EL SEGUNDO, Calif. 鈥� As the Blues have pushed their way back into playoff contention in the Western Conference, the goal-scoring has garnered much of the attention, as St. Louis has averaged more than four goals per game since the 4 Nations break.

But what really has the Blues soaring recently is their defensive play, which has them ranked towards the top of the league in a variety of different categories.

鈥淓verybody is more committed to the habits that we need to check really well,鈥� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said after Tuesday afternoon鈥檚 practice at the Toyota 榴莲视频 Performance Center in El Segundo. 鈥淎nd then we鈥檙e spending more time in the o-zone, so that really helps your defensive game.鈥�

Since the break, and according to Natural Stat Trick, the Blues rank first in the NHL in high-danger chances and expected goals allowed per 60 minutes of 5 on 5. They鈥檙e also third in scoring chances, fourth in shot attempts, sixth in shots on goal and ninth in goals allowed.

Even dating back to when Montgomery was hired on Nov. 24, the Blues have been the best team in the NHL at limiting high-danger chances, and the third-best at capping expected goals.

Defenseman Justin Faulk said that it begins up ice with the Blues鈥� forecheck, both in the offensive and neutral zones: 鈥淚f you start with that pressure right away, it鈥檚 easy and you can keep going and keep them to the outside a little more.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e already up in their face at the red line, so then they鈥檙e chipping in behind, or they鈥檙e dumping and not entering with possession,鈥� Faulk continued. 鈥淲hen you do that, you鈥檙e got to be able to break pucks out and we鈥檝e been pretty consistent with that. We鈥檙e all pretty much on the same page with how we want to break pucks out.鈥�

The improved defensive numbers are dramatically different than they were under previous coach Drew Bannister. In the 76 games that Bannister coached the Blues both last season and this fall, St. Louis ranked 27th in expected goals and 28th in high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes of 5 on 5. It was also a bottom-10 team in allowing both shot attempts and shots on goal.

The Blues run a zone defense under Montgomery, which is the same structure they ran under Bannister, and even switched to it in training camp of 2023 under Craig Berube.

鈥淭he base of it is the same, but it鈥檚 just the fine-tuning and then guys getting more comfortable with it,鈥� Faulk said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a big responsibility on our centers, they鈥檝e got to skate a lot and be aware. When pucks are changing sides, they鈥檝e got to be patient in the middle.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a credit to the centers when we鈥檙e playing good defensively, too, because it鈥檚 a tough ask for them. As D, we鈥檝e just got to protect the net. It鈥檚 not too different. We鈥檝e just probably added a little bit more to it and got more detailed.鈥�

Montgomery has had defensive success at both his previous stops in Dallas and Boston immediately. In 2018-19, the Stars ranked third in goals allowed at 5 on 5; in 2022-23, the Bruins were first. But Montgomery said his philosophy has changed through the years.

鈥淚 was more man on man in Dallas,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淗aving gone to Boston and seeing the kind of zone defense that Claude Julien invented, I鈥檝e seen the benefits of that, and how it鈥檚 less taxing on your players. You also protect the slot better.鈥�

Julien, of course, is now an assistant coach with the Blues. He was hired over the summer by Bannister to provide experience to a relatively young coaching staff, and help shore up the Blues鈥� defense. Montgomery inherited Bannister鈥檚 staff, but had a previous relationship with Julien.

鈥淚 knew Claude a little bit having talked to him on the phone maybe a handful of times, in person a handful of times,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淎 gentleman, very intelligent mind for the game, a really good bench manager. I lean on him for d-zone coverage, I lean on him for tracking and I lean on him for bench management. Him and (associate coach Steve Ott) really help me there.鈥�

Montgomery said that teams have to 鈥渆xecute your system,鈥� regardless of whether that鈥檚 zone, man to man or a hybrid. As for the details with the Blues since the break? 鈥淭hey鈥檙e there right now,鈥� Montgomery said.

鈥淵our wingers, they鈥檙e either running straight lines and holding the dotline, or they鈥檙e crashing down on the wall,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淭he timing of it, and your sticks, those are things for wingers. Your layers low, it鈥檚 about taking away time and space, it doesn鈥檛 matter the d-zone (coverage). But in a zone, it really matters where you hand off the players. You don鈥檛 stay man on man, you return to your area. We talk a lot about those handoffs.鈥�

Faulk also mentioned how quickly the Blues like to get numbers into the corners.

