Blues HC Jim Montgomery praises 'awesome' penalty kill in win over Panthers

St. Louis kills off a double-minor penalty in the third period to spark a comeback victory

Jan. 30, 2026 at 7:31am

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The St. Louis Blues ended their five-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers, with head coach Jim Montgomery crediting the team's penalty kill as the turning point. The Blues killed off a double-minor penalty in the third period without allowing a single shot, which Montgomery said "gave us life" and sparked their late-game heroics, including a game-winning goal with just 9 seconds remaining.

Why it matters

The Blues' penalty kill has been a weakness this season, ranking 29th in the NHL. Their ability to shut down the Panthers' power play in a crucial moment shows the team's resilience and ability to overcome adversity, which could be a turning point in their season as they look to climb back into playoff position.

The details

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with the Panthers taking an early 1-0 lead before the Blues responded with two quick goals. The Panthers tied it at 2-2 with a power-play goal, and Matthew Tkachuk scored twice to make it 4-4 in the third period. But the Blues killed off a double-minor penalty at 11:01 of the third, an "astonishing feat" given their league-low penalty kill. That effort, according to Montgomery, "gave us life" and led to the game-winning goal by Jimmy Snuggerud with just 9 seconds remaining.

  • The Blues killed off the double-minor penalty at 11:01 of the third period.
  • Snuggerud scored the game-winning goal with just 9 seconds remaining.

The players

Jim Montgomery

Head coach of the St. Louis Blues.

Jake Neighbours

Blues forward who scored a goal in his return from a lower-body injury.

Jordan Kyrou

Blues forward who scored a goal and had two assists in the game.

Matthew Tkachuk

Panthers forward who scored two goals, including one on the power play, and recorded his 400th career assist.

Jimmy Snuggerud

Blues forward who scored the game-winning goal with 9 seconds remaining.

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What they’re saying

“We had already given up two power-play goals. The effort by our penalty killers was awesome. The response by our fans was awesome, and it gave us life.”

— Jim Montgomery, Head Coach, St. Louis Blues (clutchpoints.com)

What’s next

The Blues will look to carry this momentum into their next game on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The takeaway

The Blues' resilient penalty kill in a crucial moment proved to be the catalyst for their comeback win over the Panthers, showcasing the team's ability to overcome adversity and potentially turning a corner in their season.