Blues secure postseason berth with 6-1 win over Utah, will open vs. Jets

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Apr 15, 2025

Published in Hockey

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ST. LOUIS — The Blues are playoff-bound.

For the first time since 2022, the Blues will play postseason hockey thanks to a 6-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center.

Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich, Jimmy Snuggerud, Zack Bolduc and Jordan Kyrou (twice) scored for the Blues, who secured the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and will face the Jets in the first round of the playoffs.

The Wild earned at least one point by forcing overtime against the Ducks on Tuesday night, meaning they would finish ahead of the Blues regardless of their result in overtime thanks to owning the tiebreaker with more regulation wins. Minnesota won in OT anyway, and will play the first round against Vegas.

The postseason berth prevented the Blues from going three straight seasons without a playoff appearance for just the second time in franchise history.

Asked how he would address his team before the game, Blues coach Jim Montgomery said: “It’s pretty simple actually. There’s a reason why we’re here. We put ourselves in this situation. There’s an identity we believe in. We know how to go out and execute our game plan, and we’re going to go out and do it.”

The Blues snapped a three-game losing streak with Tuesday's win, and extended their franchise-record home win streak to 12 games. St. Louis will enter the playoffs without a home loss since Feb. 22 against Winnipeg.

The Blues scored three power-play goals for the first time since March 16 against Anaheim.

Buch's session

In the biggest game of the season, Buchnevich had three points in the first period, securing his fourth three-point game of the season in the first 14:45.

He picked up the secondary assist on Schenn's goal 8:08 into the first period with a perfectly weighted pass out of the zone to spring Snuggerud on a breakaway on Karel Vejmelka. Snuggerud faked a shot (complete with leg lift) and then was stoned, but Schenn's follow found the back of the net to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.

In a way, Buchnevich helped create his own goal at 11:17 that gave the Blues a 2-0 lead. His quick cross-seam pass to Jake Neighbours allowed him to sneak towards the near post, and Neighbours held the puck just long enough to draw multiple Utah defenders and dish to Buchnevich.

Buchnevich also assisted on Snuggerud's first career NHL goal that made it 3-0, putting the puck to the net-front for Bolduc and Snuggerud to whack away at.

Thomas hurt

Blues forward Robert Thomas left the game after one 13-second shift in the third period with a lower-body injury and did not return to play.

After his one shift in the third period, Thomas received attention from Blues trainer Ray Barile for an extended period of time. He took a brief skate on the ice during a timeout, and then later went down the tunnel to the Blues dressing room.

Snuggerud on the board

Before the game, Montgomery said that Tuesday's game did not feel too big for Snuggerud because of how many offensive chances he'd created during his first six games in a Blues sweater. He responded with his first career multi-point game, including his first NHL goal.

Snuggerud had a goal and an assist in the first period, in addition to a team-high three shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes. He was on the ice for both power-play goals, and even passed up a potential shooting opportunity early in the first period.

When his goal was announced over the public address system by Tom Calhoun, the Blues fans delivered a rousing ovation to Snuggerud, who was the team's first-round pick in 2022 and signed his entry-level contract with St. Louis after the University of Minnesota was eliminated in the NCAA tournament.

Snuggerud has four points in his seven NHL games.

Bolduc marks the spot

Bolduc scored his seventh power-play goal of the season and all seven of them have come from the slot, where Bolduc has found a home as the bumper on one of the Blues' power play units.

On Tuesday, Bolduc stretched the Blues lead to 4-0 with a one-timer from above the left hashmarks on Thomas' 60th assist of the season. Since March 13, no NHL player has more power-play goals than Bolduc's six. His eight goals were tied for the most among NHL rookies.

Utah connections

St. Louis native Clayton Keller continued his career-long success against the Blues, scoring his 13th goal against his hometown team. His 35 points against St. Louis are the most against any NHL team for Keller.

Enterprise Center honored Utah defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who spent 10 seasons with the Blues, with a video recognition on Tuesday night. Bortuzzo, 36, is a free agent after this season and could have played his final NHL game.