鈥淲hen we can get a guy in the corner, we like to outnumber him right away,鈥� Faulk said. 鈥淚f you get pressure on a guy, get him to turn, come back and if we can two on him right away, that鈥檚 huge and create a turnover and then guys are ready (to break out).鈥�

鈥� The Blues did not have any lineup changes during practice on Tuesday.

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DALLAS 鈥� During the Blues鈥� 6-3 loss Sunday in Dallas, their most dangerous offensive player was a surprise. It was fourth-line forward Alexey Toropchenko, the man whose goal drought is approaching 50 games.

Toropchenko finished with an assist on Nathan Walker鈥檚 goal, plus 12 shot attempts and nine on goal. According to Natural Stat Trick, Toropchenko generated six scoring chances, four of them high-danger ones and 1.17 expected goals, all of which were the most on the Blues.

鈥淚t鈥檚 our job to play hard and simple,鈥� Toropchenko said. 鈥淲henever you have a chance to shoot the puck, you need to shoot because you know your linemates will be there. Maybe some good things will happen. Just had the opportunity to shoot the puck, and I decided to be straight and look to the net.鈥�

Toropchenko鈥檚 assist on Walker鈥檚 goal came when he skated hard at the net past Brendan Smith, received a pass from Walker between the dots and drew a penalty on Smith while getting a shot on goal. The puck popped into the air, and Walker smacked it into the net. The goal cut the Stars lead to 4-3, but the Blues couldn鈥檛 get any closer after allowing two power-play goals by Wyatt Johnston in the third period.

It was Toropchenko鈥檚 first primary point since Dec. 15, when he assisted on Jordan Kyrou鈥檚 goal against the Rangers.

鈥淚 drove by the two defensemen, he made a really good pass to me,鈥� Toropcheno said. 鈥淚 just kind of was battling for the puck and got the great bounce. Great hand-eye coordination from Walks.鈥�

Walker: 鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to finish my route at the net, trying to finish at the net all the time. I was lucky enough for the puck to bounce up on me and it was nice to get a stick on it.鈥�

Overall, the Blues鈥� fourth line with Toropchenko and Walker flanking Radek Faksa was highly effective on Sunday in controlling possession and generating chances. Per MoneyPuck, in the line鈥檚 9:10 of ice time at five on five, the Blues owned a 22-2 edge in shot attempts and a 12-1 edge in shots on goal. They had more than 90% of the expected goals and outscored Dallas 1-0 thanks to Walker鈥檚 goal.

鈥淚 thought that line, when it was 4-2, I thought we were getting a little disjointed,鈥� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. 鈥淚 thought their energy, and second- and third-effort brought us right back in the game. In particular, (Toropchenko) was very dangerous with his speed and attacking the net.鈥�

Toropchenko is enduring the most difficult offensive season of his career, stuck on one goal since scoring on Nov. 5 against Tampa Bay. He鈥檚 now gone 49 games without a goal and with one more game without a goal will tie Sammy Blais for longest drought by a Blues forward in the past decade.

Entering this season, Toropchenko averaged about 12 goals per 82 games, part of the reason why the Blues signed him to a one-year extension worth $1.7 million in November.

His nine shots on Sunday were more than he had in the previous 14 games combined.

鈥淚 think as a line, the more pucks we can get to the net, the more successful we鈥檙e going to be,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淲e like to play to the net, so I think the more we get pucks there, we鈥檙e going to get those rebounds and going to bang some home.鈥�

Holloway again

When he scored on Sunday, Blues forward Dylan Holloway notched his second three-game goal streak of the season. Holloway鈥檚 goal in Dallas came on the power play in the first period as he beat Jake Oettinger with a shot from distance around a Jake Neighbours screen.

Holloway now has 20 goals and 46 points this season, his first in St. Louis after being plucked from Edmonton via offer sheet last summer. Holloway ($2.29 million salary-cap hit) is one of just 11 players in the NHL with a cap hit under $3 million with at least 20 goals. Five of those players are on entry-level contracts.

Holloway has one more year left on his current deal, which means he will become eligible to sign an extension in St. Louis on July 1.

No practice

The Blues did not practice on Monday after back-to-back games vs. Los Angeles on Saturday and in Dallas on Sunday. They are scheduled to be back on the ice on Tuesday in El Segundo, California, ahead of their game Wednesday in Los Angeles.

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DALLAS 鈥� In some ways, the Blues on the ice for Sunday鈥檚 6-3 loss in Dallas weren鈥檛 all that different from the ones that strung together four straight wins this week.

