The St. Louis Blues have been improving under new coach Jim Montgomery, showing better results after 11 games with him in charge. They are starting a three-game road trip, beginning with a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
The Blues started the season with a 9-12-1 record under former coach Drew Bannister. After firing Bannister on November 24, the team hired Montgomery. He had been let go by the Boston Bruins despite winning the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach in 2022-23.
Montgomery’s positive mindset, inspired by his mother, helped him quickly recognize the team’s potential when he returned to St. Louis. “I saw the plays we were making … the speed in which we were making the skilled plays,” Montgomery said after his first game as head coach, a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers.
“It wasn’t one line, it was four lines. … You see the one game where (Joel) Hofer is outstanding in net and then the next game (goaltender Jordan) Binnington breaks Mike Liut’s record (for most wins by a St. Louis goalie). You know you have quality talent in the room.”
Under Montgomery, the Blues have improved offensively, raising their goals per game from 2.36 under Bannister to 2.90, with a 6-3-2 record.
Binnington has an 8-12-3 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in 24 games. Hofer has been strong in 10 starts, with a 7-3-0 record, a 2.83 GAA, and a .905 save percentage.
Jordan Kyrou scored the only goal in the Blues’ 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Kyrou leads the team with 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists). Robert Thomas has 23 points (6 goals, 17 assists), and Pavel Buchnevich has 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists).
The Lightning have won three games in a row, with Jake Guentzel leading the charge. Playing on a top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, Guentzel has scored 18 goals, second to Point’s 21. Guentzel is also on a seven-game goal streak, the longest in the NHL this season.
Coach Jon Cooper highlighted forward Nick Paul’s performance in the Lightning’s 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Paul matched his career-high with three points (1 goal, 2 assists). Cooper said, “I think he was the best player on the ice for us tonight from start to finish. He’s a big piece for us. He fills a lot of holes and does a lot of jobs.”
While the fourth line’s Luke Glendening added a goal, the top line continued to produce. Kucherov extended his point streak to eight games, with 15 assists and 3 goals. Point scored an empty-net goal to extend his point streak to six games, with 5 goals and 11 assists.
