed injury.

In some good news for Ottawa, Green said he expects defenceman Artem Zub to return to action on Saturday.

Zub did not play against the Rangers on Thursday due to a lower-body injury.

After the loss to the Rangers, Ottawa sits fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 13-10-4 record.

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St. Louis Blues fans, we have a problem.

Actually, itâ€s been a problem for quite some time, but the culmination, or frustration, however one wants to call it, boiled over on Thursday night.

The Blues looked disinterested, disoriented and disorganized. It resulted in a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in Boston.

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Pavel Buchnevich and Pius Suter scored for the Blues (9-12-7), who once again couldnâ€t crack more than two goals in a game for the ninth time in the past 10. Jordan Binnington, who was pulled in his last start when he allowed two goals on five shots in a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, made 22 saves.

Aleksanteri Kaskimaki made his NHL debut and was on the ice for the Buchnevich goal (more on him later).

Letâ€s go into the game observations:

* Where is the effort? â€“ Rarely do I question effort. Itâ€s usually execution that does in a game.

But on Thursday, effort comes into play.

The Blues are coming off having two days off between games, a rarity. And they wonâ€t have that again until Christmas break. So Thursday started a stretch of 11 games in 19 days.

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So being on front end of it, where was the urgency? Where was the energy? Where was … yes … the effort?

Boston (16-13-0) was playing without their best players in this game, including David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy due to injuries, and No. 1 goalie Jeremy Swayman was getting the night off for Joonas Korpisalo.

Yes, the Blues are playing a few players short themselves, but not nearly of that caliber, and coming out with a good start was imperative.

But just look at the first goal scored by Alex Steeves at 6:30 of the first period to make it 1-0.

First off, it was another bad line change by the Blues, but the urgency of two forwards in the neutral zone, and two defensemen on the ice never challenged the play into the zone, then things were allowed to play out on the lefthand side with nobody hustling back to pick up Steeves at the backdoor and he slams the shot past Binnington:

It was a precursor of things to come.

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And on Morgan Geekieâ€s goal at 11:25 that made it 2-0, there were two defensemen along the corner boards (Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg) trying to win a wall battle with one player (Steeves), whose effort and determination enabled him to pop the puck to Elias Lindholm, and he found Geekie open in the slot, a pass that Dalibor Dvorsky couldnâ€t get enough on. But once again, it was way too easy:

The effort and determination of winning wall and/or board battles continues to be a sore spot, and in this point of the season, it shouldnâ€t be.

* So many defensive breakdowns; why is there so much disconnect at this juncture in the season – The Blues actually get the kind of start they needed early in the second when Buchnevich made it 2-1 at 1:59, after Parayko jumped a pass along the O-zone wall and curled around the net to find Buchnevich for a one-timer from the left circle:

Youâ€re back in the game just like they were looking for.

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But the next three goals scored by the Bruins, hoo boy.

Viktor Arvidsson cracked one off the right side wall at 6:04 made it 3-1, but it was the buildup that was more baffling than anything.

How does Mason Lohrei get all that free ice uncontested from his zone all the way into the Blues†zone, gets a shot off from the top of the left circle that Binnington blockered to the right wall that Arvidsson corralled?:

How does a guy get that much free ice?

Thatâ€s where the disconnect comes in. Guys backing into the zone, forwards playing too spread out allowing so much free ice, easy breakouts.

Itâ€s still happening. This was the 28th game of the season.

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And for Pavel Zacha, the first of his two goals, thereâ€s a cross ice pass that is there because of a large gap for Zacha to move into the Blues†zone, cut to the middle of the ice, three skaters around him with no resistance, and a fourth getting in there late, and Iâ€m not putting that on Kaskimaki because this is his first game, and he has teammates on the ice that should be setting an example of hard work and being connected. But that goal scored from the high slot over Binningtonâ€s glove hand made it 4-1 at 12:26, and this teamâ€s penchant – or lack thereof – scoring goals, it was game over:

And the icing on the cake when Jake Neighbours was called for interference at 19:45, thereâ€s 15 seconds to close a period out.