At five on five, they controlled the puck. They generated changes. They limited penetration in their own slot. They asked Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger to face more shots than he had all season. They ticked most of the boxes that led them back into the playoff chase in the Western Conference.

Except the penalty kill. That dang penalty kill.

The Blues allowed Dallas to score four power-play goals, including three by Wyatt Johnston, overshadowing all the good work St. Louis did at five on five. The Stars had four power plays. They scored on them all.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 execute,鈥� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 as aggressive as we had been. You give a good power play like that time and space, they鈥檙e going to make tic-tac-toe plays. And they did that to us.鈥�

Johnston (three goals) and Mason Marchment scored on power plays for Dallas, which also got goals from Matt Duchene and Roope Hintz. Zack Bolduc, Dylan Holloway and Nathan Walker scored for the Blues, who lost by multiple goals for the first time since Jan. 31 in Colorado.

Joel Hofer was pulled after allowing three goals on nine shots in the first period. Jordan Binnington made nine saves on 12 shots and absorbed the loss.

鈥淚 think five on five, we were playing great hockey,鈥� Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko said. 鈥淲e were working really hard everywhere, all three zones. We have a lot of shots on net. I think overall, five on five, was a good game for us. ... We鈥檝e got to clean up some special teams and forget about this game and move forward. We just came off a really good stretch. Just forget about it and move forward.鈥�

With the loss, the Blues remained one point behind both the Flames and Canucks for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but St. Louis has played two more games than both Calgary and Vancouver. With a win on Sunday, the Blues would have moved into playoff position for the first time since November.

For the three-quarters of the game that took place at five on five, the Blues looked poised to extend their win streak to five, especially so when digesting the underlying numbers via Natural Stat Trick.

Shot attempts? 54-30, Blues.

Shots on goal? 31-16, Blues.

Scoring chances? 26-13, Blues.

High-danger chances? 9-5, Blues.

Expected goals? 3.56-1.36, Blues.

鈥淲e鈥檙e happy with the way we鈥檙e playing,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淲e like our spirit. I thought we were resilient. So we鈥檙e just going to keep that spirit alive, and we鈥檒l march on to Wednesday.鈥�

The Blues tied the game at 1 and again at 2 after falling behind twice. 榴莲视频 would have rallied from a 4-2 deficit had Cam Fowler found the back of the net instead of the post in the third period. Instead, Jordan Kyrou took an offensive-zone tripping penalty later on the same shift and the Stars scored on the ensuring power play to go up 5-3.

After going four weeks without scoring a game-tying goal (Jan. 7 to Feb. 4), the Blues have 10 in the past nine games.

鈥淲e鈥檙e doing a good job of taking care of the puck, playing the right way and it鈥檚 shown over the last four or five games,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淚 liked our game five on five tonight, and we鈥檝e got to keep it going for the next one.鈥�

The penalty kill, though, has been a major issue for the Blues all season.

When it was 8 for 8 across a five-game stretch, it was no surprise that the Blues picked up points in all five games. But it allowed a power-play goal in St. Louis on Saturday and then another four on Sunday. The Blues have allowed goals on the last five power plays they鈥檝e tried to kill.

Sunday was the first time since Dec. 29, 2018, against Pittsburgh, that an opponent was perfect on at least four power-play chances.

The Stars scored in a variety of ways on the power play. Marchment simply beat Hofer with a shot from the top of the circle. Johnston chipped a puck past Hofer with 1.3 seconds left in the first period, winning a loose puck from Colton Parayko.

On Johnston鈥檚 second goal, Jason Robertson won a puck from Pavel Buchnevich, then slipped a pass past Robert Thomas to the point. All five Stars touched the puck, which found Johnston on the back door. And then Johnston secured his hat trick by hopping on a rebound in the slot.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something we鈥檒l look at over the next couple of days, have a dive in, see what鈥檚 going on and go from there,鈥� Walker said.

On the season, the Blues are at 70.3% on the penalty kill, which is the second-worst mark in the NHL and the worst figure in franchise history since tracking began in 1977. Since Christmas, the Blues PK is at 59.7%, the worst in the NHL by a wide margin. San Jose, at 70.5%, is the next-closest.

The Blues PK is also a pretty good bellweather for their success this season. They are 9-20-4 when allowing a power-play goal, 20-7-2 when perfect on the kill.

But at five on five, the Blues have found their stride. It just didn鈥檛 matter on Sunday.

