Apr 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (18) celebrates with left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) and defenseman Justin Faulk (72) after scoring the game winning goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during overtime at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images For much of this season, the St. Louis Blues struggled at home and failed to push beyond the .500 mark.
That all changed on Feb. 8, when they began an 18-2-2 run that vaulted them into playoff position in the Western Conference. The Blues (42-28-7, 91 points) bring a team record-tying 11-game winning streak into Saturday’s home game with the Colorado Avalanche (47-26-4, 98 points).
St. Louis has matched the 11-game winning streak put together by the 2018-19 club, which went on to win the Stanley Cup.
They also have edged ever closer to clinching a wild-card playoff berth with this late-season surge.
“It’s been a fun ride,” said Blues forward Robert Thomas. “We’ve beaten some really good teams and we’re playing really good hockey. We just got to consistently be there every single night and that’s what makes a great team and that’s what we’re on our way to be.”
The Blues are triggering flashbacks to their 2019 Stanley Cup run, when they rose from the conference cellar, reached the playoff bracket and just kept winning.
“I feel like we’re really starting to build something here that’s become something very special,” said Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. “We’re enjoying it every day and we’re just going to keep going and see how far this can take us.”
The Blues took a hit in Thursday’s 5-4 overtime home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins when forward Dylan Holloway suffered a lower-body injury. But they also got a lift from former University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud, who earned his first NHL point, an assist, in his second game.
“He’s been making a lot of plays,” said Blues coach Jim Montgomery. “I think once he gets used to the speed, strength and less time and space in the NHL, he’s going to be a real good player for us. He’s already playing well.”
While the Blues still have work to do to secure a postseason berth, the Avalanche clinched their postseason spot Thursday with a 7-4 road victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“We’re obviously really happy that we secured that spot,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “That’s the first step and the first goal that you kind of set in training camp, and it takes a long time to get here and a lot of hard work, but proud of our guys for accomplishing that and doing it in under tough circumstances, coming in here (Thursday night) on the back-to-back.”
The Avalanche earned a 3-2 shootout victory over the Blackhawks on Wednesday night in Chicago. Then they stepped on the gas in their victory at Columbus.
“Guys played well, played smart hockey game, got rewarded for it,” Bednar said. “Good for them, got rewarded for the hard work.”
Colorado wingers Jonathan Drouin (lower-body injury) and Martin Necas (undisclosed injury) are questionable for this game. They didn’t play in Columbus after getting hurt against the Blackhawks on Wednesday. Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey replaced them.
Colorado is 6-1-1 in its last eight games. That one loss came to the Blues, 2-1, on March 29 in Denver. Jordan Binnington made 28 saves to earn the victory.
Since Joel Hofer played Thursday night against the Penguins, Binnington will likely get the call Saturday.
Earlier this season, the Avalanche defeated the Blues 5-0 on Jan. 31 in Denver with Mackenzie Blackwood earning a 19-save shutout. The Blues defeated the Avalanche 3-1 on Feb. 23 with Binnington making 28 saves.
–Field Level Media
