Doug Armstrong and Jim Montgomery have the Blues equipped for a playoff run
The ingredients, tools, plan, and process are in place. Roster needs to turn it on now.
It’s amazing what a single win can do for a team. A time and place where the weight of a loss feels doubly diminishing, especially with January off to the races. While the St. Louis Blues have enjoyed a rebounded sense of relevance since Jim Montgomery took over on Nov. 25, they didn’t enjoy the greatest December success. Before three wins in the past four games, the Blues had lost six of eight contests, even if they gained points in two of the losses.
The Monty flame was burning out for a while there. A big 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks seemed like four points earned though. With that win, the flame feels as if it never burned out or got close. Having all of this young talent gives a team some legs in a long season.
As it turns out, the setting of Wrigley Field and the rivalry was all the team needed to push back from a disappointing loss to Buffalo. In a weird way, it felt like a win over the Cubs as well. That’s three Classics and three victories for the gents in blue. The win gave them 40 points and sole position of the fifth spot in the Western Conference. With eight teams from each conference getting in and six of those coming from the top three placeholders in the West and Pacific divisions, the Blues aren’t far off from sneaking in the backdoor.
The competition lies with Dallas (owners of the seventh spot right now), Calgary (owner of the eighth spot), the Vancouver Canucks (the ninth spot holder), and the Utah Hockey Club. The latter, a team that holds a name belonging in the MLS, has lost four in a row and the Canucks lost on Tuesday night. The Blues have a clear runway to grab the eighth spot or challenge Dallas for higher.
Heck, the Colorado Avalanche aren’t far away with their 46 points. All the Blues need is a winning streak. Any form of consistency will do. Montgomery came on and they were hot as funnel cakes, but they lost the flame for a stretch before getting hot again. Spending the first two months in average lands didn’t allow them to travel uphill for too long in the back half.
A healthy Justin Faulk and Nick Leddy (the good form of Nick at least) would help. Making use of what you have is going to be where this team picks up those final pieces. Jordan Binnington held off the Blackhawks in the early going of the Winter Classic, on his way to a crispy 93% save percentage. He made a few high risk and close stops, and didn’t let the levee break once the team built a big lead.
Along with Joel Hofer, Binnington gives the team some concrete in the goaltending department. The defense is much improved with Cam Fowler doing his best Jay Bouwmeester impression and Philip Broberg continuing to be a wonderful addition. How about Dylan Holloway putting up a hat trick? He’s only 23 years old.
After the game, Wayne Gretzky said Doug Armstrong is arming his team to make a move when the trade deadline arrives. I agree. He made that steal with Edmonton in the offseason to set up another transaction midway, especially if the team wasn’t buried. Since the Montgomery hire, they have surged back collectively enough to acquire a point total that leaves them within distance of a playoff series.
Armstrong, against a good amount of odds, has the team tasting playoff possibilities even during a so-called rebuild or retooling of the roster. When you fire a head coach-Mike Yeo, Craig Berube, Drew Bannister-the roster must respond or the moves just keep coming. The moves happening ahead should be for the extra tire in a deep run--as long as the Blues can keep churning out wins.
The more wins, the more likely Armstrong pulls the trigger on a move. Bring that on, and think about the momentum shift the Blues are enjoying versus a team that started hot and is starting to die off. Shots taken, Armstrong continues to prime this team for success.
He peeled off the right pieces, replaced them with winners, made another great heist, and outdid every general manager with a leaking record in snagging Montgomery once Boston gave up on him. Instead of a season slowly decaying away, the team is breathing some life into a season that is less than half finished.
A single win was the difference between sleeping under Utah in the sixth spot and sitting alone in your own bed in fifth. Dallas and the rest are next.