ST. LOUIS – It’s been tough times over there for a while for veteran St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad.
The 32-year-old wasn’t producing like he usually does, but not only wasn’t he producing, he wasn’t making an impact on the ice.
Blues coach Jim Montgomery, who helped coach Saad in 2021-22 before leaving him to coach the Boston Bruins, knows what kind of player this is, but he sent the message that his game wasn’t good enough, making it a good scratch. starting Dec. 14 against the Dallas Stars for what would be three of the next six games.
But Saad would eventually return to the Blues’ lineup and top line after toiling on the fourth line, mixing in some third-line minutes before being elevated to the top line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich.
All the work he had put in came to fruition Friday with a natural hat trick in a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, the third of his career, the first with the Blues and the first hat trick since October 5, 2017 with the Chicago Blackhawks in a 10-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Since the break, I started feeling better and better with each match,” Saad said. “I felt like it was just a matter of time, so tonight was for sure.”
Saad did not take the demotion lightly. You can believe everything a coach reveals, but ultimately it wasn’t good enough, so Saad heeded his coach’s words that he was in the right areas of the ice and regaining good thanks.
“I don’t know. I think it’s an accumulation of things,” Saad said. “Obviously you get frustrated over time. Obviously, no one wants to do that. There’s a lot of things that lead up to it, but I’m happy to be back playing well.
“Clear your mind a little. I’ve had a lot of success personally in this league and I just didn’t overthink things and let them flow, to get that confidence back.
Conversations with coach Jim Montgomery must have been a life lesson.
“Yeah. He sat down, I don’t know, healthy, I don’t know, right before Christmas,” Montgomery said. “And then you have to wait for the opportunity and the opportunity presents itself because of injury or illness Then he came back into the lineup, started on the fourth line and we could see him, I could see a difference in his determination in that game on the 27th.thand he just got better, and now he’s progressed just because he was playing so well, and for that Thomas line, they had a history of success. I’m happy for him, because he’s a great example for the rest of our team. As a group, we will face adversity. As people facing adversity, what do you do? Do you sit back and moan or do you go back to work and go back and that’s to his credit and his attitude. This is a great example for every person in our room and for our organization.
His teammates understood Saad’s frustrations, knowing full well that he should be playing instead of worrying about his job, and are sincerely satisfied.
“It’s great. The game has so much emotion,” Blues defenseman Ryan Suter said of Saad. “You’re up, you’re down, then you’re out of the lineup, you’re back in and you get a hat trick. So many emotions throughout the year. It’s great to see.
Saad touches more pucks thanks to his determination to be in the right place at the right time and use his skating skills and speed.
“Yes. Not only does he get to the right areas, but he makes all the supporting plays that have made him such a good player in this league for a long time,” Montgomery said. “There’s a reason he has won two Cups in Chicago.”
Saad had his longest streak without scoring (19 games) before going on a rampage on Friday. He had no points in 10 games and only two points in 19 games. Trying to get anything out of him was frustrating.
Saad hasn’t scored since Nov. 14 in Buffalo, but he’s already doubled the Blues’ lead to 2-0 at 15:50 of the first period thanks to a terrific individual effort to win a loose puck from Nick Jensen:
“At first I was thinking about forechecking, then I saw I had a slow start to get there,” Saad said. “I was getting closer and closer, I felt like I could beat (Jensen) and obviously it worked out well.”
A goal that Montgomery appreciated.
“It’s the best example that anyone could have, that there’s another level of confidence in him, in his confidence and also in what we’re trying to accomplish here as a team,” he said. he declared.
Saad, Buchnevich and Thomas worked their magic once again by converting Buchnevich’s shot from the left circle, taking Anton Foreberg a little by surprise:
“A hard-working guy, very competitive, always in battles, around the net,” Buchnevich said. “Happy for him, he scored three goals today, but in the Winter classiche played very well too. Happy for him.
And the hat-trick goal, scored on a 2-on-1 with Alexandre Texier and the bar lowered:
“I told ‘Tex’ I really wanted this one, so I’m happy it went in,” Saad said.
The hats fell as soon as the puck went in:
“It’s a special moment,” Saad said. “I think any time you’re away, you don’t want to take anything for granted. Seeing that tonight was definitely a special night for me.
Maybe the Blues and Saad can work things out and regain that trust. Montgomery does his part; it’s time for Saad to do the same.
