Jake Neighbours making the most of opportunity in Blues lineup

Good issues appear to occur for his son, Jake Neighbours, when he’s in attendance.

On his remaining night time in St. Louis earlier than going again residence to Canada following the Blues’ dads journey over the weekend, Ed watched the Blues beat the Sabres 6-4 on Thursday night time and watched as Jake notched his second multi-goal recreation within the NHL. Each got here within the final week with dad round.

“May need to ask him to maneuver in or one thing,” Jake stated after Thursday’s recreation. “Could also be my good luck appeal.”

Not solely was Ed within the constructing for Jake’s newest two-goal efficiency, however he was on tv on Bally Sports activities Midwest being interviewed by Andy Strickland as Jake scored his first objective of the night, a rebound on a shot he initially tipped on Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

So it arrange distinctive circumstance the place Ed might look at his son’s objective in actual time on stay TV.

What did Jake consider the evaluation?

“I might say it was poor, truly,” Jake stated. “Not one of the best. He might have broke it down a bit of bit higher.”

Whenever you’re main the group in targets, these sorts of jokes may come a bit of simpler.

Neighbours has 9 targets this season, surging forward of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Brayden Schenn, who every have eight. Neighbours has scored seven targets within the final seven video games, because the Blues teaching workers has fed him increasingly more duty.

He’s been elevated to the highest line with Thomas and Buchnevich. He’s on the primary energy play unit on the net-front. Within the final two video games at Minnesota (20:47) and towards Buffalo (20:05), he’s crept above the 20-minute mark, the one two instances in his NHL profession he’s obtained that a lot ice time.

“It’s simply not the targets, it’s the little issues,” Schenn stated. “He’s blocking photographs, successful battles, taking part in a group recreation and that’s a man when he comes within the lineup, he can play anyplace, and he’s getting an opportunity within the top-six, first line, and he’s taking advantage of it. I’m extraordinarily blissful for him.”

Neighbours started the season on the fourth line, contributing bodily on a line with bruisers like Alexey Toropchenko and Oskar Sundqvist. However because the Blues’ depth scoring got here and went, and as Brandon Saad, Kasperi Kapanen, Kevin Hayes and Jakub Vrana (even Jordan Kyrou) battled offensive lulls, Neighbours discovered increasingly more possibilities to contribute.

In his first full season within the NHL — in 2021-22, he break up between the NHL and WHL, and final season was break up between the NHL and AHL — Neighbours was entrusted with penalty killing duties.

Kyrou stated Neighbours has “been working his ass off, been placing pucks within the web.” Schenn stated “he’s been our greatest participant of late.”

“At first, while you begin taking part in with guys like Thomas and Buchnevich, you discuss to your self and also you virtually attempt to do issues for them,” Schenn stated. “Now, he’s doing issues for himself with them.”

Neighbours is benefitting from an awfully excessive 28.1% taking pictures share (46.7% within the final seven video games, that means virtually each different shot on objective is hitting the again of the online). However he’s additionally put himself in high-percentage conditions.

Towards Buffalo, he scored on a rebound on the objective mouth, after which on the push. In Chicago, he scored on the push and on the web, placing himself able to capitalize on Buchnevich’s forecheck. Towards Nashville, he tipped a shot on the web on an influence play.

“He had one other sturdy recreation, being round that web, energy play, too,” Blues coach Craig Berube stated. “He’s doing all of the little issues proper, and it’s paying off for him, that’s for positive.”

Neighbours, a first-round decide in 2020 who remains to be simply 21 years previous, has been regarded as a flexible participant that may transfer up and down the lineup, however might settle right into a bottom-six position throughout his NHL profession. However is there a path for him to vary that projection, and place himself larger within the Blues’ future lineups?

“He’s nonetheless younger,” Schenn stated. “They clearly have a growth path for him and stuff like that. If he’s on the fourth line, if he’s on the primary line, neatest thing about him is the angle doesn’t change. He’s a team-first man that’s humble and he actually simply needs to win.”

With yet one more level, Neighbours will set a brand new profession excessive for factors in a season. Final yr, he had six targets and 4 assists in his 43 NHL video games.

“It’s nonetheless actually early within the season and I need to proceed to construct my recreation, and play a very good stretch of hockey for longer than simply no matter it’s been, eight or 9 video games,” Neighbours stated. “Simply persevering with to construct, persevering with to develop.”