Three Takeaways From Blues' 6-1 Win Against Canadiens

ST. LOUIS – It’s getting to the point of running out of superlatives to describe the St. Louis Blues these days.

The Blues aren’t just on a heater, they’re blow torch scorching hot, extending their season-high seventh straight win when they blew out the Montreal Canadiens, 6-1, on Tuesday at Enterprise Center.

Going in, this was a matchup of the two hottest teams since the 4 Nations Face-Off, and each team had vaulted itself into the second wild card from each respective conference.

But from the opening puck drop, it wasn’t even close.

The Blues (38-28-7), 14-2-2 their past 18 games, including 13-2-2 since the break, put up the first nine shots on goal against Sam Montembeault and it was as if the Canadiens (33-28-9), who were 8-1-4 since the break, couldn’t even break out of their own end, and when they did, the puck was maybe in the Blues’ zone for literally seconds.

It was that kind of game for at least the first half of it, and Blues coach Jim Montgomery saw it coming.

“Yes we did (set the tone in the first), but I’ve go to be honest, the way we practiced in the morning skate, I don’t usually put much into the morning skate, but we had the day off and I could really see we had juice,” Montgomery said. “I thought it was the crispest.

“I remember Jimmy Johnson with the Dallas Cowboys once getting ready to play in the NFC Championship against the 49ers and he said, after they practiced so well, he said, ‘We’re going to be really good tomorrow.’ And they blew the 49ers out. And I just had that feeling that we were going to be really good tonight, and that first 30 minutes of the game was probably the best hockey we’ve played all year.”

And what does Montgomery notice?

“There’s just a pace and a purpose to what they’re doing and they’re just doing it,” he said. “Naturally, and there’s smiles on their face and they’re loving doing things right. Really professional and they’re loving it, and they went out and played like that.”

Philip Broberg had a career night with a goal and three assists, Robert Thomas matched him with a goal and three assists of his own, Dylan Holloway extended his point streak to eight with a goal and an assist, and Jordan Kyrou, Alexandre Texier and Zack Bolduc each scored, while Jordan Binnington won his fourth straight start with 24 saves.

It’s a confident group, one that just continues to grow larger and larger. They’ve outscored the opposition 34-10 in this run and have won seven in a row on home ice as well.

“We're playing really confident right now,” Holloway said. “I think we've got a recipe that works and a game plan that everybody believes in. Guys are playing for each other, and it's a good vibe in here for sure.

“I think that's just a testament to our work ethic. I think guys are putting the work in on the ice, off the ice, in the gym. We're dialed in in practice, too. And the biggest thing is, we're just working smart in those games. We're getting pucks to the goal line, we're playing to our team identity and good results have been happening.”

All the focus has been on the Blues and the second wild card, which is a four-point margin over the Calgary Flames, five over the Vancouver Canucks and eight over the Utah Hockey Club.

But how about the first wild card? The Blues all of the sudden trail the Minnesota Wild, who have lost two in a row, by just two points for the top wild card.

“Again, I don’t think that we’ve looked at it that way,” Montgomery said. “I think we’ve just looked at controlling our own games. I have not had a conversation with a player about Calgary, about Minnesota, about Vancouver, about Utah. I’m sure they’re talking amongst themselves like us coaches talk amongst ourselves, but when we’re all together, it’s been real business-like about the present.”

Here are Tuesday’s Three Takeaways:

* Setting the tone in the first period – About the only aspect of the game the Canadiens – at least early – were better than the Blues were face-offs. Other than that, it was a clinic on puck possession, retrievals, forechecking, cycling … you name it.

Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault, who was replaced in the third period by Jakub Dobes, kept Montreal in it early, but a 2-1 Blues lead probably should have been bigger, thanks to a late goal in the waning seconds.

Kyrou extended his point streak to seven games (seven goals, five assists) when he made it 1-0 at 18:07. It came not long after Holloway laid a big check on Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier to set the tone for the sequence of events that led to Kyrou buying time and finding a lane to shoot through traffic.

And even though Nick Suzuki tied the game with a nice tip of his own to tie the game 1-1 at 18:54, Holloway got it back with a tip goal of his own with 5.1 seconds left in the opening period.

“I don't know where it ranks -- best hits -- but I know I got blown up the shift before,” Holloway said. “I was a little angry going into that shift and it just happened perfectly there. Definitely probably one of my bigger ones.”

