Blues Shutout Devils, Raise Streak to Six

The St. Louis Blues (8-3-1) shutout the New Jersey Devils (6-4-2) in Newark tonight with a score of 1-0.  This was an important game for both teams, as a win paired with a loss from Nashville or Pittsburgh would move the Blues or Devils respectively to the top of their division.  At the end of the game the Nashville vs. Winnipeg matchup was headed to the third with Nashville down by one.  Winnipeg went on to win 3-1 which put the Blues at the number one spot in the Central Division.

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The game started with both teams having some early chances.  After four minutes the Devils got a break that Jake Allen managed to flip high.  The Devils took a few more shots until Allen took a tripping penalty that Vladimir Tarasenko served.  The Blues killed the penalty and even got a few shots off.  Following the penalty the Blues worked hard and kept control of the play.  In the final five minutes the Devils fought back and made plays of their own.  With three seconds left Devil Dainius Zubrus took a hooking penalty that would carry over to the second period with both teams even in shots.

The Blues moved the puck around a lot on the power play but only came out with one shot.  Once at even strength the Devils played a much more aggressive game.  At 5:15 Kevin Shattenkirk took an interference penalty to give the Devils their second power play.  The Devils controlled the puck for most of the power play but the Blues killed it.  The Devils carried the momentum which allowed Allen to prove his worth in the net.  At 11:12 Adam Larsson received a holding penalty to put the Blues on power play number two.  The Blues didn’t play it well and almost allowed the Devils a few shorthanded breaks.  The teams spent the remainder of the second trading possession although the Devils made better use of their chances and out shot the Blues.

The scoreboard at the Prudential Center in Newark after Tarasenko’s third period goal.

The beginning of the third was much of the same give and take play from earlier in the game.  At 4:38 Merick Zidlicky held Alexander Steen for a penalty and Tarasenko made the Devils pay after he scored on a shot from the Devil’s left dot.  At 9:09 Chris Porter tripped Larsson and gave the Devils their turn with a power play.  Despite some strong shots the Devils couldn’t capitalize.  The teams continued to battle late into the third and the Blues did a good job of suppressing the Devils’ efforts.  The Devils had a difficult time completing passes and handling the puck which drew a few boos from the crowd.  With a minute and a half left the Devils pulled their goalie for a 6 on 5 advantage.  The Blues held off the Devils to give them the win and Jake Allen his second shutout.

“He’s a dynamic player because he can score more than one way.” – Ken Hitchcock on Tarasenko

Vladimir, Vladimir, Vladimir.  Tank.  He’s been hot talk in the league as of late and while his contribution this game wasn’t as spectacular as yesterday in New York he was still the owner of the sole and game-winning goal.  Between the second and third periods Coach Hitchcock spoke to the NBCSN crew about Tarasenko saying, “he’s a dynamic player because he can score more than one way.”  It’s true.  Tarasenko is an amazing player but the longer he carries the team the more trouble the Blues will be in the event he has to miss games.

The Blues did a good job minimizing their penalties early in the game but slipped later.  Fortunately it looks like the team has figured out their penalty kill as over the last few games we’ve watched them give up less short handed goals.

Patrik Berglund did not do well in our reader poll (link below) and has taken a lot of heat on social media for his lack of performance.  Tonight, Berglund knocked at the Devils’ net twice which is an improvement but fell behind in face offs, which was his strength so far.  Hopefully we’ll see a continued increase in performance from Berglund and some positive face off stats, which may be a key to bringing back the shot in ten second power play strategy from last season.

Overall, it appears as the Blues have finally gotten up to speed and have made up for their poor start to the season.  They are currently on the longest win streak in the league at six which has allowed them to move from the bottom to the top of the Central Division.

Our poll will remain open through tomorrow (11/5).  We are asking what the Blues can do to continue to improve.  Feel free to leave your vote along with your comments.  You can also read the results of our previous poll: Which Vet is Under-Performing?