Even after losing a face-off, the puck was at the blue line with 5.5 seconds left. There’s no way the Bruins could work it into the left face-off circle (they did), get an uncontested shot from there (they did), collect the rebound with only one player around the puck (they did) and get it to the low slot off the edge of the right circle (they did):

It boils down to defensive breakdowns, disconnect and lack of execution. Itâ€s 5-1 at that point rubbing salt in the wound.

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* This was supposed to be Kaskimakiâ€s night – The 2022 third-round pick made his rookie lap at one of the top venues around the league. It was supposed to be a special night for the forward.

But Blues teammates didnâ€t give Kaskimaki, who was a minus-1 and played 15:17 with a shot on goal and a blocked shot, much to be happy about.

Sure, heâ€s thankful to finally get to the NHL, and I didnâ€t think Kaskimaki, who played with Buchnevich and Dvorsky on a line, looked out of place, but he only has to go up from here.

Pius Suter, who missex the past two games, did get on the board with his seventh ay 9:07 of the third period but too little, too late:

* Needless to say, Blues coach Jim Montgomery was none too pleased from his comments to media after the game, along with Binnington and Parayko:

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After perhaps the most disappointing loss of the season for the Anaheim Ducks in Sundayâ€s 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, they traveled to take on the St. Louis Blues the very next day with an opportunity to learn a lesson and immediately turn the page.

The Ducks were looking to come home from this quick two-game back-to-back with two points and remain atop the Pacific Division, with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights nipping at their heels.

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Takeaways from the Ducks 5-3 Loss to the Blackhawks

Quack of Dawn: Ducks Morning Report – 11/29/25

The Blues came into this game looking to extend their win streak to three games, but got word the morning before the game that forward Jimmy Snuggerud underwent surgery to repair a wrist injury and would be evaluated in six weeks. They also reported theyâ€d be without forward Alexey Toropchenko, who will be out week-to-week after sustaining burns to his legs.

The Ducks coaching staff opted for a unique lineup in this game, electing to go with an 11/7 look, meaning 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Ryan Strome and Nikita Nesterenko were the scratches in this game, as was Petr Mrazek, who exited Sundayâ€s game with an apparent lower-body injury in the third period. The Ducks recalled goaltender Vyacheslav Buteyets from the San Diego Gulls earlier in the day to serve as backup.

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Ville Husso got the start in net for the Ducks and was impressive, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced. Husso was opposed by Jordan Binnington in the St. Louis crease, who stopped just three of five shots before he was pulled and replaced by Joel Hofer just ten minutes into the game. Hofer saved 19 of 20 shots in the final 50 minutes.

The Ducks seemed to have put the bad-start epidemic behind them, as they came out of the gates attacking again in this one. A pair of soft goals gave them a lead early, and although they gave one back between them, they didnâ€t let their foot off the gas for any stretch during this game.

Defensively, this was one of their better efforts on the season, improving in all the areas theyâ€d been struggling with coming in. They held off a surging and hungry St. Louis squad in the third period, remaining tight on their coverages and diligent off the puck. Unlike the game a day prior, the Ducks put together a complete, 60-minute effort.

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Penalty Kill: The easiest way to not give up power play goals is to stay out of the penalty box. The Ducks failed in that aspect and totaled six minor penalties in this game. However, their penalty kill stood tall against the Blues and was a perfect six for six.

Jackson LaCombe, the Ducks’ PK TOI leader on the season, was taken off the unit entirely, and the Ducks went with Jacob Trouba and Pavel Mintyukov on the first unit, and Radko Gudas and Drew Helleson on the second. The Ducks have struggled, both on the kill and at 5v5, with boxing out the net-front forward. It was clearly an area of focus, as the defenseman at the bottom of the diamond was far more engaged battling in this game, especially Gudas.

