St. Louis has been retooling under general manager Doug Armstrong, and Montgomery was able to bring out the best in its young talent. Indeed, the Stanley Cup betting odds future look bright for the Blues. Especially with the Armstrong and Montgomery tandem. St. Louis improved dramatically on both ends of the ice. Consider what a difference a coach makes. Jim Montgomery took over a St. Louis Blues team that was 9-12-1 and in the early stages of a lost season. Instead, Montgomery jump-started the franchise to a remarkable run that ended up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Preview: Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues
| Date and Time: | Monday, April 21, 2025, 7:30 PM ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB. |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN2 |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | +1½ -160 | 5½ +114 | +168 |  |
| Winnipeg Jets | -1½ +140 | 5½ -131 | -189 | |
| ||||
St. Louis Blues Series Schedule
- Game 2: Blues at Jets, Monday, April 21, 7:30, ESPN2
- Game 3: Jets at Blues, Thursday, April 24, 9:30, ESPN2
- Game 4: Jets at Blues, Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m., TBS, truTV, Max
- x-Game 5: Blues at Jets, Wednesday, April 30, TBD
- x-Game 6: Jets at Blues, Friday, May 2, TBD
- x-Game 7: Blues at Jets, Sunday, May 4, TBD
St. Louis Blues Head Coach
Head coach Drew Bannister was a minor league coach for the Blues before being called up for his first NHL HC gig on December 12, 2023. Previously, he was fired this season after a 9-12-1 start. Jim Montgomery arrived from the Boston Bruins, where he went 120-41-23. Monty engineered a remarkable sports betting turnaround. Most important of all, he produced an unexpected playoff berth by going 34-18-7 after taking over as Blues coach.
St. Louis Blues Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Jordan Binnington has been inconsistent since coming out of nowhere to backstop the Blues’ Stanley Cup championship run as a career minor leaguer. Last year, Binnington improved to a .913 save percentage. This season, he has a 2.69 goals against average with a .900 save percentage. Overall, his record is 28-22-5 with three shutouts.
St. Louis Blues Key Players
C Robert Thomas was the 20th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Blues. At the onset, his NHL career began in St. Louis in 2018-19, and he was a role player in the Stanley Cup championship. Thomas represents the future of the Blues, as he is likely to man a new franchise marquee. Thomas is a 2024 NHL All-Star. Last year, Thomas scored 26 goals with 60 assists. This season, Thomas has 21 goals, 60 assists, 81 points, and a +20.
LW Pavel Buchnevich broke into the NHL with the New York Rangers in 2017-18. Correlate that he has been with the Blues since 2021-22. Last year, he scored 27 goals. This season, he has 20 goals, 37 assists, 57 points, and a +1. Meanwhile, the Blues’ leading goal scorer is Jordan Kyrou with 36 goals, 34 assists, 70 points, and a +23.
St. Louis Blues Record, Metrics & History
St. Louis had NHL rankings of 14th for goals scored and 16th for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Blues had NHL rankings of
14th for goals against and 29th for penalty killing.
To conclude the regular season, the St. Louis Blues were 44-30-8 straight up and 36-41 over/under the NHL Playoff betting odds total. Also, St. Louis was 8th in the Western Conference playoff standings, 20 points behind the Winnipeg Jets.
The 2019 Stanley Cup championship was the final piece of the Blues’ credibility puzzle. The franchise has always had a large, passionate, and generational fan base. Tradition and history have been a leading part of the franchise’s culture from the start. Now that a Stanley Cup championship banner hangs from the rafters, a long-sought legitimacy is complete.