ST. LOUIS – For the second time in 10 days, the St. Louis Blues were implementing a part of their future right smack, dab in the middle of a playoff race.
And a winning streak.
First, it was Dalibor Dvorsky, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft making his debut in a 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators on March 23. On Tuesday in a 2-1 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings, it was Jimmy Snuggerud, the No. 23 pick in the 2022 draft who signed his three-year, entry-level contract on Friday, had one practice on Monday and was thrown right into the fire, and enjoyed every bit of it.
“It was fun. So exciting,” Snuggerud said. “The rink was so energetic. Everything about the game, the comeback at the end, it was an awesome game.
“I felt like we snuck one out there at there at the end, and it was fun to be a part of.”
Snuggerud, who played 10:43 and was a minus-1, didn’t factor in the scoring by Jordan Kyrou in the final 30 seconds of regulation and by Cam Fowler in overtime, looks like he belongs.
The 20-year-old wasn’t overwhelmed by jumping into the middle of a nine-game winning streak that turned to 10 with the dramatic win.
Snuggerud had two shots on goal, including one in the first period from the right circle trying to beat Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot on the short side, but it was created by his awareness in the neutral zone to knock a puck down, push it into the zone before getting it back for the opportunity.
It was a subtle, little play that turned into multiple plays of the kind in which the forward did what he was supposed to do in a team concept of working off the puck to create opportunities.
“You're simulating what you think it's going to be and then you actually get out there and it's a whole different level of hockey,” Snuggerud said. “It's honestly fun to get that first game in and see the pace. It was nice to win with the guys.”
Snuggerud played on a line with Oskar Sundqvist and Zack Bolduc, who eventually flipped spots with Jake Neighbours.
“I thought he was really good," Montgomery said. “I thought he made smart plays. I didn't think he over-complicated the game and he made plays on first-touch. That's a real good sign of a hockey player with really good hockey sense. I thought he acquitted himself well in his first game in the NHL and I was very confident putting him over the boards.”
Snuggerud played 15 shifts, which included 1:49 of power play time. There was one giveaway in the game, but that’s OK, all things considered.
“I think he did a really nice job,” Fowler said. “Coming in at this point in the season, fresh out of college, that's not an easy thing for anybody to do. But he stepped in, you could see his poise with the puck and how strong he was in the corners. So I thought he did a nice job and he'll only get better with time and he'll only get more comfortable, and I think you'll see a lot more out of him.”
Montgomery was confident enough to use Snuggerud late in the game down a goal, and ...
