When the St. Louis Blues pulled the trigger and fired head coach Craig Berube, general manager Doug Armstrong must have had several priorities in mind. But chief among them had to be improving his team’s abysmal power play (which he brought in Brad Richards to assist with) and getting key players like Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich going.
New interim head coach Drew Bannister quickly moved to unite Buchnevich and Kyrou with the team’s leading scorer and star young player Robert Thomas on the top line. In the five games since the coaching change, that trio has looked electric, and once again appear to be the core of the team’s future on offense.
Buchnevich, Kyrou, and Thomas Explode on the Stat Sheet
Let’s rewind five games and remember where these forwards were ahead of the coaching change. Thomas was fine. Though the team struggled, he produced at a point per game and was the team’s best player. Buchnevich was okay — certainly not at the elite level he’s played at since arriving from New York in 2021, but fine. But Kyrou was really struggling. Most fans will remember the headlines he generated immediately after Berube’s dismissal and the emotional first game he played under Bannister. Fans hoped he could find his footing after a confidence boost from the new coach. He has done that and more.
In Bannister’s five games at the helm, all three players have posted exceptional numbers:
- Buchnevich: 17 shots, 3 goals, 4 assists, plus-7 rating
- Kyrou: 26 shots, 4 goals, 4 assists, plus-8 rating
- Thomas: 9 shots, 3 goals, 7 assists, plus-6 rating
Kyrou’s 26 shots put him distantly in the team lead in that category, with his 115 outpacing Buchnevich’s 82. The three top-line players also now lead the team in points: Thomas has 37, Buchnevich 28, and Kyrou 25.
But even with their success, Bannister hasn’t gone easy on his star players. During the Dec. 19 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the worst performance in this stretch, he sat Buchnevich for most of the third period after the winger took his third minor penalty. Afterward, he explained that it was “a message to the whole team,” adding, “we need guys to play on the ice. They’re no good to us in the penalty box.” Buchnevich responded to that message in a big way, scoring two goals and adding an assist in the following game against the Florida Panthers. Right now, the formula is working for Bannister and his top line. And it isn’t limited to even-strength situations.
Blues Power Play Recovering
The team’s power play was dreadful when Armstrong relieved Berube of his duties, ranking second-to-last in the league and converting on just nine percent of its opportunities. In addition to the coaching change, he brought Richards in as a power play consultant, showing that special teams were a major priority. So far, the results are promising. The Blues have had 12 opportunities over the last five games, and have converted on four of them. That 33 percent conversion rate would be good for the top spot in the league if they had done it for the entire season.
Interestingly enough, the success of the power play and the success of the top line have been independent parts of the Blues’ resurgence. Thomas, Kyrou, and Buchnevich are not responsible for any of the four power play tallies over the last five games. But that is a reason for optimism — if they can begin to score on the power play like they have at even strength, the Blues’ offense will be as strong as it’s been in years.
Huge Stretch to Close Out 2023
While New Year’s Day might be right around the corner, the Blues are not nearly done with 2023. They wrap up the year with three critical matchups, including two against the top teams in their division. They play the Dallas Stars on Dec. 27, then back-to-back games against the Colorado Avalanche (Dec. 29) and Pittsburgh Penguins (Dec. 30). If the top line can look strong in that stretch, then there will be a lot of good reasons for optimism for Blues fans entering the new year.
