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The Blues went 139:38 without a goal, lost 2-0 to Montreal despite 46 shots, and then Jim Montgomery blew up his forward lines. Two games later they have beaten Boston 4-1 and rallied past Detroit 5-4, scoring nine goals on 33 shots. Luke and Nick break down whether the lines did it or the luck turned.Justin Barron is the story on the back end. He has 7 points in his last 5 games, including a goal and an assist in Detroit, and tied that game 4-4 in the third. But four of those points came in one night, and he has no power-play points yet. Is he a real offensive piece?Then Joel Hofer: 31 saves on 32 shots against a hot Bruins team, including 14 in the third period. We also talk about the one thing bothering us, his puck handling, which led to a goal against in both wins.Plus Jacob Fowler's 46-save shutout for Montreal, the panic from fans that helped push the line changes, and Kaskimaki's first NHL goal, which came 18 seconds after Barron tied it.Also in this episode:Roster moves and injuries, including ParaykoThe Nikishin saga ending in CarolinaThe week ahead: Rangers, Devils, PredatorsProud member of The Hockey Podcast Network 🎧 Follow Puck Watching so you don't miss a drop. ⭐ Rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify. 📲 Instagram @puckwatchingstl · X @PuckWatchingSTL · YouTube /@puckwatchingstl Proud member of The Hockey Podcast Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

YouTube descriptionThe Blues are 5-5-1. They beat Vegas 6-2, then got shut out 4-0 by Carolina. Luke and Nick break down which team is the real one.Plus: Justin Barron, claimed off waivers a month ago, just had the first 4-point night by a Blues defenseman since Philip Broberg in March 2025.On today's episode:🏒 Vegas and Winnipeg vs. Minnesota, Nashville and Carolina: two Blues teams, one roster🏒 Justin Barron’s 4-point night and where it ranks in Blues history🏒 Mason McTavish: 10 points in 11 games and 6 goals🏒 Holloway and Snuggerud are scoring. Where is Robert Thomas?🏒 Kaskimaki, Suter and Stenberg: the fourth line that won’t quit🏒 Roster moves: Peterson down, Quinton Burns up🏒 Power play, Toropchenko’s return, and the week ahead: Montreal, Boston, Detroit🏒 Hot takes and predictions 🎧 Follow Puck Watching so you don't miss a drop. ⭐ Rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify. 📲 Instagram @puckwatchingstl · X @PuckWatchingSTL · YouTube /@puckwatchingstl Proud member of The Hockey Podcast Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mason McTavish has 7 points in six games and leads the Blues. The Ducks scratched him in the playoffs last spring. Now the line he centers, with Connor McMichael and Jonatan Berggren, is the best thing the Blues have going. Luke and Nick break down what’s real through six games.Then the problem. The power play is 2-for-14, tied for 25th in the NHL, while the penalty kill is 17-for-19 and tied for 7th. Montgomery told us special teams have to be top 10 combined. We do the math on how far off they are.Also in this episode:The top line wakes up: six points against Columbus after two in the first four gamesDylan Peterson’s NHL debut and the fight in OttawaA potential Pius Suter & Buchnevich switch??Whether the Blues can finally win October🎧 Follow Puck Watching so you don’t miss a drop.⭐ Rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify. It takes eleven seconds and it’s the biggest thing you can do for a small show.📲 Instagram @puckwatchingstl · X @PuckWatchingSTL · YouTube /@puckwatchingstlProud member of The Hockey Podcast Network. 🎧 Follow Puck Watching so you don't miss a drop. ⭐ Rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify. 📲 Instagram @puckwatchingstl · X @PuckWatchingSTL · YouTube /@puckwatchingstl Proud member of The Hockey Podcast Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Blues' preseason is over, and it wasn't pretty. They went 1-3 and scored 5 goals on 122 shots. The power play went 0-for-18. None of the projected top-six forwards scored. Luke and Nick dig into what's wrong with the offense and whether any of it should worry you before opening night in Dallas.Then the headline: the Adam Jiricek era begins. Jim Montgomery compared the 20-year-old to Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, and he was sent to Springfield anyway. Two days later he was back, after Logan Mailloux got hurt fighting for a teammate in Chicago. We talk about what Jiricek showed in camp, where he fits on the blue line, and whether he should stay up all year.And the name that keeps coming up: Alexander Nikishin. Carolina's 6-foot-3 defenseman asked for a trade, skipped Hurricanes camp, and is reportedly asking for about $9 million a year. With the power play stuck at zero and the blue line banged up, is he the answer for St. Louis? And is he worth that price? 🎧 Follow Puck Watching so you don't miss a drop. ⭐ Rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify. 📲 Instagram @puckwatchingstl · X @PuckWatchingSTL · YouTube /@puckwatchingstl Proud member of The Hockey Podcast Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Blues finished last season as the hottest team in hockey and watched the playoffs from home. Luke and Nick break down what's changed.We start with the top line. Thomas, Holloway and Snuggerud put up 92 points in 25 games after the Olympic break, and Montgomery hasn't touched the combination in camp. How high does it go?Then the money line: Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael cost two first-rounders and Jordan Kyrou, and they're skating with Pavel Buchnevich. We get into the third line, which might be the shakiest group on the roster, and a fourth line with a real heavyweight in Ross Johnston — the first time St. Louis has had that look since Ryan Reaves.On the back end: Broberg–Mailloux, Lindstein–Parayko and Fowler–Carlo, plus how this group stops beating itself in the D-zone. The power play was 26th and the penalty kill was 25th, and Monty told us on this show they have to be top 10 combined — so what do Vinny Prospal and Greg Cronin actually change?Plus: is Hofer the No. 1 all the way, what does Binnington have to prove in a walk year, Snuggerud's contract year, and where the Blues land in a Central that runs through Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota. We each make our picks at the end. 🎧 Follow Puck Watching so you don't miss a drop. ⭐ Rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify. 📲 Instagram @puckwatchingstl · X @PuckWatchingSTL · YouTube /@puckwatchingstl Proud member of The Hockey Podcast Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.