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Saad day for St. Louis; Blues veteran scores 500th point in 3-2 loss to Jets
ST. LOUIS — It took St. Louis Blues veteran Brandon Saad entered his 14th season in the NHL just one point away from the 500 career mark.
It took him until the final game of the Blues’ season-opening homestand but he finally crossed the mark with two goals during St. Louis’ 3-2 loss against the undefeated Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Enterprise Center.
“It's special, for sure,” Saad said. “It's something you kind of think about when you're one away. Obviously, you want to contribute to a win, but at the same time, that does feel good.”
Saad has 254 goals and 246 assists in his 857-game career. The 31-year-old was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011 and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2015.
Saad joins fellow Blues veterans Ryan Suter (682) and captain Brayden Schenn (637) in the ever-expanding 500-point club.
“He plays the game the right way, comes to the rink, and plays a solid 200-foot game every night,” Schenn said of Saad. “That's a lot of points, and it's well deserved. He's a guy that's really easy to play with. When you get a chance to play with him, he's north-south and goes to the net. It's a lot of points so it's a nice milestone for him.”
Saad reached the milestone in the first period when he scored his first goal of both the game and the season to the Blues a 1-0 lead.
“It's a team game, but it's fun to see those individual accomplishments,” Suter said of Saad.
Saad’s second goal came in the third period after the Jets blazed past the Blues with three goals scored in the second period. Cole Perfetti assisted on all three goals for Winnipeg, coming off the stick of Nino Niederreiter, Colin Miller, and Kyle Connor.
The Blues fell to the Jets despite having five more shots on goal than them and both teams shooting less than 30.
“When I look at the overall game, there were three maybe four chances that you'd like to see the guys be shooters instead of looking to pass,” Blues head coach Drew Bannister said. “But overall, I thought the guys had a shooting mentality and guys were around the net.”
Robert Thomas assisted in both of Saad's goals before exiting the game due to a lower-body injury. Bannister confirmed after the game that he had received X-rays later Tuesday night to further evaluate the injury.
The Jets continue to have had the Blues’ number, having won 10 of their last 12 meetings, dating back to the 2022-23 season. Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Vezina Trophy winner, recorded 27 saves to improve to 5-0 on the season. Hellebuyck is also 16-5-2 in his career against St. Louis.
Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for the Blues and is 1-3 on the season.
The Blues (4-3) travel to Toronto on Thursday to take on the Maple Leafs.