St. Louis Blues fans are experiencing what they hope is the best case of deja vu ever. The team (42-28, 91 points) is following a similar blueprint to the one that led to it winning its first Stanley Cup championship nearly six years ago. A midseason coaching change, an invigorating 11-game winning streak and impressive play from goaltender Jordan Binnington could be the common denominators of the most stirring moments this franchise has ever experienced. But the threat of injuries is always lurking around the corner in this league.
Blues forward Dylan Holloway suffered a lower-body injury during the squad’s milestone victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night and is considered week-to-week, per president of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong. The regular season concludes on April 15, thrusting the fan base into a great state of stress.
Can the Blues weather the storm once again?
Holloway, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has posted a breakout campaign with St. Louis. He has 63 points, 26 goals and 37 assists through 77 games, ranking top three on the team in all three categories. The 23-year-old out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada has registered at least one point in all but two of the games in the Blues’ ongoing winning streak, so it will be extremely difficult to replace him on the ice.
St. Louis has a two-point lead over the Minnesota Wild for the top Wild Card slot in the Western Conference and is well clear of the Calgary Flames (84 points). Making the Stanley Cup Playoffs seems like a guarantee, but ambitions have changed following another midseason turnaround. Jim Montgomery’s group believes it is capable of disrupting plans this spring.
Dylan Holloway is an important component of this postseason, party-crashing objective, however. Ideally, he will be skating in high-stakes competition before the campaign’s conclusion. The Blues will go for a franchise-record 12th consecutive win when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
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