Since February 23rd, the St. Louis Blues are 15-2-1 and are currently on a 9-game winning streak. They hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Division. With only 7 games left in the season, could the Blues hold onto their playoff spot, and how far could they make it in the playoffs?
The Blues are in a unique position with their goalies. The Blues’ two goalies, Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, are both playing very well right now. In Binnington’s 49 starts this season, with 25 wins, he has a 2.70 goals against average (GAA) and a .901 save percentage. Hofer has started in 26 games this year, and winning 15 of them, he has a 2.62 GAA with a .905 save percentage. However, since February 23rd, both goalies have been looking even better. In Jordan Binnington’s last 12 games, he has a .902 save percentage with a 2.00 GAA. In Joel Hofer’s last 8 games, he has a .903 save percentage with a 1.5 GAA.
The trade deadline for St. Louis this year was very light. Before their amazing winning streak, the Blues were looking like a team that would be watching the playoffs from their homes. However, as the Friday deadline approached, the team was only one point away from controlling the second wild-card spot in the West. As the optimism was building, tragic news hit the team that their main defender, Colton Paryayko, was going to be out for the rest of the season and undergo knee surgery. This news put general manager Doug Armstrong in a tough position. He could either look to beef up their roster going into the playoffs, or he could have done what was more likely and look to sell and create a roster for the following seasons. Ultimately, Armstrong made the decision not to do anything at the deadline, and it appears to be paying off. When asked why, Armstrong replied, “We weren’t looking to use assets that we’ve acquired over the last couple of years for a stop-gap. Anything we would’ve done would’ve been more of a hockey trade, and we didn’t see a lot of those happen that we could be involved in” (The Athletic). Since the decision not to go and get anyone was made, the only change to the lineup was finding someone to take Parayko’s spot.
The team’s success hasn’t been the only thing that has created buzz amongst the fans. The signing of two young stars in Dalibor Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud, has energized hockey fans in St. Louis for the opportunity to make a run. Dvorsky is only 19 years old and was originally drafted by the Blues with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. In his first season here in America, Dvorsky played in 57 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds and racked up 43 points with 20 goals. He also represented Springfield at the AHL All-Star Game. Snuggerud is 20 years old and was drafted by the Blues 23rd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. This season was his junior year at the University of Minnesota, where he led the team as captain, having 51 points (24 goals, 27 assists) in 40 games. He also represented Team USA in the 2025 World Junior Championships, where he had 8 points (5 goals, 3 assists) in 6 games.
With the Blues getting hot at just the right time, it is fair to start comparing this roster to the 2019 Stanley Cup team. Many reporters are claiming that the current roster is deeper than the one that made the run. The man in between the pipes has not changed since ’19 as Jordan Binnington continues to show himself as a dependable goalie. Since the 4 Nations Face-Off, he has allowed 3 goals or fewer in 12 straight games! The approach on the offensive side of the puck is also very similar in the fact that they are playing with multiple forwards that can all contribute, but they lack a big, MVP name. The leaders in Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas have both had great seasons, and to complement that, they have many, many more consistent forwards in Dylan Holloway, captain Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, and Zack Bolduc. The offense is humming with 7 forwards all with 14 goals or more. If the Blues stay hot, they could make a deep playoff run and ultimately draw even more comparisons to the 2019 championship team.
