How can the Blues fix their disappointing power play?

There was no question that the Blues needed to improve their special teams if they had any hope of making the postseason in the 2026-27 season. They put up a very poor 17.6% success rate (good for 26th in the league) on the Power Play throughout the entirety of the 2025-26 season, something that time and time again disappointed fans and players alike. Fixing the PP was something that was emphasized this Summer, but so far, we haven't seen any improvement in the young season.

2026-27 power play by the numbers

St. Louis has had 11 chances on the man advantage so far, and they've managed to score only once - a 9.1% success rate. It's also important to note that the one PPG they scored was at the end of the game against the Chicago Blackhawks when the Blues pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, making this a 6 on 4 instead of the typical 5 on 4. Taking that into account, the Blues have had about the worst start to the season on the Power Play imaginable. Is there anything the team can do to turn this around, or is this an early sign that we are in for another brutal season from the special teams?

Should the PP units see some shuffling?

Currently, Jim Montgomery has been using Adam Jiricek and Cam Fowler to "quarterback" the two PP units, and this is the first thing that jumps out as an area of potential improvement. Both players have left a lot to be desired, and swapping them out for Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg is something that could immediately improve the look of both units. Currently, the Blues' biggest problem with their 5 on 4 play is the lack of ability to get set up in the offensive zone. If you can't get the team set up in the offensive zone, it doesn't matter how good you are with the man advantage because you'll never see a scoring opportunity.

To fix this, moving the smooth skating and long reach of Colton Parayko could immediately help with keeping the puck inside the blue line when being sent around the boards during a board battle to establish possession in the offensive zone. That physical boost on top of the threat of his wicked slap shot could help create space for the other skilled skaters to generate genuine quality chances to put the puck in the net.

The same principle applies to the inclusion of Broberg in one of the units. At this point, every Blues fan knows how good Philip Broberg is, and his ability to find open teammates would be perfectly utilized on the man advantage to once again get a clean entry into the offensive zone and then spread out the defense to allow some clean looks at the net from guys like Jimmy Snuggerud or Mason McTavish.

Final thoughts

It's incredibly easy to fall into the trap of predicting the entire season off of the first few games, but it's important to remember we are 5 games in to an 84-game season. There will be ups and downs throughout the season and its incrediblt unlikely the Blues' PP stays below 10% much longer. As the coaching staff continues to make changes, it's only a matter of time before they land on a strategy that works with relative consistency. Right now all fans can do is take a deep breath and trust that this team and coaching staff can solve this. Based on the skill the Blues have up and down the lineup and the track record of the coaching staff, I like our chances to do so.