Blues post 7 consecutive wins in a push to make the playoffs after a two-year absence
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The wins just keep on coming for the St. Louis Blues, and their seven-game streak has significantly improved their chances of returning to the playoffs after a two-year absence.
After beating the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Tuesday night, they have strung together their most consecutive victories since November 2022. It’s the longest active winning streak in the NHL.
“We’ve just got a recipe that works and a game plan that everybody believes in,” said Dylan Holloway, who has 24 goals in a breakout season. “Guys are playing for each other. It’s a good vibe in here, for sure.”
St. Louis has outscored opponents 36-10 and only trailed for a total of 5:24 during this winning stretch. It’s just business as usual, according to Alexandre Texier.
“We’ve got a job to do,” said Texier, who like Holloway, scored against Montreal. “This game is over and we think about the next game. We’re not enjoying too much about this momentum. We want to be in the playoffs. We just have to do it every single night.”
The Blues are 13-2-2 since the season resumed after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, outscoring opponents 70-38. No team in the NHL has more points or goals in that time.
“There’s a pace and a purpose to what they’re doing,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “They’re just doing it naturally. There’s smiles on their faces. They’re loving doing things right.”
The formula during the streak has been simple. The Blues are strong on the forecheck and work to limit transition opportunities for their opponents. They block as many shots as possible.
“It starts with the belief in this group and believing in the process and each other,” said Philip Broberg, who scored a goal and had three assists against Montreal to keep his impressive season rolling. “It’s all about hard work.”
Montgomery agreed, calling his team’s effort professional.
“Everyone’s playing well: Our top line, our top six are scoring and playing defense,” Montgomery said. “Our bottom six are scoring and hanging on to pucks and protecting pucks. Our defense has been really solid. The little details have been there throughout the lineup. Everybody’s doing it.”
Montgomery has helped turn things around since replacing fired coach Drew Bannister on Nov. 25 after a 9-12-1 start. But the Blues were still eight points behind Vancouver for the Western Conference’s second and final wild-card spot coming out of the break and had not won three in a row all season.
It looked like the playoff drought would reach three. Now it looks like that could end.
“I know it’s a simple answer, but it’s just guys playing hard, playing for one another and playing together,” captain Brayden Schenn said. “They haven’t all been pretty, but we’re finding a way and that’s the most important thing this time of the year. There’s definitely buzz around the city. ”
The Blues hold a firm grip on the second wild card in the Western Conference, four up on Calgary and five up on Vancouver. They now have the Wild — holders of the first wild card — in their sights, just two points back after Minnesota lost 5-1 to Vegas.
All those teams have games in hand on the the Blues, who have nine left, compared to 12 for the Flames and 11 for the Canucks. Holloway doesn’t think anyone is looking at how many games anyone has left.
“Obviously, we know it’s a tight race,” Holloway said. “The biggest thing is we just have to control what we can control. We can’t control other teams. The biggest thing for us is to just keep playing the way we are. It works. We just have to go a game at a time.”
The Blues hit the road to play Thursday in Nashville looking to extend their win streak to eight games.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
By WARREN MAYES
Associated Press
