ST. LOUIS – Times were tough there for a stretch for veteran St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad.
The 32-year-old wasn’t producing like he normally does, but not just not producing, he wasn’t making an impact on the ice.
Blues coach Jim Montgomery, who helped coach Saad in 2021-22 prior to leaving to become the coach of the Boston Bruins, knows what kind of player this is but sent a message that his play wasn’t good enough, making him a healthy scratch beginning Dec. 14 against the Dallas Stars for what would be three of the next six games.
But Saad would eventually make his way back into the lineup, and onto the Blues’ 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 of the work he had put in came to fruition on Friday with a natural hat trick in a 4-0 win against the Ottawa Senators, the third of his career, first with the Blues and first hat trick since Oct. 5, 2017 with the Chicago Blackhawks in a 10-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Ever since break, I started to feel better and better every game,” Saad said. “I felt like it was only a matter of time, so tonight felt good for sure.”
Saad didn’t take the demotion lightly. You can believe all the fluff a coach discloses, but the bottom line is it wasn’t good enough, so Saad heeded his coach’s words of being in the right areas of the ice and working himself back into good graces.
“I don’t know. I think it’s a buildup of things,” Saad said. “Obviously you get frustrated over time. Obviously sitting out games, no one wants to do that. There’s a bunch of things that leads to it, but I’m happy to be back now playing well.
“Clearing your mind a little bit. I’ve had a lot of success personally in this league and kind of just not overthinking things and letting it flow, getting that confidence back.”
The conversations with coach Jim Montgomery had to be a life lesson.
“Yes. He sat out, I don’t know, healthy scratch, I don’t know, right before Christmas,” Montgomery said. “And then you’ve got to wait for opportunity and opportunity came due to injury and illness. Then he got back in the lineup, started on the fourth line and we could see it, I could see a difference in his determination in that game on the 27th, and he’s just gotten better, and now he moved up just because he was playing so well, and to that Thomas line, they’ve had a history of success. I’m happy for him, because it’s a great example for the rest of our team. As a group, we’re going to face adversity. As people in life who face adversity, what do you do? Do you sit and moan or do you go back and work and work your way back and that’s a credit to him and his attitude. It’s a great example for every individual in our room and our organization.”
Teammates understood the frustrations of Saad, knowing full well he should be playing instead of worrying about his job and are genuinely pleased.
“It’s awesome. The game has so many emotions,” Blues defenseman Ryan Suter said of Saad. “You’re up, you’re down and then you’re out of the lineup, you’re back in, you get a hat trick. Just so many emotions throughout the year. It’s awesome to see.”
Saad is touching more pucks due to his determination to be in the right places at the right times, and using his skating abilities and speed.
“Yes. He’s not only getting to the right areas, but he’s making all the support plays that has made him such a good player in this league for a long time,” Montgomery said. “There’s a reason why he’s won two Cups in Chicago.”
Saad went through his longest stretch without scoring (19 games) before unleashing on Friday. He had no points in 10 games and just two points in 19 games. Trying to get anything out of him was frustrating.
Saad hasn’t scored since Nov. 14 at Buffalo, but once he doubled the Blues’ lead to 2-0 at 15:50 of the first period with a tremendous individual effort winning a loose puck from Nick Jensen:
“I was thinking forecheck at first and then I saw I got a slow start to get to it,” Saad said. “Closer and closer I got to it, I felt like I could beat [Jensen] and obviously it worked out well.”
A goal that had Montgomery appreciating.
“That is the best example that you can have, that there is another level of belief in himself in his confidence and also in what we’re trying to accomplish here as a team,” he said.
Saad, Buchnevich and Thomas made their magic work again when he converted Buchnevich’s feed from the left circle, catching Anton Foreberg a bit off guard:
“Hard-working guy, great compete, always in the battles, around the net,” Buchnevich said. “Happy for him he got three goals today, but in the Winter Classic, he played great too. Happy for him.”
And the hat trick goal, scored off a 2-on-1 with Alexandre Texier and scoring bar down:
“I told ‘Tex’ that I wanted that one pretty badly, so I’m happy it went in,” Saad said.
Hats came flying down once the puck went in:
“That’s a special moment,” Saad said. “I think any time you sit out, you don’t want to take anything for granted. To see that tonight, that was a special night for me for sure.”
Maybe the Blues and Saad can work things out and regain that trust. Montgomery is doing his part; time for Saad to do the same.
