Hochman: 13 thoughts on the 13-13-1 St. Louis Blues and their wacky season – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

1. I’m sorry, but I disregard how fatigued or road-weary the Blues were as they entered their past two games. The performances in them were inexcusable.

There are four divisions in the National Hockey League — the Blues got last-place teams back-to-back. On Friday, St. Louis played in Columbus against team that lost 7-3 the night before. Well, that beleaguered Blue Jackets team jumped to a lead against the Blues less than two minutes in. By the third period, Columbus led 3-1 and then 4-1, finally earning the victory by a 5-2 score. And the next night at Chicago, the Blackhawks honestly could’ve had five goals in the first period. They did score two and picked apart their rival in the 3-1 win.

You can’t play two last-place teams and not get a point out of either game.

2. Imagine last year if I told you the Blues’ miserable power play of 2022-23 would still have more than double the percentage points of this year’s Blues power play? Sure enough, here we are. The 2022-23 Blues scored on 19.3% of power plays, while this year the Blues are at 8.8%, worst in the Western Conference.

This is outside the box, but what if the Blues reserved one spot on the power play for an X-factor player who has shown the most effort in recent games? Even if it’s a fourth-liner, reward the guy by putting him on the power play. You’d only be demoting one guy off your top power play — and maybe that hustle player could provide a spark. What else do you have to lose? And what’s the worst that happens — you still don’t score?

3. OK, let’s get at least some positive vibes in this column. The Jake Neighbours storyline has been delightful this season. Ten goals overall and eight in his past 12 games. He’s 11th in the entire NHL with his 20.8 shooting percentage. He’s only 21. And he plays the game the right way, often battling hard in the corners and in front of the net. Neighbours’ overachievement helps the Blues as they get high production out of a lower-salary player.

4. Despite the mind-boggling highs — 8-2 win over Colorado! 5-0 win over Tampa Bay! 2-1 overtime win in Vegas! — and gob-smacking lows — 6-2 loss to Arizona! 5-1 loss to San Jose! 6-3 home loss to Vegas, the game after the win in Vegas! — the Blues still are right on the fringe of the playoffs. That’s where I would’ve thought they’d be. But the crazy swings of things makes it seem perhaps more turbulent than it really is. The Blues are, simply, a retooling team that should make the playoffs but very well could miss the playoffs by a few points.

5. It’s been refreshing (and needed) to see Colton Parayko play better hockey. The fear was that he had fallen off last year. But he just seems more aggressive than last year — and more confident offensively. He already has four goals (the same as last season). And even though his assist total is just at four, he’s shown brilliant skating through the neutral zone — he’s creating chances with his assertiveness and self-assuredness.

Parayko has also blocked 64 shots this season, tied for 12th in the league.

6. The Blues are 4-5 in games goalie Joel Hofer starts. That includes losses in four of the past five. And Hofer was a key reason St. Louis failed in that recent game to Columbus. He’s a rookie, yes. But he should be better.

7. Robert Thomas always was supposed to be the “Oates,” but what if he’s the “Hull” after all? He has 10 goals in 27 games after scoring 18 in 73 last year (and 20 in 73 the year before that). He’s still scoring on right around 17% of his shots, but his quantity of shots per game has gone way up (and he’s playing about a minute more per game, too). Overall, Thomas has 27 points in 27 games.

He could be an All-Star this year. And he couldn’t be worse in those during-game commercials.

8. As for the “Hull,” what the hull is up with Jordan Kyrou? His shooting percentage of 5.7 is only ahead of fellow Blues forwards Sammy Blais and the underachieving Jakub Vrana. As for decision-making, Kyrou is last among Blues forward on shots taken that were blocked (45), per MoneyPuck.com.

9. Regarding the wrecking-ball Blais, credit him for being the aggressor the Blues need. He has 75 hits this year, good for eighth-most in the NHL, yet he only has eight penalty minutes (the lowest number of penalty minutes of the seven guys ahead of him is 17).

10. Loved watching Brayden Schenn get in a fight Saturday in Chicago. And some credit to Marco Scandella, who on the play prior nearly got in a fight with the same Blackhawk, Reese Johnson. Schenn is minus-10 with 16 points in 27 games. He’s been better. But he still does “captain” things out there that make him such an admirable teammate.

11. I’m excited to see three litmus-test games later this month, all at home — Saturday vs. Dallas, Dec. 27 vs. Dallas and Dec. 29 vs. Colorado.

12. I’ve always felt weird about fans singing “Country Roads” at Blues game. Like, it happened, it was a thing, let’s move on. But at least the team moved the song from the pivotal third period to the second period.

13. Pavel Buchnevich will forever be criminally underrated by those who don’t watch him every night.