Mar 09, 2026
3 min read
A team on a road trip of four or more games remains on pace for the third time in franchise history;Hofer gets fifth shutout;Drouin, Hall makes an immediate impact;The Blues took the game into the second period
4-0 Blues win against the Ducks
It happens again.Louis Blues -- finally -- heating up.Unfortunately, it was at the wrong time, and their supporters did not know how to feel about it.
There are those who are die-hard fans who want to see them win regardless of where they are in the league, and then there are those who don't want to see them ruin potential high draft status.
The way the Blues are playing as the calendar turns to March suggests that perhaps dreams of producing the likes of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg are turning into a nightmare.
That's because they put together another solid road trip.Yes, a road trip. Joel Hofer had his fifth shutout of the season and newcomers Jonathan Drouin (goal) and Justin Hull (assist) each had a point in their Blues debut Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.'s 4-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.
Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist, Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter each scored and Robert Thomas extended his scoring streak to six games (five goals, five assists) with an assist as the Blues (25-29-9) swept four or more games for just the third time in history:
For the third time in their history, the #stlblues have won on the road four games or more:
* March 1-8, 2026 (4-0)
* November 2-9, 2019 (4-0)
* February 6-15, 2017 (5-0) — Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 9, 2026
It’s crazy to think about how this team has been for much of the season, and after trading their captain (Brayden Schenn) to the New York Islanders and defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings during Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
But here they are, climbing ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames in the overall standings, with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers also behind them, climbing to 28th overall in points with 59 and officially eight points behind the Seattle Kraken for - dare I say it - the second wild card in the Western Conference.
How about today's game review?:
* The Blues are the better team, period - even though the first leg was 0-0, it was clear who was the better team.
The Blues skated harder, skated faster, won more puck battles, got to the areas of the ice needed to be successful, and the Ducks, who started the night in first place in the Pacific Division, relied heavily on former Blues goaltender Will Husso, who was strong in the first 20 minutes to keep the game scoreless.
The Blues scored consecutive goals (Jackie Neighbors on a rebound, then Crowe on the next chance), Dylan Holley had a goal saved by Husso, and Pavel Buchnevich also hit the post with a volley into the net shortly after.
That's probably the only negative in a very good first period for the Blues, who put themselves in danger with three penalties (although the foul on Matthew Kessel was pretty weak at 13:08), but even the Blues' PK team came out on top, losing pucks and scoring, as well as winning faceoffs and scoring.
He made a strong push forward, which the Blues certainly did.
* The dam broke in the second period -- We all know the Blues' problems in the second period.The -28 points was one of the worst in the league, and the Ducks entered the game with a plus-4.
You had to think they missed the mark by not taking the lead in a very tight opening period.
That clearly wasn't the case as the Blues outshot the Ducks 3-0 and took control of the game and literally ended it.
It was a continuation of the first period and the Blues didn't concede in any way shape or form and Kyrou finally broke through Huss at 4:22 when he came out of transition and went up the right side as he took a pass from Neighbors and hit a wrister in rich space and shot past Huss over the right hand:
Any goalkeeper will tell you that it is not easy to stop.Not so much.#stlblues pic.twitter.com/zT6sv8Dxex
— St.Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 9, 2026
Then we come to Drouin, who scored a power-play goal at 10:07 to make it 2-0, and Filip Broberg, who logged a career-high 32:51 of ice time in this game last Friday, with a solo shot from the right circle 27:17 later:
First game, first goal as a Blue for Jonathan Drouin.#stlblues pic.twitter.com/4Uo8xY3v9L
— St.Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 9, 2026
It came with some resentment from the Ducks and likewise when Ross Johnston was called for a high jab on Tyler Tucker, but the replay showed Johnston, who later fought with Tucker (more on that), raised Tucker's own stick in his face, but remember last Sunday against the Minnesota Wild when Jack Finley was called for a high jab penalty and it was friendly fire from the Wild?I think what goes around goes around.
The goal was Drouin's first since November 14, 2025 with the Islanders against the Utah Mammoths and first in 39 games, which is crazy to think that it was that snake pecking in New York, or the puck just didn't go in, or the chances weren't there.
And the decisive moment ended when Snuggerud connected himself once from the right circle at 12:11 to make it 3-0. As you can see, the Ducks moved the puck continuously and entered the area they wanted, and Thomas won the corner and found Snuggerud. He let it go so quickly that Husso did not have time to respond.
Tommaso degree S coating gel.
We love the sound of it.#stlblues pic.twitter.com/rOB5Yag4ld — St.Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 9, 2026
* Tucker focused now - When Schenn left for the Islanders, the Blues remained one of their emotional and physical leaders on the ice.When Hall, who put the game on Pius Suter's empty net at 15:58 of the third period to make it 4-0 and put the game to bed, was followed by Johnston at 16:55 of the second period, Tucker will have to take more chances to be that guy to save his teammates, and I'm sure he will be in his first game.I am sure that he will play in the team.Result:
Ross Johnston vs. Tyler Tucker
Johnston has 14 PIMS in 9 minutes of ice time #FlyTogether #stlblues pic.twitter.com/RA8pTgDons — RGF (@rgfray1) March 9, 2026
* Hofer is in the zone - This wasn't one of those games where coach Jim Montgomery said in his postgame press conference that the goaltender had to steal the game.
The team was excellent in front of the netminder, but there were a few stops, including one by Leo Karlsson who was solid in Hofer's 22-save second period in a night that showed how he's shut down since the break and now trails Ilya Sorokin (sixth) for the league lead in shutouts.
Hofer's numbers from the Olympic break look pretty rough right now:
Joel Hofer after the Olympic break:
Stopped 101 of 105 photos#stlblues — Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 9, 2026
* Drouin, Holl make solid contributions -- They are newcomers to the Blues' roster of veterans, but Drouin and Holl have each stepped in and been part of the team's concept.
Drouin, along with Suter and Buchnevich, finished with two shots on goal and one shot in 13:15 of ice time, while Hall, who played with Tucker in his first NHL game this season after spending most of the American Hockey League with Grand Rapids, was a plus-2 with an assist on Suter's goal and 15:44 (three shots).
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