Can the Blues catch the Wild for top wild card? ‘That's definitely the goal'

New York Times

26-03-2025

ST. LOUIS — All of the talk surrounding the St. Louis Blues has been whether they can fend off the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Utah Hockey Club for the second wild card in the Western Conference.
But what about catching the Minnesota Wild for the top wild card?
On March 14, the Blues were 10 points behind Minnesota in the standings. But in winning their seventh consecutive game Tuesday, a 6-1 throttling of the Montreal Canadiens, they are now within two points (85-83) of the Wild.
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Minnesota has 10 games remaining in the regular season, and according to Tankathon.com, the Wild have the 19th hardest strength of schedule in the NHL. The Blues have nine games left and the 13th-hardest schedule.
'I don't think we've looked at it that way,' Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. 'I have not had a conversation with a player about Calgary, about Minnesota, about Vancouver, about Utah. I'm sure they're talking amongst themselves, like us coaches talk amongst ourselves, but when we're all together, it's been real business-like.'
Well, Montgomery was right about the players talking about it among themselves.
'That's definitely the goal,' Blues forward Dylan Holloway said of catching Minnesota. 'We've got nine games left and we've just got to go a game at a time. We can't start thinking about other teams and the outcomes of their games. We've just got to focus one game at a time and try and get that two points every game. If we go in with that mindset, we should be good.'
Since the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Blues' record after Tuesday's win is 13-2-2. In that stretch, they have averaged 4.06 goals per game, which ranks No. 1 in the NHL, and allowed 2.18 goals per game, which is the third-fewest in the league. They've scored 69 goals and given up 37 for a plus-32, which has improved their goal differential on the season from -17 to +15.
SEVEN IN A ROWWWWWWW!!!!!!! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/RQcjC3R8bf
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 26, 2025
As well as the Blues have been playing lately, Montgomery sensed on Tuesday that they would be even better against Montreal.
'I've got to be honest: The way we practiced in the morning skate, I don't usually put much into the morning skate, but I could really see we had juice,' he said. 'I just had that feeling that we were going to be really good tonight, and that first 30 minutes of the game was probably the best hockey we've played all year.'
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That's saying something because the Blues have scored four or more goals in each game of their seven-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 34-10 in that span. The offense got another goal from team leader Jordan Kyrou (31), Robert Thomas had a goal and three more assists, and Zack Bolduc added another goal to his impressive season.
But the gifts that keep on giving are the two offer sheets signed by Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg. Holloway scored his 24th goal of the season and has the longest current point streak on the team at eight games (4 goals, 9 assists). Broberg, meanwhile, had a career-high four-point night with one goal and three assists.
On Monday, Holloway was named the NHL's No. 3 star, and, yes, he took a little grief from teammates about the award. But the recognition for Holloway is fully warranted.
'He's just such a confident player right now,' Montgomery said. 'The physicality is just becoming more and more and he's realizing how physically dominating he can be, but also offensively and defensively. It's impressive to watch. His confidence just seems to gain layers.'
Holloway's physicality and offense were both on display late in the first period Tuesday. In three minutes, he laid a heavy hit on Montreal's Alexandre Carrier and scored on a deflection of a shot by Broberg.
Holloway hits, Holloway scores. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/CTFTIub55p
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 26, 2025
Asked if the hit on Carrier was one of the best of his career, Holloway said, 'I don't know where it ranks. But I know I got blown up the shift before. I was a little angry going into that shift and it just happened perfectly there. Definitely probably one of my bigger ones.'
Meanwhile, Broberg was back to piling up the points. He started the season with 12 points in his first 15 games, but then went through a stretch where he had just three points in 27 games. He eclipsed that total Tuesday; he said he couldn't recall the last time he had a four-point night.
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'It was a while ago, probably,' the 23-year-old said. 'I'm just trying to play my game and that's a two-way game. I take a lot of pride in being good defensively, but when I see the opportunity to jump (in the offense), I try to jump as well.'
All three of Broberg's assists were primary assists on goals by Kyrou, Holloway and Thomas.
'He was flying tonight,' Holloway said. 'His skating ability leads to offense all the time. I always call him a 'one-man breakout' because it seems like every time he gets it back there and starts skating, he gets it up the ice. He was incredible tonight and it just shows how good of a player he is. He's got a huge ceiling, too. He's only scratching the surface.'
The Blues' coaching staff has been urging Broberg to get more involved in the play up ice, and they believe it's coming.
'He's such a gifted player; he loves the game of hockey,' Montgomery said. 'There's a thirst for knowledge. He wants to get better every time he's watching video; he's locked in. The part of his game that's really progressed is his offensive side of the game. He attacks really good areas now, he plays high-percentage hockey, and it's only going to continue.'
Another one. pic.twitter.com/2cCKwZ3La3
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 26, 2025
The Blues have a lot of players who have had productive seasons in 2024-25, but where would they be without the successful offer sheets given out to two former Edmonton Oilers? Granted, Holloway and Broberg have benefited tremendously from the opportunity in St. Louis, but they've seized it.
'I just wanted to make the most of it,' Holloway said. 'I've just got to thank our coaching staff. They seemed to believe in me from day one. I'm just trying to work as hard as I can and take advantage.'
Montgomery also pointed to the fact that both Holloway and Broberg played in the Stanley Cup Final with Edmonton last season.
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'That gave them a lot of confidence, and then the opportunity they've been given here has been amplified,' he said. 'They would not have gotten, especially Holloway, that opportunity (with the Oilers). You combine those things, and I'm just really grateful that they're Blues.'
But teams don't put together winning streaks like the one the Blues are on without contributions all over the ice. They head to Nashville Thursday with a chance to catch Minnesota, which hosts the Washington Capitals Thursday, in points.
'We're playing really confident right now,' Holloway said. 'We've got a recipe that works and a game plan that everybody believes in. The biggest thing is we've just got to control what we can control. We can't control other teams and their outcomes, so for us, it's just keep playing the way we are. We know what works, so just keep going.'
(Photo of Dylan Holloway: Jeff Curry / Imagn Images)