3 Takeaways From the Blues’ 2-0 Loss to the Canadiens

The St. Louis Blues suffered their second consecutive shutout Tuesday night, falling 2-0 to the Montreal Canadiens at Enterprise Center. After losing 4-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, the Blues have now gone six straight periods without scoring as their offensive struggles continue.

Montreal goaltender Jacob Fowler stopped all 46 shots he faced, while Zachary Bolduc scored against his former team and Florian Xhekaj scored his first NHL goal to help the Canadiens secure the win. Here are three takeaways from the Blues’ loss.

The Blues Couldn’t Catch a Break

The Blues generated plenty of opportunities Tuesday but couldn’t find a way to finish. St. Louis struggled with turnovers early, giving Montreal chances to take control. The offense also lacked urgency, with fans calling for players to shoot rather than pass up opportunities.

The Blues showed more life in the second period, but execution remained an issue. Robert Thomas had a chance to shoot before the puck rolled over his stick, while a pass intended for Philip Broberg on the power play went awry and forced St. Louis out of the offensive zone.

The missed chances continued in the third. Fowler fired a shot from the left point that rang off the post, marking the second time the Blues hit the iron. Moments later, Mason McTavish drove toward the net, but Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler got the end of his skate on the attempt.

St. Louis continued generating dangerous rebound opportunities, but Montreal cleared the puck before the Blues could capitalize. With the offense unable to break through, head coach Jim Montgomery pulled Jordan Binnington with 6:55 remaining to add an extra attacker.

Despite recording 46 shots, the Blues couldn’t find a breakthrough. The missed opportunities and unfortunate bounces made for a frustrating night, but St. Louis will need to find ways to finish its chances rather than rely on puck luck to turn things around.

Jacob Fowler Was Unbeatable

While the Blues had their share of missed opportunities, Fowler deserves plenty of credit for keeping them off the scoreboard. The Canadiens goaltender stopped all 46 shots he faced, delivering a standout performance on the road.

Fowler was particularly sharp in the third period, when St. Louis increased its pressure and created more chances around the crease. He made a key stop on Mason McTavish and handled several dangerous rebounds that could have changed the outcome.

His composure under pressure allowed Montreal to withstand stretches of sustained offense. Even when the Blues created traffic in front of the net, Fowler tracked the puck and found ways to keep it out.

Fowler’s performance proved decisive as Montreal protected its lead and secured the shutout. Despite generating chances from different areas of the ice, St. Louis couldn’t find a way past the Canadiens netminder.

The Penalty Kill Remains a Bright Spot

Although the loss extended the Blues’ scoring drought, their penalty kill continued to deliver. St. Louis successfully killed all three of Montreal’s power plays, preventing the Canadiens from taking advantage of their opportunities.

The unit was especially effective in the second period, when the Blues kept Montreal from recording a shot during the advantage. Binnington also made a crucial save during the opening period to keep the game scoreless.

The penalty kill’s performance was encouraging considering the Blues took several undisciplined penalties throughout the night. Rather than allowing Montreal to build momentum with the man advantage, St. Louis repeatedly found ways to disrupt its opponent’s setup and clear the puck.

However, the strong penalty kill couldn’t make up for the team’s inability to score. The Blues also struggled on their own power plays, failing to capitalize on opportunities that could have shifted the momentum. One second-period sequence highlighted those problems when a pass to Broberg at the point rolled over his stick and out of the offensive zone. Instead of establishing pressure, St. Louis had to regroup and try again.

The contrast between the two special teams units was noticeable. The penalty kill did its job, but the power play couldn’t provide the offensive spark the Blues desperately needed. St. Louis will look to carry its strong penalty killing into its final game of the five-game homestand while finding answers on the other side of special teams.

Next Up

The Blues will close out their five-game homestand against the Boston Bruins as they look to snap their losing streak and end their scoring drought.