The St. Louis Blues entered the 2025-26 season with high hopes after their impressive surge into the playoffs last spring. Having authored a remarkable 21-5-4 record down the stretch to clinch a postseason berth, expectations were elevated for a franchise that had seemingly rediscovered its identity. However, the reality of the new campaign has been far more sobering. Following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on October 30th, the Blues find themselves mired in a six-game losing streak that threatens to derail their playoff aspirations before the calendar even turns to November.
This troubling skid comes at the worst possible time for St. Louis, as the Central Division has emerged as one of the NHL’s most competitive battlegrounds. With six teams already jockeying for playoff position just weeks into the season, every point has become precious. The Blues’ current struggles expose fundamental flaws that demand immediate attention from head coach Jim Montgomery and his staff if the team hopes to remain in contention throughout what promises to be a grueling campaign.
How the St. Louis Blues six-game losing streak exposes roster construction failures
The Blues’ offseason strategy centered on adding depth and improving their overall roster balance. General manager Doug Armstrong made three significant moves, trading Zachary Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Logan Mailloux, while signing forwards Nick Bjugstad to a two-year, $3.5 million contract and Pius Suter to a two-year, $8.25 million deal. On paper, these additions appeared to address specific needs. In practice, only one of the three has delivered anything close to expected value.
Bjugstad has been the lone bright spot among the newcomers. Playing alongside Nathan Walker and Oskar Sundqvist on the bottom-six, he’s provided exactly the type of gritty, physical presence the Blues sought to replace Radek Faksa. With 25 hits through the first portion of the season, Bjugstad has won key faceoffs and given St. Louis a reliable presence on the fourth line. His defensive responsibility and veteran presence have been assets during a turbulent start.
The same cannot be said for Mailloux and Suter, whose performances have ranged from disappointing to detrimental. Mailloux remains pointless through eight games while failing to contribute in other measurable ways. His six giveaways—three of which came in the defensive zone—reveal a player struggling to adapt to his new surroundings and the increased pace of NHL action. He rarely hits or blocks shots, offering little of the physical presence teams need from their blue line corps.
Suter’s situation is perhaps even more perplexing. Despite accumulating seven points, his impact has been minimal, with only one power-play contribution while skating with the second unit. Montgomery has shuffled him throughout the lineup, searching for chemistry that simply hasn’t materialized. The $4.125 million annual cap hit looks increasingly problematic when the production doesn’t match the investment. According to The Hockey Writers, Suter is “currently wasting second and third-line minutes that should be helping the Blues,” a damning assessment for a player brought in to bolster scoring depth.
The disconnect between expectation and reality with these roster additions has created a cascading effect. Lines lack chemistry, roles remain undefined, and the team’s overall structure appears fragile. When new pieces fail to integrate properly, it undermines the established core and creates doubt throughout the locker room.
Defensive breakdowns plague the St. Louis Blues six-game losing streak
Beyond individual player struggles, the Blues face a more systemic problem: their defensive structure has crumbled. St. Louis currently sits second-last in the league with a minus-10 goal differential, a staggering statistic for a team with playoff aspirations. Even more concerning, not a single Blues defenseman ranks in the top 10 league-wide for blocks or hits, indicating a fundamental failure to establish defensive presence.
The modern NHL rewards teams that can prevent high-danger scoring chances and limit opponents’ offensive zone time. The Blues are doing neither effectively. The league’s top-scoring teams boast goal percentages of 53 percent or higher, and St. Louis simply cannot contain the offensive firepower they face on a nightly basis. This defensive inadequacy creates a vicious cycle—when teams struggle to prevent goals, they commit more penalties trying to disrupt plays, leading to increased time shorthanded.
The penalty kill has been particularly dreadful, ranking 26th in the NHL at just 70 percent efficiency. What makes this figure even more alarming is that the Blues don’t frequently find themselves shorthanded, ranking in the top 10 with the lowest times shorthanded per game at 2.73. They’re not undisciplined, yet when they do go down a man, opponents capitalize at an unsustainable rate. This suggests fundamental structural issues with their penalty-kill setup and personnel deployment.
The culprits behind these defensive woes include some of the Blues’ most trusted veterans. Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg rank among the team’s top five in giveaways, with several of those turnovers occurring in dangerous defensive zone locations. According to MoneyPuck analytics, the Blues have committed 176 total giveaways this season—second-highest in the NHL—with 76 coming in the defensive zone. These aren’t minor mistakes; they’re direct contributors to scoring chances against and goals that have cost St. Louis crucial points in the standings.
Similar issues plagued the team during an earlier three-game losing streak that exposed defensive flaws, suggesting these problems aren’t aberrations but rather persistent structural concerns. The defensive corps must simplify their game, avoiding high-risk plays that result in odd-man rushes and quality scoring opportunities for opponents.
Goaltending concerns compound the St. Louis Blues six-game losing streak problems
While defensive breakdowns bear significant responsibility for the Blues’ struggles, goaltending has failed to provide the bailout saves that championship teams require. Jordan Binnington, the veteran anchor who carried St. Louis through their playoff push last season, has posted worrying numbers early in 2025-26. With a 2-4-1 record, a 3.27 goals-against average, and an .863 save percentage, Binnington has been unable to steal games when the team in front of him falters.
The 32-year-old’s recent performances have been particularly troubling. Against the Detroit Red Wings, he surrendered four goals on just 19 shots, finishing with a .789 save percentage in an ugly loss that extended the losing streak. Against Vancouver, he allowed four goals on 26 shots in the shootout defeat. These aren’t instances of being hung out to dry by poor defensive play—they’re games where competent goaltending would have given the Blues a fighting chance.
