The St. Louis Blues finally ended their losing streak on Monday against the Edmonton Oilers, but they remain in last place in the Central Division. 

Tonight, they'll be in action against the Washington Capitals, attempting to kickstart a winning streak and erase some of the early struggles they've been dealing with.

To do so, they'll need their goaltending to improve, but they'll also need more offensive contributions, specifically from these three players.

Pavel Buchnevich

Buchnevich is the obvious answer, and for good reason. Through 13 games, the 30-year-old has recorded just two goals and six points. That is nowhere near good enough for an offensive winger who is in the first season of a six-year, $8-million contract.

The production is not where it needs to be, and the on-ice impact isn't either. With Buchnevich, the Blues own just 43.48 percent of the expected goals and are being outscored 13-7 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Buchnevich has been a consistent 20-goal, 60-point scorer, but to start the 2025-26 season, Buchnevich looks far from it.

Dylan Holloway

Expectations skyrocketed after a stellar first season with the Blues, but to begin this season, Holloway has struggled. In 13 games, the 24-year-old also has just two goals and six points. Currently, Holloway is the victim of poor shooting luck, clicking at just 6.7 percent, far lower than he was last season with a 14.6 shooting percentage.

The feeling is that Holloway will break through and regain the production he had last season, where he notched 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games, but the breakthrough needs to come soon. 

Playing on a line with Dalibor Dvorsky and Oskar Sundqvist provides him with a skilled center and a big body winger to clear the front of the net, and Holloway needs to begin burying his chances. 

Brayden Schenn

Unlike Buchnevich and Holloway, less pressure is on the shoulder of Schenn to score at a high rate, but the Blues would like more than just two goals and six points. The 34-year-old captain provides the Blues with defensive solidity and faceoff wins, but in a stretch of games where they need their leader to spark them, he hasn't done it. 

Schenn is currently a minus-12 this season and has thrown just 14 shots on net in 13 games. They need Schenn to have a larger impact, and the hope is that the recent shift to the wing alongside Pius Suter will do that. 

Schenn's ice time may be dwindling, but there is no reason why he can't still post 15 goals and 40 points. 

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Data Is Important, Brayden Schenn Feels Analytics Don't Always Paint Picture, Haven't For Blues In Young Season Captain feels other elements equal, or even more important with Blues off to rough start despite numbers saying they should be better