St. Louis Blues' Jake Neighbours hit the 100-point mark in his NHL career after the former 2020, 26th overall pick recorded a goal and an assist against the Chicago Blackhawks.
St. Louis Blues winger Jake Neighbours finished last night's loss to the Chicago Blackhawks with a goal and an assist, giving him 100 and 101 career NHL points.
It was an all-around awful night for the Blues. The effort was bad, the execution on simple plays was worse, and it resulted in an 8-3 loss to a Blackhawks team that they are, quite frankly, supposed to beat.
After the opening frame, the score was 2-2 and the shots were fairly even, but five unanswered goals in 25 minutes put the game well out of reach.
With the Blues trailing 1-0 in the first period, Neighbours was sprung on a 2-on-1 with Pavel Buchnevich. The 23-year-old elected to pass, but quickly got himself back to the front of the net to deposit the rebound.
Neighbours later added an assist on Tyler Tucker's first goal of the season, bringing his season total to four goals and five points in four games, tops on the team in both statistics.
The production has been apparent for Neighbours, but the overall play hasn't been as great as we've come accustomed to seeing. Moved back onto the top line with Buchnevich and Robert Thomas, the line has struggled to create high-danger chances and prevent them. According to Natural Stat Trick, opponents own 43.42 percent of the expected goals and hold the advantage in high-danger chances 14-13 at 5-on-5.
The Blues need more from their top line, as it's unrealistic to expect that Neighbours will continue to score on 66.7 percent of his shots on net. He's continued to impose himself physically, throwing 14 hits, but the Blues need more offensive chance creation to support their defense.
More puck possession and better results with the puck possession are needed throughout the lineup, but specifically the top line.
Jake Neighbours' Versatility Could Play Vital Role In Blues' Success
Jake Neighbours is an established NHL player who, despite being so young, has carved out and locked down a role on the St. Louis Blues, but the sky is the limit for the versatile winger.