BLUES Robert Thomas extended his point streak, helping the St. Louis Blues (30-27-6) secure a 3-2 shootout victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Thomas not only scored his 17th goal of the season on Wednesday, extending his point streak to 11 games, but also netted the game-deciding shootout goal to seal a Western Conference road win for the Blues.
Following the game, Thomas credited his teammates for the victory.
“I mean we’ve always known we got a good group in here, a great group of guys,” Thomas said. “We get along great, we have fun with each other and we’re putting it together on the ice. And I think that’s just making it even better for our team, and the results are the results because of it.”
Jake Neighbours also got a tally for the Blues, his 16th of the season. He now has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last five games.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington earned the win in net on Wednesday, his fifth consecutive victory. He holds a 6-0-1 record in his last seven games, posting a .921 save percentage over that stretch. Binnington also remains undefeated in shootouts this season, boasting a perfect 4-0 record.
The Blues are back within striking distance of a Wild Card spot. After the victory, Head Coach Jim Montgomery stated that his team has what it takes to be a playoff contender.
“The smiles, the energy; there’s a belief in that room right now about what we can achieve,” Montgomery said. “Now it’s up to us to keep doing it night in, night out and stay consistent with our habits.”
The battle won’t be without its challenges as the Blues received some tough news on Thursday, learning defenseman Colton Parayko injured his left knee and is expected to miss six weeks. The assistant captain tallied his 20th assist of the season on Wednesday for a career-high-tying 35 points.
The Blues will remain in Southern California for two more games, taking on the Anaheim Ducks on Friday before facing off against the Kings for the final time this season on Sunday.
DUCKS The Anaheim Ducks (27-27-7) will face the Blues for the second time this season and are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.
The Ducks have faced offensive challenges this year, ranking 30th overall in the League with 158 goals. Their power play is second-to-last, converting on 12.3 percent of their opportunities. Additionally they hold the NHL’s lowest faceoff win percentage at 44 percent.
On Thursday, the Ducks made a trade with the New Jersey Devils, acquiring prospect Herman Traff and a conditional second-round draft pick in 2025 in exchange for defenseman Brian Dumoulin. Traff was selected by the Devils in the third round in the 2024 Draft and is currently playing with HV71 in the SHL. The 19-year-old represented Sweden at the 2025 World Junior Championships, scoring two goals in seven games.
Since the Blues and Ducks last met on Jan. 9, the Ducks have posted a 10-8-2 record. They now sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Cam Fowler will return to Anaheim for the first time since being traded to the Blues in December. Fowler leads all Blues defensemen with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) since his first game in the Blue Note on Dec. 14. Fowler has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 50 games this season and has 476 points (103 goals, 373 assists) in 1,024 career games.
DUCKS Second-year defenseman Jackson LaCombe is fifth on the team in points with 33 (11 goals, 22 assists) and is second in plus/minus ratings with +8. During Anaheim’s 6-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, LaCombe ended the evening with a +5 rating and three assists. The 24-year-old has 50 points (13 goals, 27 assists) in 127 career games.
BLUE NOTES
- The Blues have won eight straight games against Anaheim and have earned points in nine straight (8-0-1).
- The Blues are 15-7-6 in one-goal games this season, which shares the most wins in one-goal games in the NHL.
- The Blues are tied for first in the NHL with the most shootout wins (four).
- Robert Thomas has an 11-game point streak (five goals, 10 assists), which is the longest point streak by a Blue this season and shares the third longest active streak in the NHL (Tim Stutzle, 13 games).