鈥淲e were playing the same way tonight too, and we will play the same way next game,鈥� Toropchenko said. 鈥淲e will just have a look on where we got the mistakes and we will move forward on that.鈥�

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DALLAS聽鈥� The more the standings matter, the less the Blues are talking about them.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one thing that we鈥檝e changed over break is we don鈥檛 talk about standings at all," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "We just talk about our process, staying in the moment and on to the next game. On to the next shift or play.鈥�

The Blues entered Sunday night's 6-3 loss in Dallas just one point out of the playoffs and could have put themselves into a wild-card spot for the first time since November with a win over the Stars. Despite outshooting the Stars by about a 2-to-1 margin, the Blues watched their four-game win streak end when they allowed four Dallas goals on the power play.

Zack Bolduc, Dylan Holloway and Nathan Walker scored for the Blues. Robert Thomas extended his assist streak to 10 games, tied for the second-longest in Blues history. He's only behind Pierre Turgeon's 12-game streak in December 1999.

Wyatt Johnston had a hat trick (all three on the power play), and Mason Marchment (power play), Matt Duchene and Roope Hintz scored for the Stars. Dallas scored on all of its power-play chances, as the Blues penalty kill suddenly allowed goals on five straight power plays.

Entering Saturday's game, the Blues killed eight consecutive penalties, showing improvement in a unit that ranks as the worst PK in Blues history.

With the loss, the Blues remained one point behind Calgary (lost in overtime in Carolina on Sunday) and idle Vancouver. Montgomery said the Blues want "to be immersed in the moment, that allows to just stay focused and our minds don鈥檛 drift."

"We know where we stand, but we don鈥檛 want to be talking about it," Montgomery said. "It鈥檚 something that we control if we keep playing the way we鈥檝e been playing.鈥�

The Blues will spend the next week in Southern California with games against the Kings on Wednesday, Ducks on Friday and the Kings again on Saturday. The trade deadline is 2 p.m. central time on Friday.

Hofer pulled

After allowing three goals on nine shots in the first period, Blues goaltender Joel Hofer was yanked in favor of Jordan Binnington at the start of the second period. It was the second time this season that Hofer was pulled and first under Montgomery.

Hofer allowed Marchment鈥檚 power-play goal at 1:56 on a shot from the circle, Duchene鈥檚 goal after swimming through the crease at 13:28 and Johnston鈥檚 power-play goal with just 1.3 seconds remaining in the period.

Since the start of 2025, Hofer has a 0.891 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average in 10 games played. His win Thursday in Washington was his first since Jan. 16 against the Flames.

Binnington started on Saturday against the Kings and made 25 saves on 26 shots faced. On Sunday, he allowed a goal on the first shot he faced, a goal by Hintz after a give and go with Jason Robertson just 66 seconds into the second period. The goal gave Dallas a 4-2 lead.

Faksa recognized

The Stars honored Blues forward Radek Faksa with a tribute video at the second television timeout of the first period, celebrating Faksa鈥檚 nine seasons in Dallas before his trade to St. Louis last summer. Before the tribute, though, Faksa already had an impact on the game.

On his first shift of the night, Faksa folded Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin into the boards behind the Dallas net, earning a boarding penalty to put the Stars on the power play. It was Faksa鈥檚 sixth penalty in the past six games, and Lyubushkin missed the rest of the period before returning for the second.

The Stars scored on the ensuing power play, as Marchment ripped a shot past Hofer from the right circle. Dallas remained on the power play despite a Stars player slashing Colton Parayko鈥檚 stick and breaking it, which drew protests from the Blues bench.

Faksa played his 50th game for the Blues on Sunday night.

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 show much emotion, but you know it matters to him,鈥� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. 鈥淗e had a really good career here and I know, having coached him here, that he enjoyed his time here in Dallas. But he鈥檚 a Blue now, and he鈥檚 eager to compete tonight.鈥�

Same lineup

Montgomery iced the same lineup for the sixth straight game on Sunday night in hopes of continuing the team鈥檚 five-game point streak and four-game win streak. Sunday, though, presented a back-to-back with travel and a start time two hours earlier than Saturday night鈥檚 game against the Kings.

鈥淲e all know we鈥檝e been playing a lot of games in a short amount of days,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淭his is the end of six (games) in nine (days). The thing is we鈥檝e been playing really well. The highest forward had 18 minutes and 12 seconds lats night. The lowest was like 12:40, I believe. Defensemen, no one had over 22 minutes. No one was lower than 18. It鈥檚 perfectly spread out, so no one was overtaxed. And when you play with the lead, it鈥檚 not as emotionally and mentally draining.鈥�

In using the same lineup, that meant forward Alexandre Texier and defenseman Tyler Tucker remained healthy scratches.

