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In his signature voice, Tom Calhoun announced to the sellout crowd: “Blues goal! His first in the National Hockey League …�

At that moment on Tuesday, Enterprise Center sounded like 2019.

The cheers were so loud, you couldn’t really hear what was said next, though you didn’t need to.

Jimmy Snuggerud, the Blues' prize prospect, had just scored his first goal. And from a timing standpoint, it was the one of the biggest goals the whole season — it gave the Blues a huge 3-0 lead in the first period of a must-win (in regulation) game.

Next to me on press row, Post-Dispatch writer Matthew DeFranks said: “Loudest I’ve heard it all year.�

The Blues won, 6-1, against Utah. They're back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

And Jimmy finally scored. In his seventh game with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, the 20-year-old fresh out of college hockey netted his first goal, though not the traditional way.

“He probably didn't think he was going to kick his first goal — well, not kick, but have it go off his skate on the first one,� Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. “I told ‘Snuggie’ when I walked out (before the game), ‘If we win tonight and you score a goal, I owe you a Wagyu steak.’�

Word is they’re going to Annie Gunn’s.

Tuesday night at Enterprise Center was like a rock concert — say, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, since the Blues, yes, were “Takin’ Care Of Business.â€� Sure enough, that great Canadian band is set to play Winnipeg’s arena on Saturday, so we’ll see how that affects scheduling for the Blues’ first playoff game. Blues-Jets is happening again in the first round, just like in 2019. But it took a regulation win over Utah on Tuesday to clinch it for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. And the hockey that ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ played in the first period was relentless and resplendent.

Since the University of Minnesota season ended in the postseason tournament, Snuggerud has provided an instant jolt to the Blues — and a timely one, considering the injury to breakout player and fellow forward Dylan Holloway. “Jimmy Snipes,� as they call him on the radio show TMA, has fit right in. He’s intelligent with the puck and also has some flair. In seven games he has four points.

“He's come in and done a great job for us,� veteran defenseman Cam Fowler said. “You know, that's not an easy situation when people expect a lot from you and you're just getting used to the pro game and the pro style of hockey. He's taken his lumps and worked really hard and had an amazing game for us tonight — helped us get that victory. So I'm really happy for him. You know, he's a great kid. He obviously is living with Schenn, and that's not a bad guy to learn from, too, you know? On and off the ice.�

Regarding Snuggerud's first goal, Blues coach Jim Montgomery said: "I’m happy for him, genuinely happy for him. Because he's had a lot of opportunities. I'm actually surprised it took this long with the opportunities he's had, because he knows how to score. And it also was a big goal at the moment. …

“It’s such a great experience (for Snuggerud and fellow rookie Zack Bolduc) to understand the grind. And the mental grind — more than the physical grind that it takes to win battles, to win every foot of ice in this league in big moments. And being able to come through in big moments, it only gives them confidence. This is going to give us years of good vibes, because the experience of learning how to win, it's not easy to find that belief.�

Snuggerud actually almost scored earlier in the game. He had a breakaway. But his shot turned into an assist. It bounced off the goalie’s pad, right to a trailing Schenn, who scored this game’s first one.

“I knew he was a right shot,� Snuggerud said of the goalie’s stick. “So as a righty (myself), you can kind of, like, fiddle it under his stick. There's a little hole there. And I tried doing it, but just raised it a little bit. But luckily, Schenn was there for the rebound.�

Of his first goal, Snuggerud shared: “I got the chills a little bit.� He said with a grin that his unshaven look was the start of a playoff beard. And asked how he seems like things don’t faze him, he deadpanned: “Media training.�

And as for living with Schenn, who is the team's captain and, of course, a 2019 Stanley Cup champion, “It's kind of like a dream, honestly. Being able to have him kind of as my idol right now, just looking up to him and seeing what he does as a player, because he's such a special person, but he's even better hockey player, so I'm really fortunate. …

“And you grew up watching hockey. It's just the dream goal to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And, you know, to have this group in here to do it with, it's so special. And it should be a fun upcoming few weeks.�

Jimmy can have his steak and eat it, too.