After scoring just 15 goals in their first eight games, the St. Louis Blues are getting desperate to generate offense.
“We know we can score goals,” Blues center Robert Thomas said. “We get chances, (we’re) just gripping our sticks too tight and need to find a way to score.”
The Blues will need a breakthrough Friday when they host the streaking New Jersey Devils on Friday night. The Blues have lost their last two games, 5-0 at Vancouver and 4-2 at Colorado, while the Devils have won five of their last six.
Blues coach Craig Berube juggled his forward line combinations, defensive pairings and power-play units ahead of Wednesday night’s loss to the Avalanche. Despite those changes, the Blues faded to their third loss in their last four games.
The Blues are just 1-for-25 on the power play this season and they have struggled to generate chances at even strength as well.
Thomas is the team’s leading scorer with six points (two goals, four assists). Key forwards Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich and Jakub Vrana have scored just one goal each while Brayden Schenn and Kevin Hayes have yet to score.
Defenseman Justin Faulk said the Blues have to keep grinding away to create breaks.
“You just work,” Faulk said. “It sounds so simple and seems like a little bit of a cliche thing, but I think you just work, and you compete and everything kind of falls into place. You can’t overthink things. If you start thinking about where you should be, what you need to do with the puck, whatever it is, you end up slowing yourself down. You play a lazy game, in a sense.”
That malaise has led to some game-dooming misplays with the puck.
“We’re pretty good at times, and we get sloppy at times,” Thomas said. “It’s been the story of our year so far. Need to find a way to put a full 60 (minutes) together, or else we’re going to be inconsistent like we are right now.”
The Devils have benefited from strong offensive showings from Jack Hughes (five goals, 15 assists) and winger Tyler Toffoli (seven goals, four assists).
“What a great start for both individuals,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “You look at where Tyler started the season, coming off a preseason where the puck didn’t want to go into the net, and all of a sudden, he’s accomplished what he has accomplished.”
With captain Nico Hischier sidelined from the second line by an upper-body injury, the Devils are counting on the Hughes/Toffoli tandem to drive play from the top line.
“We want to take where those guys are at and put that inside of our team game and continue to build,” Ruff said. “Those guys have definitely been a big part of the reason we’re sitting where we’re at.”
Because Vitek Vanecek started for the Devils on Thursday night in their 5-3 victory at Minnesota, Ruff is likely to come back with Akira Schmid (1-0-1, 4.07 goals-against average) against St. Louis.
The Blues play Montreal on Saturday night, so coach Craig Berube figures to give Jordan Binnington (2-3-1, 2.61 GAA) and Joel Hofer (1-1-0, 3.01) starts in goal this weekend.
–Field Level Media