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Radek Faksa already knows one certainty in his life as he navigates his NHL career:

鈥淏oth kids were born there, so Dallas will always be a second home for me,鈥� Faksa said. 鈥淣ot probably but for sure.鈥�

Faksa was set to make his return to Dallas on Sunday night for the first time since the Stars traded him to the Blues over the summer for future considerations. He missed the team鈥檚 first trip back to Dallas in December because of an injury he suffered when he was cut by a skate blade just four days before that.

Faksa, 31, spent nine seasons with the Stars, playing 638 games for them before he was traded to St. Louis. He was a first-round draft pick by Dallas in 2012, and only 17 players in franchise history have played more games for the Stars than Faksa did.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what to expect, to be honest,鈥� Faksa said. 鈥淥bviously, I鈥檓 excited to see all the people. But we have really important games coming up. We鈥檙e chasing the wild-card (playoff) spot, and need to focus on that. The other stuff just put on the side and don鈥檛 think about it too much.鈥�

The Blues entered Sunday鈥檚 game just one point of the playoffs thanks to a win streak that was extended to four with a 4-1 victory over the Kings on Saturday night. With a win over Dallas, and a loss by the Flames in Carolina on Sunday, the Blues would end the day in playoff position (albeit with a different number of games played than Vancouver and Calgary).

This season, Faksa has three goals and eight assists in 49 games for the Blues while averaging 13:03 of ice time.

By the time Faksa left Dallas, he was the third-longest tenured player, having made his NHL debut on Oct. 17, 2015. The only Stars remaining from that game are captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, who is currently recovering from hip surgery.

At different points during his time in Dallas, Faksa became a pivotal part of the club鈥檚 identity.

He finished seventh in Selke Trophy voting in 2017-18. When the Stars advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, Faksa鈥檚 broken wrist was one of many injuries Dallas had to fight through. When Rick Bowness took over as head coach, Faksa (and linemates Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano) took on many of the most difficult assignments on the other side, and he was the second-most used forward for Dallas during the shortened 2021 season.

But his usage dropped under Pete DeBoer, and he became a scratch during the playoff run last year despite scoring the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the first round against Vegas. Faksa requested a trade, and the Stars found the Blues as a taker for the final year of Faksa鈥檚 contract with a $3.25 million salary-cap hit.

Faksa said it would 鈥渂e a little weird, a little different鈥� to be back at the American Airlines Center. The Stars were expected to show a tribute video for him during the first period.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to come back,鈥� Faksa said. 鈥淚 spent basically a third of my life there. Lots of good memories and I鈥檓 excited to go back.鈥�

Faksa missed 13 games because of the cut near his groin, but the injury happened so close to the first trip to Dallas that other plans already were in motion. Faksa鈥檚 wife, Dominika, and kids, Elliot and Sophie, were heading back to Dallas for the game. With the flights and hotel already booked, Faksa鈥檚 family returned to Dallas while he stayed behind in St. Louis.

They flew to Dallas on Saturday again before Sunday鈥檚 game.

鈥淭ake some walks around Dallas, show Elliot the playground he used to play on, where he went to school,鈥� Faksa said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 excited to go back. He loves to fly on planes and be at the hotel, so he鈥檚 excited.鈥�

Faksa already played has against the Stars twice as a Blue, once in preseason and once during a January regular season game, but both games were in St. Louis. As for who he enjoyed playing against, that was easy. It was Benn.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a tough guy to play against,鈥� Faksa said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a competitive guy. Jamie was tough to play against, but it鈥檚 fun. 鈥� When you spend a long time with the same team, you get close. The team was changing a lot, so there鈥檚 not many guys that I played the whole time in Dallas with.鈥�

Faksa will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and could be a potential trade-deadline target for teams interested in a depth center, someone who can kill penalties and win faceoffs (56.5% this year), although salary retention would likely have to come from the Blues. The deadline is on Friday.

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Knock, knock.

It鈥檚 the Blues, and here they come.

