Blues set franchise record with 12 consecutive victories, best in NHL this season

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ask coach Jim Montgomery about the St. Louis Blues' franchise-best 12-game winning streak and he'll give you a succinct answer.

“It means we’re good,” Montgomery said after Saturday night's 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche extended the longest winning streak in the NHL this season. "We’re a good hockey team.”

The Blues are 18-2-2 since the 4 Nations Face-Off break and have climbed into the first wild-card position in the Western Conference with the most wins (18) and points (38) by any team in the NHL in that span.

"The boys are rolling,” said Zach Bolduc, who scored two-power play goals against Colorado. “The whole team is playing well. It’s fun to be a part of it. We’ve just got to keep it going.”

The team's longest previous win streak of 11 games came during the 2018-19 season when St. Louis went on to win the Stanley Cup. Jordan Binnington was a starting goaltender as a rookie that season.

He stopped 35 shots on Saturday and matched the franchise-record home win streak for a goaltender at 10.

“It’s very cool. It’s good to enjoy these moments, especially at home,” Binnington said. “It’s really fun to play here right now and you can tell there’s good energy all around. At the same time, we’ve got to focus and keep looking forward while we’re here.”

What Montgomery likes best is how his club is focusing on each game. There is no talking about the streak or what players are out because of injury.

That has been the key.

“I think staying in the moment, just worrying about our next game and getting prepared for it,” Montgomery said. "Our day-to-day habits have been excellent. Not discussing where we are in the standings and not talking about who’s injured. We haven’t talked about any of them once as a group together.”

The Blues are without Colton Parayko, who hurt his knee March 5 against the Kings in Los Angeles. He had a scope procedure afterward.

In 62 games this season, Parayko has scored a career-high 15 goals and has 35 points. They’ve gone 13-1-1 without him.

Dylan Holloway is also out and is listed as week to week with a lower-body injury. He has 26 goals and 37 assists in 77 games.

“I am proud of that group in there to be able to overcome all of the adversity that we’ve had this year, whether that was self-inflicted by us,” Montgomery said. "It doesn’t matter. We’ve overcome it. I’m proud of that group for what they’ve achieved.”

It's been a total team effort, Pavel Buchnevich said.

"It’s not just who scores the goals. It’s a full team shift in, shift out and it’s hard to play against us,” Buchnevich said. “We play for each other right now and sacrifice for the team.”

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St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, right, stops a shot off the stick of Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

St. Louis Blues right wing Alexey Toropchenko, left, congratulates goaltender Jordan Binnington after an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

St. Louis Blues left wing Pavel Buchnevich is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)