Troy Terry and Leo Carlsson, two staples on the PK to this point in the season, only received 18 and 17 seconds, respectively. Chris Kreider (3:08) and Cutter Gauthier (1:32) were given significant time on the kill in their place. The coaching staff overhauled the PK personnel and received positive results in this game.

In an interesting move, Ian Moore was used on the kill, but as a forward. He noticeably timed his challenges well toward the blueline, was quick to anticipate what the point man was trying to accomplish with the puck, and read when to retreat to the middle of the zone.

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Defensive Zone Coverage: The Ducks seemed to focus on shutting down the seams in front of and to the lower slot in this game. When the net defenders would previously be too quick to leave their post in front to support in the corner or on the perimeter, they remained in coverage for a split second longer, scanning the entire time, to ensure they werenâ€t leaving an attacker open in soft ice.

Leo Carlsson: Carlsson was once again gameplanned for, something he seems to be getting used to. St. Louis keened in on him when he was attempting to gain speed through his zone and into neutral ice, looking for secondary passes. However, Carlsson remained impactful on the forecheck, reading breakouts and causing disruption, as well as on the cycle, where he kept his feet moving with and without the puck, battled in tight areas of the ice, and gained position at the net when perimeter shots were taken. Heâ€s taken needed steps toward rounding out his overall offensive game.

Pavel Mintyukov: Since he was reinserted into the lineup after his trio of scratches, Mintyukov has been the Ducks†best defenseman (opinion). On Monday, he tallied a goal and an assist on the scoresheet, and when he was on the ice at 5v5 (13:40 TOI), the Ducks won the shot attempt battle 21-10, the shots on goal battle 9-6, and held 72.23% of the expected goals share.

His off-puck reads and active, disruptive stick broke up several Blues attacks, and he engaged attackers through the hands and body when needed. He manufactured puck touches in the offensive zone by moving his feet to open ice, whether down the wall or at the blueline. When he had the puck at the perimeter, he took smart shots, looking for tips and to shoot around screens when passing options werenâ€t available. This could just be another flash of what Mintyukov has to offer, or it could be the early stages of a breakout season for the now 22-year-old blueliner.

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The Ducks will return to Honda Center for a three-game homestand, starting on Wednesday when theyâ€ll host the Utah Mammoth.

Lukas Dostal out 2-3 Weeks with Upper-Body Injury, Importance of Upcoming Ducks Schedule

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 Shootout Win over the Kings

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 Loss to the Canucks

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ST. LOUIS — Mason McTavish and Pavel Mintyukov each scored first period goals to help the Anaheim Ducks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 Monday night.

Leo Carlsson also scored, Chris Kreider added an empty-net goal and Ville Husso made 22 saves for Anaheim who successfully killed six St. Louis power plays.

Jordan Kyrou scored for St. Louis, and Joel Hofer made 19 saves in relief of Jordan Binnington.

Carlsson scored his 14th goal of the season 5:58 into the third period to put the Ducks ahead 3-1. It was his third goal in his last four games.

Binnington allowed two goals on five shots before being pulled after Mintyukov scored his second goal of the season with 9:36 remaining in the first period to give Anaheim a 2-1 lead.

Kyrou scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season just 20 seconds after McTavish scored his sixth goal of the season to put Anaheim on the board 6:33 into the first period.

Beckett Sennecke assisted on McTavishâ€s goal to give him points in eight straight games to match Paul Kariya for the longest points streak by a Ducks rookie.

St. Louis was playing without forwards Jimmy Snuggerud, who will miss at least six weeks after being placed on injured reserve with a left wrist injury that will require surgery, and Alexey Toropchenko who is week to week after sustaining scalding burns on his legs in an accident at home.

The Blues recalled rookie forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki from the clubâ€s AHL affiliate in Springfield, but he did not arrive in time for the game due to travel delays forcing Blues coach Jim Montgomery to dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards.