According to Daily Faceoff, there’s growing concern about Binnington’s early-season form. His backup, Joel Hofer, has been even worse, leaving the Blues without a reliable option between the pipes. This goaltending crisis has become a major talking point, with teams repeatedly scoring five or more goals against St. Louis, a trend that cannot continue if the franchise hopes to remain competitive in the Central Division.
The issue extends beyond raw statistics. Binnington has struggled particularly with low-volume games, failing to maintain focus when shots are infrequent. This inconsistency forces the Blues to play a more conservative, defensive style that stifles their offensive creativity and leads to prolonged defensive zone time. When your goaltender can’t provide a safety net, defensemen become tentative, forwards cheat less for offense, and the entire system becomes reactive rather than proactive.
Montgomery’s challenge is determining whether these struggles represent a temporary slump or a more permanent decline. Binnington has proven himself in the past, including a Stanley Cup run in 2019, but goaltenders can lose their edge quickly. The Blues cannot afford to wait much longer for answers, as each game lost pushes them further from playoff position in an unforgiving division.
The Central Division race and what the St. Louis Blues six-game losing streak means for playoff hopes
The timing of this six-game slide couldn’t be worse for St. Louis. The Central Division has emerged as arguably the most competitive in the NHL, with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, Utah Mammoth, and Minnesota Wild all establishing themselves as legitimate playoff contenders. Even teams like the Nashville Predators pose threats to steal points in divisional matchups. In this environment, falling behind early creates a mountain too steep to climb.
Projections entering the season had the Blues finishing sixth in the Central Division, a prediction that looks increasingly accurate as they sink toward the bottom of the standings. While they did make the playoffs last spring as the second wild card with 96 points, replicating that late-season surge appears unlikely given the current state of the roster and the improved quality of competition across the division.
The mathematics are brutal: losing six straight games in October costs the Blues 12 potential points in the standings. Recovering from such a deficit requires not only correcting current problems but sustaining a level of excellence that has eluded them thus far. Last season’s 21-5-4 run to close the campaign was remarkable precisely because it was unsustainable over a full season. Banking on another miracle run while digging an even deeper hole early seems like wishful thinking rather than sound strategy.
Furthermore, the psychological impact of a prolonged losing streak cannot be understated. Confidence erodes, mistakes compound, and a losing mentality can infiltrate even the most professional locker rooms. Young players begin to doubt their abilities, veterans press trying to force plays, and the entire operation becomes reactive rather than proactive. Breaking this cycle requires not just better execution but fundamental changes to systems, lineups, and possibly personnel.
The Blues’ special teams woes exacerbate their uphill battle. With a penalty kill ranked 26th and a power play that has failed to capitalize consistently, St. Louis surrenders too many goals while creating too few themselves in crucial situations. In a tight playoff race where games are often decided by one goal, special teams excellence separates contenders from pretenders.
Path forward for the St. Louis Blues amid their six-game losing streak
Despite the gloom surrounding Enterprise Center, solutions exist for the Blues to right the ship. The season remains young enough that October’s struggles need not define the campaign, but action must be swift and decisive. Montgomery must consider wholesale lineup changes, moving beyond the combinations that clearly aren’t working.
Starting with the forward group, Suter and Bjugstad need defined roles that maximize their strengths while minimizing exposure to situations where they’re liabilities. Bjugstad has shown he can be effective in a bottom-six role; keeping him there makes sense. Suter’s placement is more complex, but forcing him into top-six minutes when the chemistry isn’t there serves no one. Montgomery should consider demoting him temporarily, allowing both player and coach to reset expectations and rebuild confidence in a lower-pressure role.
On defense, the Blues must simplify their approach. The analytics reveal too many high-risk plays resulting in giveaways and odd-man rushes against. St. Louis possesses the personnel to execute a more conservative, puck-possession style that relies on smart outlet passes rather than individual rushes through the neutral zone. Parayko and Broberg, in particular, need to focus on defending first, with offensive contributions coming as secondary benefits rather than primary objectives.
The goaltending situation demands attention but offers no easy answers. Binnington has earned the benefit of the doubt based on past performance, but that grace period is rapidly expiring. Montgomery might consider giving Hofer an extended look despite his own struggles, if only to send a message that no position is safe during a losing streak. Sometimes a shakeup, even one that doesn’t immediately improve results, can jolt a team out of complacency.
Finally, the Blues need to examine their systems and structure. The penalty kill, in particular, requires urgent attention. At 70 percent efficiency, they’re essentially conceding a goal every three times they’re shorthanded. Adjustments to personnel, formation, or philosophy could help stem the bleeding. Similarly, the power play needs to generate more dangerous chances and convert at a higher rate to offset defensive deficiencies.
The St. Louis Blues six-game losing streak jeopardizing playoff contention represents more than a temporary setback. It exposes fundamental flaws in roster construction, defensive structure, and goaltending consistency that threaten to define their entire season. With the Central Division more competitive than ever, the margin for error has evaporated. Every game lost now requires two wins later just to break even in the standings race.
Yet hockey seasons are marathons, not sprints. Teams that start poorly can recover with the right adjustments and a bit of good fortune. The Blues have shown in the recent past that they possess the talent and character to overcome adversity—last season’s playoff push is proof of that. The question is whether they can identify and correct their current problems quickly enough to avoid the kind of deficit that becomes insurmountable. Montgomery and his staff face their biggest test yet, and how the Blues respond in the coming weeks will determine whether 2025-26 becomes a lost season or another chapter in this franchise’s storied history of resilience.
Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.