How Jim Montgomery Explained Familiar Problem That Doomed Blues

Jim Montgomery’s first playoff experience with the Blues ended a lot like his first run with the Bruins did.

Montgomery once again was on the wrong side of a Game 7 collapse and overtime loss Sunday night when St. Louis lost a winner-take-all showdown to the Winnipeg Jets.

Montgomery’s team held a lead late in the third period before Winnipeg stormed back, including a history-making, game-tying goal with 1.7 seconds left on the clock in the third period. Adam Lowry’s game-winning goal punctuated the gut punch at 16:10 of the second overtime. Lowry’s goal sent the Jets to a second-round series with Dallas, while Montgomery’s abbreviated first run with the Blues came to its crashing end.

It probably was a familiar feeling for Montgomery, who in his first season with Boston experienced similar heartbreak. The Bruins led the Florida Panthers late in Game 7 of the first round in 2023 when the Panthers scored with one minute to play in regulation before winning in overtime.

“I’ve had a few painful ones. I’ve had overtime Game 7 losses; Any time your season ends, it’s painful,” Montgomery told reporters in his postgame press conference late Sunday night in Winnipeg. ” … It’s an area of our team that has not been good all year. It’s an area I have to get better at so our team is better next year at the pulled-goalie situation.”

That was a major issue for St. Louis this season. The Blues allowed three five-on-six goals in the playoffs, and no team allowed more goals in that situation during the regular season.

Granted, Montgomery took over on Nov. 25, so it’s not all his doing. But giving up goals not just late in games but late in periods was a major issue during most of his Boston run, too. Last season, Montgomery’s final full campaign behind the bench for the Black and Gold, the Bruins allowed 10 five-on-six goals. Only the Montreal Canadiens (12) allowed more in that situation. Going back to that Florida series in ’23, the Bruins allowed two five-on-six goals over seven games.

Pressed on the specific issue, a defensive Montgomery deflected Sunday night.

“I don’t want to continue to talk about the six-on-five,” he said. “Like I said, we’ll analyze it, we’ll get better, but right now, the season is over. We can analyze this at the end of the year.”

Presumably, that means Montgomery will go a little deeper on the topic at the Blues’ end-of-season media availability later this week. What is clear, though, is Montgomery will have to make solving this riddle that has flummoxed his teams in recent years one of his top priorities in his first offseason with St. Louis ahead of his first full season behind the bench next fall.