Blues' losing streak ends at five with 5-4 win over Panthers

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Jan 29, 2026

Published in Hockey

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ST. LOUIS — The Blues snapped their five-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Panthers on Thursday night at Enterprise Center.

Jimmy Snuggerud scored the game-winning goal with 7.6 seconds remaining in the third period on the power play, a one-timer from the circle that was his eighth goal of the season. The Blues were on the power play thanks to a late goaltender interference penalty called on Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola.

Five Blues scored goals — Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours, Jordan Kyrou, Jonatan Berggren and Oskar Sundqvist — while Matthew Tkachuk led the Panthers with his first two goals of the season.

The Blues finish their four-game home stand on Saturday night when they host the Blue Jackets, the team's final home game before next week's Olympic break.

Penalties galore

In the first two periods, there were 12 total minor penalties called, resulting in a disjointed and special teams-heavy game. In the second period, there was a stretch of four minors called in a 1:37 span that ended up with this sequence:

— 49 seconds of a Blues 5 on 4 power play

— 16 seconds of 4 on 4

— 32 seconds of a Panthers 4 on 3 power play

— 23 seconds of 3 on 3

— 49 seconds of a Panthers 4 on 3 power play

— 16 seconds of 4 on 4

— 32 seconds of s Blues 5 on 4 power play

Neither team scored, and each officially went 0 for 2 on the power play despite 1:21 of time on the man-advantage per team.

Dalibor Dvorsky took two penalties with the Blues on the power play, including a holding the stick penalty in the first period while St. Louis had a 5 on 3 power play. Dvorsky's second-period tripping penalty negated another Blues power play.

The Panthers, meanwhile, did what they could with their uninterrupted power play opportunities. Sam Reinhart scored his 27th goal of the season at 9:22 of the first period, capitalizing 19 seconds into Nathan Walker's tripping penalty in the neutral zone drawn by Brad Marchand.

Tkachuk's goal with 1:21 left in the second period was the Panthers' second power-play goal of the evening, and marked the fifth time in the last seven games that the Blues penalty kill allowed multiple goals. During that span, the PK allowed 11 total goals.

No more doubts

The Blues entered Thursday with three players who were game-time decisions: Neighbours, Kyrou and Sundqvist. All three of them scored against the Panthers.

After A.J. Greer scored to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead, Neighbours answered with his 13th goal of the season 1:34 later to tie the game at 1. Logan Mailloux's breakout pass skimmed Kyrou's stick, then bounced off Gustav Forsling to Pavel Buchnevich, whose rink-wide pass sprung Neighbours on a breakaway.

Kyrou gave the Blues a 2-1 lead at 7:51 of the first period thanks to Philip Broberg's effort defensively. Broberg stepped into the neutral zone to pick off a stretch pass from Carter Verhaeghe, then skated the puck into the Florida zone before dropping off a pass for Kyrou.

Sundqvist struck 41 seconds into the second period, skating the puck through center ice and releasing a shot from the top of the circles that handcuffed Daniil Tarasov and trickled into the net.

All three players participated in optional Blues morning skate on Tuesday and were healthy enough to play, meaning Matt Luff and Hugh McGing were reassigned to AHL affiliate Springfield just hours after they were recalled.

Sundqvist was activated from injured reserve on Tuesday afternoon before the game after missing four games with a skate cut above his ankle. Neighbours and Kyrou both exited Tuesday's game against Dallas with injuries.

Right at home

Tkachuk, the St. Louis native, must have saved his goals for his return home. Tkachuk's two goals on Thursday were his first of the season after missing the first 47 games due to injuries suffered in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year.

Tkachuk scored his first goal with 3:08 remaining in the second period, a nifty finish on his backhand on Hofer. He struck about two minutes later on the power play to tie the game at 4.