On Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues faced a Los Angeles Kings team that was “in a funk.” The funk may have been passed on to a new team as the Blues lost 2-1 in overtime. After the game, head coach Jim Montgomery was harsh in his review of his club.
“The intensity we started the game with, it wasn't there. It was lacking, and we need to find more consistency with how we play,” Montgomery said after the loss, according to Lou Korac of The Hockey News and NHL.com.
The Blues managed just 18 shots on goal in the contest, and converted one of three powerplay opportunities. Meanwhile, they gave up 28 shots to the Kings. The start of the game was especially difficult. The Blues needed nearly seven minutes to get their first shot on Darcy Kuemper. Meanwhile, Jordan Binnington had already made six saves by that point in the contest.
It was a far cry from the performance against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. The Blues had a shot on the cage just 14 seconds into the game, and managed six in the first period. St. Louis went on to win the game 3-1.
“It’s the same thing as last year. We’re going through the exact same thing as last January, and we’re going to have to get it changed. We’re going to have to work all together. That’s how you gain consistency, through communication,” the head coach told reporters, including Jim Rutherford of The Athletic.
Consistency was an issue for the team last year as well. The team started 4-2-0, but inconsistent play led them to an 18-17-4 record by the end of the 2024 calendar year. The Blues did figure out consistency, going on a 12-game winning streak to make the playoffs in 2024-25.
“It’s by players holding players accountable, coaches holding players accountable and players holding coaches accountable. We’re not getting the job done right now with our consistency, with effort and execution, and we have to demand more of each other,” Montgomery continued later on in the session.
The Blues have dropped to 3-2-1 on the season. They'll get a chance to improve on that record Thursday night as they host the Utah Mammoth.
