HC Jim Montgomery makes his thoughts crystal clear on 'lack of urgency' in Blues' 2-1 loss to Blue Jackets

St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery made his thoughts clear after his team lost 2-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. It was the Blues’ third defeat in the last four games. Montgomery said the team’s lack of urgency was the main issue.

“The lack of urgency in our group is what’s hurting us in our consistency,” Montgomery said after the game, via STL Today. “You look at the way we came out against Anaheim, there was a direct purpose to what we were doing. Tonight, there was not. It was a wait-and-see.

"That urgency, us fearing losing, is something that’s got to become part of our fiber if we’re going to get to the consistent level we want to be at.”

The Blues struggled early as they gave up nine turnovers and were outshot 11-9 in the first period, followed by 15-8 in the second period. They recovered in the third both defensively and offensively, outshooting the Jackets 15-4 but it was too late. The Blues couldn't find an opportunity to score and tie the game to force overtime.

Montgomery stressed the importance of being mentally prepared.

“Mentally, you have to fear losing,” Montgomery said.

“You’ve got to really fear and respect this league or it’ll humble you. We got humbled a lot. It’s a mental preparation thing that we’ve just got to be able to come to games and this is the way we start games, this is the way we start the second, this is the way we finish the second.”

Montgomery took responsibility for the team’s performance. The loss left the Blues with a 20-20-4 record and fifth in the Central Division, nine points short of a wild-card spot. Montgomery knows the team must play more consistently to make the playoffs.

Jim Montgomery's Blues gave up an early lead and missed the win over CBJ

Adam Fantilli gave Columbus a 1-0 lead in the first period with a goal off a pass from Kirill Marchenko. In the second period, Cole Sillinger made it 2-0 with a power-play goal, assisted by James van Riemsdyk.

Jim Montgomery's St. Louis Blues scored late in the game, with Colton Parayko finding the net on a power play with 10.5 seconds left. Despite a strong push in the third period, the Blues couldn’t tie the game. Jet Greaves made 31 saves for Columbus, nearly earning a shutout.