Blues Beat Detroit, Start Season 1-0
The anticipation was building before the game, and the Blues didn’t disappoint. As 2:00 neared, Blues fans everywhere were excited, and everyone expected the team to come out and play an exciting game. Well, they did, and they did it against the rival Detroit Red Wings which makes it even better. The Blues won 4-3 and played an overall solid game to start off the season 1-0. Even though the majority of the crowd was made up of Red Wings fans, Blues fans could be heard. Early in the first period there was a “Let’s Go Blues!” chant, and later in the game, Blues Nation was heard screaming “Ossssgooooooooood” just like old times.
The Blues grabbed the lead early in the first when Jay McClement went to the front of the net, retrieved a pass from Brad Winchester and pounded it home past Chris Osgood. The Red Wings then scored three goals in a row, but the Blues showed that they still play harder than any team in the league because they never give up. That was the case again today, when they countered with three unanswered goals – two by Paul Kariya – and shut down Detroit in the 3rd period by holding them to zero goals and only nine shots to hang on and get the win.
My three stars of the game:
1.) The 4th-line: They combined for two goals, two assists, 10 faceoffs won, and they did their job by holding the Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Franzen line to zero points. The Blues’ line of Steen-McClement-Crombeen was excellent. They are the “shut-down line” and Andy Murray tries to put them out on the ice against Detroit’s top guys as much as possible, and rightfully so. They do a tremendous job defensively, and they also put up some points on the board, so what more could you really ask for? The fact that they are on the 4th-line is amazing in itself, because they would be 3rd-liners on the majority of other teams. Huge props to these three guys. They did great, as always.
2.) Paul Kariya: He scored two goals in his first game back to help the Blues to a huge win. He was flying out there and looked fast as ever, and man, how nice it is to have this guy back in the lineup? He can shoot and pass and is still a very dangerous offensive player. He improves our team a ton. Welcome back Paulie!
3.) Chris Mason: He was very steady in goal for the Blues. He stopped 31 of 34 shots (with half of those shots coming in the first period), and the goals he allowed really weren’t even his fault. Mason made two dazzling saves to rob both Johan Franzen and Dan Cleary of goals. Great game by Chris Mason as he really deserved to pickup the win.
I was waiting for this game for months, and the Blues didn’t let me down. They played a very good game, and to come back and win after being down 3-1 to the Wings is impressive. In the first period they started off a little rusty, but that’s expected. They really played sound the rest of the way and took care of business. They allowed 16 shots against in the first period, and only 18 shots in the 2nd and 3rd periods combined. This Blues team has a ton of talent, and they will be fun to watch. This game is proof that the Blues will be a real force in the Western Conference.
Up Next…
The Blues and Red Wings meet for the second and final game of this Sweden ‘series’ as the Blues look to steal another one from Detroit.
The Blues’ lines and defensive pairings will stay the same, but backup goalie and former Red Wing, Ty Conklin, will make the start as the Blues give Mason the day off. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does against his former ‘mates. He gives the Blues another good option in net after Chris Mason, so I feel good about the Blues’ goaltending tandem this year.
The Red Wings will also be starting their backup, Jimmy Howard, so it should be another interesting game. One lineup change to report from Detroit’s perspective is that defenseman Derek Meech could start in place of Jonathan Ericsson, who was injured in yesterday’s game and is questionable today.
It’s 1:30, so tune in to FS-Midwest for the pregame show as we get ready for the puck to drop in 30 minutes. Go Blues!