The Blues outshot the Canadiens 14-5 in the opening period and it was one of those where the shot clock reflected the play.

* Rush attack lethal again – The Blues are known as a dangerous rush team, and when opponents’ coaches and players talk, they usually mention it.

Well, when Thomas made it 3-1 at 3:21 of the second period, it came with more open ice during 4-on-4 play, and it came with speed, a cutback to the top of the left circle and a perfect shot top shelf.

Then another rush play, this time by the third line that caused havoc with a cycle game with Oskar Sundqvist, Mathieu Joseph, Texier and Cam Fowler, who had two assists, working the puck in the zone before Fowler’s shot from the high slot created a rebound and Texier there to collect the loose change for his second goal in as many games at 9:09 to make it 4-1.

“The team’s playing really well,” Texier said. “I think we found our game defensively, offensively. We’ve just got to keep going now.

“You’ve just got to work hard and stay positive. When you get a chance, you’ve got to do your best. I’m trying to just play my game and help the team to win.

“I’ve seen (the confidence) from outside and inside, from not playing. It’s pretty special to be honest. The group, how we approach the game, how we play the game. We’re down, we’re up, we play the same way for 60 minutes. It’s been fun.”

* Broberg, Holloway affect – When the Blues made the offer sheets for the two Edmonton Oilers in August, the hope was that it would expedite the retool.

It’s safe to say that it’s skyrocketed at a much quicker pace than even the Blues expected.

Broberg has not only been so fundamentally sound defensively, as he was again on Tuesday killing Montreal play after play to the tune of a plus-4, but he’s also contributing on the offensive side; he now has six points the past four games (two goals, four assists).

“I'm just trying to play game and that's a two-way game. I take a lot of pride in being good defensively, but when I see the opportunity to jump, I try to jump as well.

“I think [Montgomery’s] trusting all the guys in the locker room that if you go up, somebody will take care of you behind you. I think it's been good so far, and we've just got to keep this thing going.”

Montgomery said, “He’s such a gifted player, he loves the game of hockey. There’s a thirst for knowledge, wants to get better every time he’s watching video, he’s locked in. The part of his game that’s really progressed is his offensive side of the game. He attacks really good areas now, he plays high percentage hockey. I think it’s only going to continue. I know he had four points tonight, but it will continue to get better in his career. He’s so young.”

For Holloway, whose now on a team-high eight-game point streak (four goals, nine assists), it was a continuation of doing the little things off the puck that fuel his offensive game.

The hit on Carrier, to set up a goal, the constant harassment of hounding the puck, playing physical, working hard to win pucks, back-tracking, being sound defensively, that leads to his success at the offensive side.

“Just every game you've got to be consistent with that,” Holloway said. “You can't get complacent and think it's going to come easier some games. Sometimes you've got to put the nose down and go to work in the corners and get pucks back. When I'm playing with these special players like ‘Schenner’ and ‘Rouzy’, I've just got to get them the puck and when we get the puck in the O-zone, we click pretty well. Yeah, I try to implement that in my game for sure.”

Montgomery is seeing the maturation of a complete player.

“I just think he’s such a confident player right now,” he said. “The physicality is just becoming more and more and he’s realizing how physically dominating he can be physically but also offensively and defensively. It’s impressive to watch. His confidence just seems to gain layers.”

These are two players that made it to the end last season with Edmonton, even in a limited role, that gained them a wealth of confidence.

“I think that any time you go to the Stanley Cup finals, you gain a lot of confidence,” Montgomery said. “You’re playing in big moments and you’re playing at the highest intensity possible, and they both had success. I think that gave them a lot of confidence, and then they’re really committed athletes, and the opportunity that they’ve been given here her been amplified … that they would not have gotten, especially Holloway would not have gotten that opportunity. Not for a couple years anyway. You combine all those things, I’m just really grateful that they’re Blues.”

Broberg sent Montembeault packing for the night with a wrister off the goalie’s glove at 10:12 of the third for a 5-1 lead, and Bolduc’s power-play goal from the slot at 18:02 capped a perfect night for the Blues.

“I see a team that’s getting more and more confident,” Montgomery said. “We see it in the way we practice, we see it in the way we walk into the room or we get on a plane. It’s good, but we’ve got to enjoy this and we’ve got to get ready for our next game. We’ve got a big two-game road trip. That’s been the most impressive part is how we’ve stayed in the moment. We’re not relishing the past, the wins. We’re getting focused on the next day.”