Blues Hoping to Kickstart Playoff Run at Winter Classic

The St. Louis Blues are hoping the Winter Classic kickstarts the team's pursuit of a playoff spot.

Dec 27, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (18) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images / Jeff Le-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Blues are gearing up for the 2025 Winter Classic. The outdoor game against the Chicago Blackhawks is an excellent opportunity for both teams to earn points within the division and renew their Central Division rivalry. The Blackhawks are limping into the annual classic, but the Blues are hoping this is the beginning of their playoff push.

The Blues enter the 2025 Winter Classic with an even record of 17-17-4 and currently sit sixth in the Central Division. They trail the division leading Winnipeg Jets by 15 points, but sit just six points out of one of the guaranteed playoff spots in the Central and four points back of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. They are a team on the bubble, and this is the perfect opportunity for them to make a statement with a victory.

The best development of the season for the Blues has been the progress of so many young players. They brought in 23-year-old forward Dylan Holloway over the summer and he's putting up a career year with 13 goals and 24 points in 38 games. Jake Neighbours, age 22, is on pace for his second straight 20-goal season with 10 through the first 38. 21 year-old Zack Bolduc is thriving in his first full NHL season, with 12 points in 32 games while skating 12 minutes of ice-time per game.

The trio have given a huge offensive lift to the Blues. It's especially helped the team's top players in Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jordan Kyrou. The leading scorers have had to shoulder far less of the scoring burden in St. Louis thanks to Holloway, Neighbors, and Bolduc.

The biggest question mark and x-factor for the rest of the Blues season is their defense and goaltending. Defense has been an area of need for St. Louis and they've allowed the 14th most goals this year in the NHL. They attempted to patch up the holes by acquiring veteran blue liner Cam Fowler, but he's a temporary improvement. The defensive group still lacks an anchor for their top pairing and have multiple players in larger roles than they can handle.

Their goaltending tandem has to make up the difference. Stanley Cup winner Jordan Binnington is patrolling the crease for the majority of the starts, but he's not seeing the success he's used to. He has a 9-14-3 record and a .895 save percentage. Backup Joel Hofer has performed better over a smaller sample size, with an 8-3-2 record and a 2.75 goals against average. Both need to be better in order for the Blues to gain traction in the playoff race.

The start of the 2025 schedule can be seen as a clean slate for the Blues. With half of the regular season remaining, the Blues have a chance to climb up the standings and claim a playoff position. It all starts with the Winter Classic against the Blackhawks.

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