St. Louis Blues Win In Ottawa

The St. Louis Blues (13-6-1) defeated the Ottawa Senators (9-6-4) 3-2 this afternoon in Ottawa.  The Blues entered the game coming off two disappointing losses at the hands of the Bruins and Canadiens.  Today’s was crucial since the Blues lost first place in the division after Boston and had Chicago and Winnipeg on their heels in the standings.  This allows them to have stronger footing in their next game against Winnipeg.

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GAME RECAP

The action started after the first minute with the Senators missing a shot on an early break.  The Blues countered a minute later after David Backes took a pass to the open left wing but missed wide.  At 4:16 Maxim Lapierre walked the goal line and put the puck in net to give the Blues the first goal of the game and his first of the season.  At 7:07 Mark Borowiecki shoved Ryan Reaves into the end boards which was called as interference to give the Blues their first power play of the night.  They maintained control and put a lot of shots on goal but couldn’t come up with a goal.

At the halfway point Jori Lehtera had a solo break that he was unable to put past the goalie.  At 9:20 T.J. Oshie was called for high-sticking while defending the crease which gave the Senators their turn on a power play.  The Blues were able to kill the penalty.  Then at 14:31 Backes took a hooking minor putting the Blues on a second penalty kill.  After spending most of the power play missing passes, Mike Zibanejab connected and tied the game.  Thirty seconds later Jori Lehtera fed Vladimir Tarasenko from behind the net allowing Vladi to score and give the Blues a 2-1 lead.  With a minute and a half left the Blues pulled Elliot on a delayed penalty.  Patrick Wiercioch was eventually called for roughing at 1:05.  The Blues ended the period with an extra 55 power play seconds.

The Blues came up empty with their power play time at the start of the second period.  The teams spent the next five minutes trading control and icing calls.  At 9:27 as Lapierre was carrying the puck into the Senators’ zone he took a high stick from Mark Stone allowing the Blues their third power play.  Again, they came out empty handed.  At 12:45 the Blues passed around the Senators’ zone until Alexander Steen redirected Jay Bouwmeester’s shot from the blue line into the goal to give the Blues a 3-1 lead.  At 13:25 Bouwmeester was called for holding.  Shortly after the face-off Alex Pietrangelo and Stone received matching slashing minors.  A minute in to the power play Oshie had a short handed scoring chance against the Senators that went wide.  The Senators passed around in the Blues’ defensive zone for a while until Erik Karlsson scored from the blue line making the score 3-2.  With ten seconds left Bouwmeester took his second minor for slashing after the play.

The Blues started the third period shorthanded for 1:50.  They did a good job of breaking up plays and clearing the puck to kill the penalty.  The Blues controlled the play and got their fourth power play chance after Eric Gryba was called for tripping at 3:46.  The Blues kept possession throughout the power play and took some shots, but couldn’t extend their lead.  After some back and forth play, by the halfway point of the third period the Blues had out shot the Senators 27 to 24.  With 8 minutes left Steen took a stretch pass for a breakaway shot that missed its mark.  In the final minute the Blues make a strong final push to keep the Senators on the defensive.  The Blues closed the game, winning 3-2.

THE GAME

The Blues played a decent game with many of the players across different lines contributing.  This is especially refreshing considering that they have been dependent on the Schwartz, Tarasenko, Lehtera line.  We’ve seen this leveling of contribution before, which waned.  It is still hard to determine if the anomaly is only one line scoring or the other players scoring as well.  That is, hopefully an even performance is the norm and the team has had a few slump games that Tarasenko and company have shouldered.

What is concerning, though, is the Blues’ power play and penalty kill balance.  Last game they had zero chances at a power play, which isn’t really their fault, but they miss a lot of chances with a man advantage which this game highlighted.  Combine that with an inability to kill penalties and things aren’t good.  Generally, the Blues play clean and in an ideal world they wouldn’t draw penalties.  However, there will always be bad calls so a solid penalty kill is a must.

Speaking of bad calls, this game was frustrating to watch, in part, because it was horribly officiated.  The refs blew quite a few calls on both sides, which happens.  But moments like when David Backes was crosschecked from behind after the whistle which was clearly witnessed by a ref are unacceptable.  The Senators aren’t by any means a dirty team, but they also aren’t as clean as most in the league.  Watching a cheap shot go unpunished is especially agitating when compared with soft contact calls.  It is also disappointing to watch players embellish (Lapierre included), which fortunately ended after the middle of the first period.

All in all, it was a good game for the Blues, but it could and should have been better considering the Senators are lower in the standings.  If the Blues keep the other lines scoring, work on special teams and stop allowing breakaways they should be able to climb the ranks and start another win streak.

What are your thoughts on the game?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.