The Blues are All the Way Back After Brutal Stretch of Games
No team has been more hot or cold than the St. Louis Blues in the 2022-2023 NHL season.
St. Louis started the year 3-0, and it looked like a team that would have no issues in the regular season, similar to last season’s version of the team. However, disaster struck, and the Blues lost eight games in a row from October 24 until November 9.
Just when it looked like all hope was lost for the 2019 Stanley Cup champions, they broke through and beat the San Jose Sharks. Then, they won again. And they won again. And before anyone knew it, the Blues were back above .500 and in the playoff picture.
The Blues are officially back after a brief absence.
As things stand now, St. Louis is 10-8, as the team has won seven consecutive games, and there have been some quality wins along the way. Opponents like the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche have been among those defeated during this streak.
Now, a win against a dismal Buffalo Sabres team on Wednesday would effectively erase the entire eight-game losing streak that had fans panicking about the Blues and writing them off.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington has been a huge part of this turnaround for the Blues, as he has posted a save percentage of at least .900 in each game he’s played during his club’s active win streak. In his last five appearances, his save percentage has not dipped below .926 once.
Offensively, Pavel Buchnevich has been making his presence felt. He’s only played in 13 games, but he’s got 12 points (four goals and eight assists) in those contests, highlighted by a four-point performance against the Anaheim Ducks that earned him the NHL’s Second Star of the Week.
I’m not surprised that the Blues aren’t as dead as everyone thought they were, but I’m floored by the fact that they answered an eight-game losing streak by immediately winning seven games (and counting) in a row.
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I’m not making any predictions here, but let’s not forget that the last time St. Louis won the Cup, the team had been in last place that same season. The Blues didn’t go quite that far this time, and the turnaround has been much quicker, but it’s something to keep in mind.