The Blues climbed within one point of a playoff spot Saturday night by beating the Kings 4-1 for their fourth straight win, combined with losses by Vancouver and Calgary. Eight days earlier, the Blues were eight points from the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, with Utah and Anaheim each with a better points percentage at the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

But a lot can change in a week.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a good little week for us,鈥� Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to keep going, and we still know there鈥檚 lots of hockey left for the season and a lot of ways the season can go. As a group, we understand where we鈥檙e at and what we鈥檝e got to do. For us, we鈥檝e got to control what we can control. Come to the rink prepared each day and put our best foot forward and give ourselves a chance to win every night.鈥�

The Blues closed a perfect week Saturday by scoring the last four goals of the game against Los Angeles, winning for the third time in the past four games that the opposition has scored first.

Parayko scored his 15th goal of the season. Pavel Buchnevich scored to extend his point streak to six games, and Robert Thomas ran his assist streak to nine games. Zack Bolduc scored for the third time in the past three games. Dylan Holloway鈥檚 two-point night gave him 45 on the season. And goaltender Jordan Binnington hasn鈥檛 lost in regulation in almost five weeks.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very enjoyable to watch our team play as committed as they are for each other,鈥� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very selfless hockey going on right now. How excited the bench gets no matter who scores, the blocked shots at the end, the unselfish changes, changing at the right time. Middle lane drives, boxing out at the net, sacrificing for each other 鈥� all those things make it fun to watch right now.鈥�

The Blues, heading into their game Sunday in Dallas, owned the longest active win streak in the Western Conference and did so at a time when Vancouver emerged from the break with a 1-4-0 record and when Calgary had lost 5 of its past 7 games. Utah鈥檚 surge was stunted Saturday with a loss to the Devils.

While scoreboard-watching makes for active nights and external rooting interests, the Blues know what鈥檚 in front of them in the final 21 games: their own fate.

鈥淚 think our group is fully aware that we control our own destiny if we continue to play the right way,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e committed on. We鈥檙e on to the next game. We know it鈥檚 going to be a tough challenge (Sunday), but we鈥檙e looking forward to it.鈥�

What the Blues are doing may feel fluky because of who they resembled in the first two-thirds of the season. 榴莲视频 were the only NHL team without a three-game win streak. They bobbed up to middling and down to disappointing. A third straight missed postseason seemed inevitable, a deadline selloff, plausible.

The thing is, though, that these wins have been deserved.

At five on five, they鈥檝e had more expected goals than their opponent in each of the past six games, according to Natural Stat Trick. They haven鈥檛 allowed 30 shots on goal since Feb. 6 against Florida. They鈥檝e limited high-danger chances. They鈥檝e combined a potent rush attack with an aggressive forecheck. Despite Kevin Fiala鈥檚 power-play goal on Saturday night, the penalty kill has extinguished 8 of the past 9 chances.

鈥淥bviously, results help bring the process along and really take it to another level,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檝e been getting out of the break. Now, we鈥檝e just got to stick with it. You鈥檙e not always going to be able to score four or five goals a game. Got to be able to win close games and trust it鈥檚 going to work out in your favor most nights.鈥�

The Blues have scored in bunches and bunches. They scored the last three goals of the game against the Avalanche. They scored the first seven goals against the Kraken. They scored the last three goals against the Capitals and then the final four against the Kings.

As for a turning point? Well, Montgomery picks out the first practice after the break, in which Alexey Toropchenko knocked Buchnevich to the ice with a reverse hit in the corner. When Buchnevich got up, there was a smile.

鈥淭here was another level of work equals fun,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e seeing it right now. They鈥檙e just working. They鈥檙e not even thinking about it. The second and third effort is natural. We鈥檙e stopping on pucks. There鈥檚 smiles on their faces because they鈥檙e playing with the puck a lot and they鈥檙e getting a lot of opportunities to make plays.鈥�

The Blues haven鈥檛 shied away from the top competition they鈥檝e faced, either.

They should have beaten the league-leading Jets on Feb. 22 but lost in a shootout after allowing a late extra-attacker goal. For the past five years, Colorado has been the best team in the West. The Blues beat them Feb. 23. On Thursday, they dispatched of the East-leading Capitals.

Should they beat the Stars on Sunday, the Blues would pick up five of six points against the top three teams in the NHL.

The math has changed for the Blues, a result of both their win streak and the slumps from the Canucks and Flames. What appeared to be a race to 95 points could end up being one to ... 90 points? Before Sunday, Vancouver was on pace for 89 points, which would require the Blues to go just 12-8-1 for the balance of their season.

鈥淲e came back in with a fresh mindset and knew exactly what we needed to do,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing it so far.鈥�

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