St. Louis won because its second- and third-period outscoring of 6β2 erased a three-goal deficit, driven by Snuggerud's 4-point night and a 31-23 shot advantage that Pittsburgh's 21 giveaways made inevitable.
β‘TURNING POINT
Snuggerud's power-play conversion at 15:49 of the second period tied the game 4-4 and wiped out Pittsburgh's last buffer, forcing the Penguins to win rather than protect. After surrendering a three-goal lead to reach a tie, Pittsburgh's structural vulnerabilities β 21 giveaways and an inferior shot volume β became fatal rather than manageable.
πWHY STL WON (ranked by impact β most decisive first)
1
Puck possession and shot volume: 31 shots to Pittsburgh's 23 β sustained offensive pressure across the final two periods denied Pittsburgh the low-event game a protecting team needs.
2
Snuggerud's individual output: 2G 2A, +2, including the pivotal PP goal β one player generated 4 of St. Louis's 7 goals directly or through primary assists, tilting every critical sequence.
3
Holloway's third-period execution: 2G 1A, 5 shots on goal, 19:02 TOI β his two third-period goals, both assisted by Snuggerud, converted momentum into a closed game.
πWHY PIT LOST (ranked by impact β biggest failure first)
1
Giveaways: 21 to St. Louis's 15 β Pittsburgh handed the Blues repeated transition opportunities in the periods when the lead required protecting.
2
Power play: 0-for-2 (0.0%) β Pittsburgh twice failed to convert with the man advantage, leaving points on the board that would have restored the lead and changed game state.
3
Shot suppression: Pittsburgh allowed 31 shots against while generating only 23 β the Penguins could not sustain the territorial control that built their first-period lead.
Three Stars
Jimmy Snuggerud1st
STL, R
2G 2A 4PSOG 3+21 PPG
His power-play equaliser at 4-4 removed Pittsburgh's final safety margin and his two assists in the third period directly produced the decisive goals.
Dylan Holloway2nd
STL, L
2G 1A 3PSOG 5+2TOI 19:02
Holloway's two third-period goals converted St. Louis's momentum into an insurmountable lead within 44 seconds of each other.
Oskar Sundqvist3rd
STL, C
1G 0A 1PSOG 14 hitsTOI 12:30
Sundqvist's goal at 4:51 of the second period immediately answered Pittsburgh's 4-3 lead and his physical play β game-high 4 hits β set the tone for the Blues' second-period takeover.
