SEATTLE — For a month, Brayden Schenn tried to stay patient.
As he endured the worst offensive stretch of his career that has spanned more than 900 NHL games, Schenn preached working his way out of it. He went 12 games without a point and 16 games without a goal. As the calendar flipped to 2024, Schenn grappled with the first half-season of his captaincy that featured a fired head coach and his worst offensive output since he was a rookie.
Now, Schenn doesn’t have to bear those burdens.
With eight points in his past eight games, Schenn more closely resembles the player who has averaged 56 points a season in his career. During the Blues’ 4-3 overtime win over the Canucks on Wednesday night, Schenn scored the overtime winner to run the Blues win streak to three games and extend his goal streak to a matching three-game roll.
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“I didn’t love my first 30 games,†Schenn said. “Obviously a lot going on with our team and whatever else. Right now, just got to focus on simplifying, which I have a little bit. Still feel I can be better, but I feel like I’m building my game.â€
On Tuesday in Calgary, Schenn helped turn the tide with his first career shorthanded goal, a breakaway late in the second period that set the stage for a strong third period by ºüÀêÊÓƵ. (Asked after the game how that could be his first shorty, he responded, “I’m at a loss for words. I don’t even know. I didn’t even know that until tonight.â€)
On Saturday against Washington, Schenn scored on a delayed penalty by ripping a one-timer.
Schenn now has 12 goals and 12 assists in 46 games this season, which would still be on pace for his lowest production in a decade, but his uptick has the Blues optimistic.
“The Brayden Schenn I’ve come to know is he’s a character guy that comes to work,†Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said after the Calgary win. “He wants to win hockey games. He wants to improve his game. He wants to help the team. I think early on, he was struggling with his game, and eventually, that can wear on a guy. Over the last two games, we’ve seen why he’s wearing the captain’s ‘C,’ and he’s led the way.â€
Recently, Bannister has also entrusted Schenn with a role he hasn’t often had throughout his career: He’s part of the first wave of penalty killers for the Blues.
Most of the year, Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich have been the first forwards on the ice for a PK, joined by Colton Parayko and Nick Leddy. But beginning with the Jan. 18 game in Washington, Schenn has paired with Thomas as the first forwards on the ice.
Some of it relates to faceoffs. With right-handed Thomas and left-handed Schenn, the Blues have a center on the ice who can take a draw on their strong side, regardless of the faceoff location. But Bannister also said, “I just think he deserves it.â€
“He’s been starting to build his game, but I think his last two games have been outstanding,†Bannister said Tuesday. “At the end of the day, if you’re going to come and play that way, you deserve the ice time, and he’s going to get the ice time.â€
In the past four games, Schenn has averaged 1:47 of ice time while shorthanded. His career high across an entire season is 45 seconds per game, which was set last season.
“I think we have a lot of good penalty killers in our room,†Schenn said. “I feel when I’m at my best, I play 200 feet, all situations. I’ve PK’d in the past for us here, more on the 2-3 role a little bit. Whenever my name gets called, you go out there and try and do the job.â€
Schenn’s resurgence has coincided with strong games from his two linemates: Jake Neighbours and Brandon Saad.
Saad had two goals during the win over the Flames, including the game winner in the final minute of the third period. Neighbours had a goal and an assist in Vancouver, setting the tone offensively for the Blues in the first period.
Bannister said, “Schenner’s line’s been real good over the last three or four games here for us,†adding that Neighbours was “unreal†against the Canucks. Schenn agreed.
“He’s been solid all year,†Schenn said. “He’s a guy that gets in and around the net, creates offense like that. Not only that, on the other side of the puck, a couple big blocks, winning his battles, protecting the puck against big (Nikita) Zadorov. He’s doing a lot of good things, just not scoring goals. Having a ton of fun playing with him. The three of us are trying to read off each other. It’s not a flashy game we play, but he’s getting rewarded for it.â€
The Blues enter Friday’s game in Seattle looking for their first four-game win streak of the season and hunting for another win against a Western Conference team on the playoff bubble.
“I think since Christmastime, we’ve really dug in against the good teams and played them hard and played well,†Schenn said.â€You’re not going to win every night, but we feel like when we play to our game and stick to our structure, we hang in there with teams and games go either way.â€
Blues 4, Canucks 3 (OT)
ºüÀêÊÓƵ 2 0 1 1 — 4
Vancouver 0 0 3 0 — 3
First ±Ê±ð°ù¾±´Ç»å—1, ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Neighbours 15 (Thomas), 13:14. 2, ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Buchnevich 14 (Neighbours, Thomas), 14:57 (pp). ±Ê±ð²Ô²¹±ô³Ù¾±±ð²õ—Juulsen, VAN (Delay of Game), 14:38.
Second ±Ê±ð°ù¾±´Ç»å—None. ±Ê±ð²Ô²¹±ô³Ù¾±±ð²õ—Neighbours, STL (Cross Checking), 3:55; Kuzmenko, VAN (High Sticking), 6:23.
Third ±Ê±ð°ù¾±´Ç»å—3, Vancouver, Suter 10 (Hughes, Boeser), 1:00. 4, ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Toropchenko 7 (Hayes, Walker), 1:41. 5, Vancouver, Suter 11 (Boeser), 5:42 (pp). 6, Vancouver, Suter 12 (Hronek, Hughes), 19:08. ±Ê±ð²Ô²¹±ô³Ù¾±±ð²õ—Parayko, STL (Cross Checking), 4:32; Krug, STL (Cross Checking), 16:09.
°¿±¹±ð°ù³Ù¾±³¾±ð—7, ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Schenn 12 (Leddy), 1:54. ±Ê±ð²Ô²¹±ô³Ù¾±±ð²õ—None.
Shots on Goal—ºüÀêÊÓƵ 6-5-5-1—17. Vancouver 6-10-14-1—31.
Power-play opportunities—ºüÀêÊÓƵ 1 of 3; Vancouver 1 of 3.
³Ò´Ç²¹±ô¾±±ð²õ—ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Hofer 7-8-0 (32 shots-29 saves). Vancouver, DeSmith 7-3-3 (18-14).
´¡â€”19,003 (18,910). °Õ—2:28.