Ducks: Host Utah Wednesday night to open a three-game homestand

Blues: At Boston Thursday to open a three-game road trip.

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  Ryan S. ClarkDec 1, 2025, 10:55 AM ET

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  Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

St. Louis Blues rookie forward Jimmy Snuggerud will miss up to six weeks to have surgery on his left wrist, the team announced Monday morning.

The 21-year-old Snuggerud, who was a first-round pick by the Blues in 2022, used the opening quarter of the season to establish himself as a top-nine forward. His five goals were two away from being tied for the team lead while his 11 points are tied for sixth. He is also seventh in ice time among Blues forwards at 15:26 per game.

His performances also allowed him to maintain a presence within a rookie class that has seen several players make an impact. Snuggered entered Monday tied for eighth in goals among first-year players.

It appears the earliest Snuggerud could return to the lineup, should the six-week timeline hold, would be mid-January. That would allow him to play about 10 games before the NHL enters the Olympic break. The Blues play their last game before the break on Feb. 4.

Snuggerud isn’t the only injury the Blues are managing, with the team also announcing that forward Alexey Toropchenko is week-to-week after sustaining what they described as scalding burns to his legs in a home accident. He’s the second NHL player this season to sustain an injury at home, with Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen out of the lineup indefinitely after a “barbecuing mishap” that Panthers coach Paul Maurice shared with reporters on Nov. 19.

Toropchenko has a goal and two points while averaging 11:29 in ice time over 17 games this season.

Those absences are the latest developments in what has seen the Blues, which made the playoffs last season, endure one of the most challenging starts of any team in the NHL through the first quarter of this season.

St. Louis (9-10-7) entered Monday as part of a cluster of five teams that are within two points of the Chicago Blackhawks for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

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Nov 30, 2025, 12:16 AM ET

ST. LOUIS — Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller wanted to play in his hometown two days after his father, Bryan, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Thanksgiving Day.

Before Saturday night’s game, the Blues displayed a photo of Keller and his father, who was 64, on the scoreboard and held a moment of silence.

The Mammoth lost 1-0 to the Blues.

Keller spoke after the game for the first time since his father’s death.

POSTGAME

“First off, teammates, coaching staff, management, have been unbelievable towards me, my family. Big thanks to the Blues for everything they did tonight. They didn’t have to do that. Lots of memories at this rink. Growing up, coming to games here, sitting on my dad’s… pic.twitter.com/mXZbW88M80

— Utah Mammoth PR (@UtahMammoth_PR) November 30, 2025

“For me and my family, a big thanks to the Blues for everything they did tonight,” an emotional Keller said. “They didn’t have to do that.”

Keller also played Friday in Dallas, but did not record a point in the 4-3 loss to the Stars.

The Stars honored him by naming him as the first star.

“That’s what is unbelievable about hockey,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “There’s unbelievable people in this game. It comes from the right place, from the heart.

“We were hoping to get the two points tonight for Kells. It is what it is.”

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It was important for Keller to play, especially in St. Louis at the Enterprise Center. Family members, including his mother and grandmother, were in attendance.

“There’s lot of memories at this rink. I remember growing up and coming to games here, sitting my dad’s lap and my grandpa’s lap,” Keller said. “I admired those players and wanting to be out there.

“So, it’s definitely been a tough couple of days. I couldn’t have done it without my family and my teammates. They had my back always. I care for them.”

Keller, 27, has played all 10 of his NHL seasons with the Arizona-Utah franchise and was named captain before last season, when the club moved to Salt Lake City. The seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft and four-time All-Star was a 30-goal scorer each of the past three seasons, including career highs last season with 60 assists and 90 points. He has 21 points this season, including eight goals.

He said he appreciates all the support he has been given.

“First off, the coaching staff, the management have been unbelievable,” Keller said. “It’s beyond words.”

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ST. LOUIS – Urgency and desperation. Desperation and urgency.

