Do the St. Louis Blues have the best first line in the NHL? At the moment, Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, and Jimmy Snuggerud are playing as if they are.
Since being paired together, the St. Louis Blues’ top line has dominated, forming what could be considered the best line in hockey at the moment.
Robert Thomas has centered Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud on the first line, and on Sunday night, they single-handedly defeated the first-place Colorado Avalanche to keep them in the playoff hunt.
Robert Thomas led the way with a hat trick, scoring each goal in the crucial 3-2 win, but the playmaking of Holloway and Snuggerud was vital to his success.
Usually, it’s Thomas who’s the playmaker, but the roles were reversed that night.
Dylan Holloway, Robert Thomas, and Jimmy Snuggerud (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)The first goal saw Holloway lead the rush and attempt to set up Thomas on the one timer. The initial opportunity was disrupted, but Snuggerud found Thomas wide open at the back door for a one-timer to open the scoring.
The second goal this time saw Snuggerud skate the puck through the neutral zone before dishing off to Holloway, who then hit Thomas in stride, for a half-breakaway chance.
The third goal came with the game tied at 2-2 with less than three minutes remaining in the third period. Holloway again dished off to Snuggerud, who avoided a sprawling Martin Necas poke check with a slick toe-drag to once again set up Thomas at the backdoor.
While goals are ultimately the best litmus test of a player’s effectiveness in a game, additional stats back up that claim. Each member of the trio finished with a Corsi For percentage over 58 percent, an expected goals percentage of 75 percent, and a high-danger chances percentage of 72.73 percent at 5-on-5, according to naturalstattrick.com.
But their dominance stretches further.
Since being put together by coach Jim Montgomery on March 1, the Blues’ top line has outscored its opponents 15-0 in 166 minutes at 5-on-5. That was the Blues’ 17th game since March 1. Going any stretch of time without allowing a goal against is impressive, but doing it for 17 games and 166 minutes is almost unthinkable. In total, the line has played 182 minutes together at 5-on-5, and according to moneypuck.com, they have outscored their opponents 17-0.
There is little time left before the season’s end, and the Blues are still far more likely to miss the playoffs than make it, but they only have a shot because of the excellence of this trio.
Heading into 2026-27, this line is almost a guarantee to start the season together as long as the Blues work out a deal for pending RFA Holloway.
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