The St. Louis Blues rolled into Washington, D.C. and handed the Washington Capitals only their second back-to-back home loss of the season. The blue line largely powered the Blues’ offensive effort. Philip Broberg scored twice and added an assist, and Blues goalie Joel Hofer stopped 16 of 18 shots in the victory, including all four from Alex Ovechkin.
The Blues captain, Brayden Schenn, skated in his 1,000th NHL game in his 16th season. Schenn and his brother, Luke, are the only siblings to play their 1,000th NHL game during the same campaign. Luke skated in his milestone contest in mid-October for the Nashville Predators. This historic milestone was brought up pre-game in the St. Louis locker room as Schenn’s father, Jeff, provided an emotional address to the team:
Jeff Schenn delivered a heartfelt speech – and the starting lineup – before his son Brayden’s 1,000th @NHL game. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/aUFBiFqYde
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 28, 2025
Game Recap
Broberg scored the game’s opening goal midway through the first period, leading to his fifth goal of the season slightly after the midway point of the period. Washington center Pierre-Luc Dubois tied the score at 15:04 on a backhander that he manoeuvred around a sprawling Hofer after receiving a fantastic pass from Taylor Raddysh.
Two and a half minutes later, Broberg returned the favor on a breakaway as he scored on a backhand shot before tumbling to the Capital One Arena ice to restore a one-goal St. Louis advantage, 2-1. Jake Neighbours fired a cross-ice pass into an open area, which created Broberg’s opportunity to go one-on-one with Washington’s goalie, Charlie Lindgren, to score the Blues’ second goal.
The second period was sleepy until some very late fireworks ensured fans were awake at the second intermission. Connor McMichael tied the game for Washington on a snapshot from the left circle that sailed past Hofer, making it 2-2.
St. Louis responded to the Capitals goal with two goals in 35 seconds to surge to a 4-2 lead before the second intermission break. Schenn was credited with an assist on Dylan Holloway’s game-winning deflection goal at 17:23. On the next shift, Blues defenseman Colton Parayko found a loose rebound in front of the crease before beating Lindgren for the 4-2 advantage.
Related: Should the Maple Leafs Target Blues Colton Parayko?
Blues forward Neighbours scored an empty-net goal with 1:55 remaining in the contest to seal the visitors’ win. Since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, St. Louis has improved to 3-0-1, while Washington has slipped to 2-2-0. Both teams return to action on Saturday afternoon.