Any way you twist the words, they fit into a common place for the St. Louis Blues, and it came together in the third period with the most complete act of desperation of the season.

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The Blues rallied for three goals in the final 20 minutes, with Matthew Kessel providing what turned out to be the game-winner in a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators at Enterprise Center on Friday.

The Blues (8-10-7), who trailed 2-1 entering the third period, were 0-8-1 on the season when trailing entering the final 20 minutes; the Senators (12-8-4) were 7-1-1 when leading. Things didnâ€t look good.

But along with Kessel, Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich scored third-period goals, and Oskar Sundqvist scored his first of the season, and Jordan Binnington made 25 saves.

It was just the Blues†second win the past eight games (2-2-4) but they have points in six of eight and have now scored first in nine of the past 10 games; they didn’t give it up this time around and improved to 6-4-6 when doing so.

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Here are Fridayâ€s observations:

* Third period of the season – Letâ€s face it, this game was a dud for the longest.

Things got a bit spicy when Sundqvist finally scored, but when the Blues fell behind 2-1 late in the second period on a Fabian Zetterlund goal at 18:26, it felt like a repetitive theme of late for this squad.

But things changed, play changed. Desperation set in.

Kyrouâ€s team-leading seventh of the season came off a beautiful read and ensuing seam pass from Jake Neighbours into the slot, and Kyrou did the rest pulling it to his backhand and scooping it up over Leevi Merilainen at 2:01 for a 2-2 game:

“It was just great patience by (Neighbours),†Kyrou said. “Kind of hold it and wait for the lane to open up. It was a helluva pass.â€

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Buchnevichâ€s first goal in 17 games and first even-strength goal of the season put the Blues ahead 3-2 at 5:33 off a 2-on-1 pass from Brayden Schenn and ensuing one-timer inside the right post:

“Every goal feels good,†Buchnevich said, “especially now, itâ€s hard to score a goal. … I know 100 percent (Schenn) is going to give it to me. He doesnâ€t look at the net. He (had) a tough time to score before, I got a tough time to score (now). Itâ€s an easy read, I know heâ€s a helluva player. I know he wants to make a pass.â€

There was a comprehensive sigh of relief from the veteran forward, and the crowd was in appreciation that they showered Buchnevich with chants of, ‘BUUUUCH†after the goal.

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“(Felt) good,†Buchnevich said. “Hopefully they don’t go through what I’ve been (through) and don’t sit in a cold tub that long. I’m thankful for the support. They support us so well. Even after a tough second period, they get us going.â€

Even after old friend David Perron tied the game 3-3 after Colton Parayko flubbed a puck trying to rim it around the boards and it bounded to the slot for a backhand finish at 7:31, the Blues marched back and grabbed the lead for good when Kessel backhanded a shot from the crease in following a series of opportunities at the net by the Blues at 9:19:

So the Blues had a lead, and this time, instead of just trying to sit on it, they played with a purpose. They played with … urgency.

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“I think we showed the most desperation of the year so far,†Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “The one thing you love about playing in St. Louis and being part of the Blues is how the fans react to desperation (and) to hard work, second- and third-effort. The third periodâ€s the best weâ€ve done it all year and thatâ€s why we got three goals. We got three goals because we were desperate and we didnâ€t give up a goal at the end because we were desperate defensively.â€

So where did that desperation come from?

“I got to say it’s because of our leaders,†Montgomery said. ‘Schenn’s line started the period off right. The Sundqvist line always plays with desperation, that’s why they probably have the most 5-on-5 goals of our team. Then the (Robert) Thomas line followed up and they made a great play off the rush. That’s how you build momentum. When you talk about team building, shift after shift, every line won a battle and it culminated after three shifts with a tying goal.â€

* The fourth line continues to generate – Theyâ€re supposed to be the energy line, the one that goes out and sets the scorers up with good ice and generate a buzz with physicality, grit, forechecking, responsible defensively and just plain, hard work.

