Jaden Schwartz: “These games are huge, so this is the funnest part of the year”

Toronto Maple Leafs v St. Louis Blues

The Blues are winding down their 2016-17 schedule and with it comes added pressure with each passing game. Despite that added pressure and the need to pick up as many points as possible to secure a playoff spot, the Blues are still trying to have some fun and build on what’s working.

Jaden Schwartz spoke with STLToday and discussed his thoughts on his and the team’s approach to closing out the year.

“It’s a desperate time of the year. I mean these games are huge, so this is the funnest part of the year. It’s easy to get up for these games and we’re executing and sticking to our game plan. We’re just playing a good all-around team game and guys are excited. We knew we were going to have to play our best hockey down the stretch. We’re taking every game one game at a time and we’re building our game day by day. Once you put a few together, you get a little confidence.”

That’s the type of attitude you want to hear from a player during a playoff push, but it’s even more important to hear that from Schwartz as he continues to battle through an ugly scoring slump. It’s a stressful time of the year for hockey fans, but it’s great to hear the overall sense of confidence from the roster.

Schwartz has just one goal since January 21st. That’s a brutal stretch loaded with glorious chances squandered with missed shots and some crazy bad luck. Thankfully for Schwartz and the Blues, his extended slump has been easy to forgive as the team continues to rattle off big wins at a critical stage of the season.

Arrow to top