St. Louis Blues Season Opener
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-0 scoreline against the Minnesota Wild in the season opener, a harsh reality check following a preseason filled with optimism. As both teams hit the ice at the Enterprise Center, the expectations for the Blues were clouded by a disappointing performance that starkly contrasted their hopeful finish last season, where they narrowly fell to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs after a hard-fought seven-game series.
Game Highlights
In this game, Minnesota’s standout players were instrumental in their victory. The potent trio of Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, and Kirill Kaprizov, who recently signed a groundbreaking $136 million contract, dominated the game, combining for two goals and six assists. Filip Gustavsson in goal for the Wild was impenetrable, turning away all 26 shots the Blues tried to send his way, and facing no challenges for the majority of the game.
“The way we battled for pucks on 1-on-1s and on special teams didn’t meet our standards today,”
– Coach Jim Montgomery
Ryan Hartman opened the scoring for the Wild, with the play being set up by a shot that slipped past Dylan Holloway’s stick check, and soon after Boldy redirected a Kaprizov feed for the Wild’s second goal. The third goal came on a power play from Joel Eriksson Ek, who was in the right spot to finish after the Blues had dominated shot opportunities earlier in the period, notching 14 shots to Minnesota’s none up until that point.
Blues’ Response
Despite the game slipping away from them, Blues captain Brayden Schenn noted,
“We need to tighten up our defensive play and speed up our ability to close out plays. There’s a lot we can improve on as we move forward into this long season.”
Schenn emphasized the need to create more chaos and opportunities around the opposition’s net.
The night was particularly tough for newcomer Logan Mailloux, making his debut after being traded from the Montreal Canadiens. He registered 14 minutes of ice time but struggled significantly, leaving the ice with a minus-2 rating. His hesitation on the puck played into the sequence leading to Hartman’s first goal and also contributed to the breakdown that led to Rossi’s goal later in the game. Montgomery noted that it’s essential to view player performances over a longer arc, especially for someone with only a handful of NHL games under their belt.
Looking Ahead
Despite not having the start they desired, the Blues showed flashes of promise in the second period, dominating Minnesota with 14 unanswered shots. However, as Schenn mentioned, much of the team’s offensive effort fell flat, with a tendency to shoot directly at Gustavsson without obstructing his view. Montgomery acknowledged that players need to find their rhythm and get more aggressive in front of the net to succeed.
As the home crowd began showing their displeasure towards the end of the match, Schenn remained optimistic about bouncing back.
“We must turn the page quickly. It’s just one game out of 82, and thankfully we have a chance to refocus and come back strong in our next matchup,”
– Brayden Schenn
Montgomery echoed this sentiment, assuring that setbacks like this are part of the season’s journey, and emphasized the importance of learning from tonight’s mistakes.