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But once again, they unlocked a gridlock when the game didnâ€t generate much and Sundqvist opened the door to the scoring when he banked in a shot from the side of the net off Merilainen at 7:59 of the second period to make it 1-0:

Nathan Walker had the puck along the right side, saw Mathieu Joseph driving the net and steered a backhand there that Joseph redirected. Sundqvist wound up collecting the loose puck and from just below the goal line made a play to put it in off the goalie.

It doesnâ€t have to be pretty. Just effective.

“I canâ€t score when Iâ€m in front of the goal, so I might as well try from behind the goal, I guess,†Sundqvist joked. “Great play by ‘Mojo†and ‘Walks.†I kind of saw him being out of position and tried to just bank it off him. Happy it worked outâ€

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But the line just keeps making things happen. Why?

“I think itâ€s just playing north, playing simple. I think for our line, our biggest strength is the forechecking, getting pucks back that way. Weâ€re not going to dangle three, four guys. Weâ€re getting on forechecking and getting pucks back, attack the net. Itâ€s been feeling good lately.â€

Montgomery said, “Yeah, it is that simple. They are just playing north, but they’re extremely connected. They’re 15-20 feet apart from each other instead of being 85 feet apart from each other, hoping to put pucks through two people to get a breakaway. They’re coming, they’re slashing, they’re chipping it off the wall, playing north and they’ve got support. Then they go low to high, D-men pound the puck and they’ve got two on the inside. That goal they scored today, they put a puck to the net, they got a strong-side drive and a weakside drive and they end up putting it in from the goal line. That’s Sundqvist, how clever of a hockey player he is.â€

* Buchnevichâ€s Uber driver broke the streak – Buchnevich hasnâ€t scored an even-strength goal in the regular season since the final game last season against the Utah Mammoth (25 games) on April 15, 2025, and it was his first goal this season in 17 games (Oct. 25 against the Detroit Red Wings), but there was a logical reason on Friday why this streak was broken: he had a driver to the game.

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It was Oskar Sundqvist.

Why?

Buchnevichâ€s billet parents are in town and needed a car, so Buchnevich left them his, and hitched a ride with Sundqvist.

“I drove him today, I think I drove him to the rink twice last year and he scored both games,†Sundqvist said. “I’m 3-for-3 with driving him to the rink. I’m going to see if I’m going to have to keep driving him to the games.â€

Buchnevich was doing his media interview and Sundqvist comes by and offers, “I can’t wait for my Uber tip.â€

Buchnevich replied, “You’re driving me tomorrow too!â€

Maybe thereâ€s something to it, maybe not. Whatever works, right?

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* Blues make good on the 5-on-6 – Itâ€s a broken record talking about the Blues†deficiencies defending the sixth attacker last year. We all know the results, in the regular season and in the Game 7 playoff game against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Senators came with a hard, aggressive push. They pulled Merilainen with 2:47 remaining in the third period and the Senators generated 10 shot attempts. Five were on goal and five were blocked.

But the blocks, or many of them, were a result of guys diving to the ice to make plays, guys sacrificing bodies to keep the opposition and pucks away from Binnington, who did his part and made the saves.

But itâ€s easy and motivating to play like that when the team generated the quality chances and got rewarded for the 5-on-5 goals.

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“I mean, the third period, the desperation that got us three goals, I think it’s the most 5-on-5 goals we’ve had in a period this year,†Montgomery said. “That’s the catalyst that we need to carry on if we want to get on a roll, and we’re going to get on a roll. That’s the kind of game when you come from behind, your crowd is going nuts, you’ve got another game tomorrow night in front of the same crowd, it’s time for us to show the desperation and just keep building on this. And it starts right from the first puck drop.

“Rinse, repeat, remember how you did it. We’re going to show video on how we did and we’re going to go out and execute it with the effort and emotion that you need to have the desperation like that.â€

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