from Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

While the Blues toiled with the Jets in a Friday night thriller that tilted for good on another dominant third period that sent the Blues home from Winnipeg up 2-0 in this best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal, Armstrong offered a quick nod as he cruised by.

No need for comment.

His decisions are saying everything for him.

Ryan O’Reilly, his eye blackened by a scrum, shared between wins in Winnipeg that this is the best team he’s had. The Blues’ best all-around player would not have been there to say it without Armstrong trading for him this offseason. During a roller-coaster season that is now steadily climbing, O’Reilly has been the constant. Adding him looks smarter by the game, the latest example arriving Friday, when his third-period goal further dented the confidence of the former Vezina Trophy runner-up Connor Hellebuyck.

When Alex Pietrangelo reflected this week on his team’s rise, he mentioned the turn to interim coach Craig Berube as the switch that flipped the script. That plot twist was written by Armstrong. He saw the Blues were at risk of digging a hole too deep to escape. He decided he could not wait to see if this talented group he had assembled would mesh with former coach Mike Yeo. Hard decision. Right decision. Berube’s Blues have won more regular and postseason games (32) than any other team since Jan. 1.

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