St. Louis Blues Unleash The Beast In Game 3 Against Dallas

Coming into Game 3 against the Dallas Stars, there was a lot of talk about how the St. Louis Blues were fortunate to escape Texas tied at a game apiece. When 60 minutes was done in St. Louis, the Blues had put that talk to bed.

The St. Louis Blues came into Game 3 looking to take a series lead and prove they weren’t just lucky to steal a game in Dallas. Things didn’t quite get off on the right foot though.

As has become a habit for this Blues team, they gave up the first goal of the game only to answer quickly. Again failing to fully cover the entry in the zone, Colton Sceviour buried the second attempt after the initial chance was blocked by Joel Edmundson.

While the bounce off Edmundson may have been a bit fortuitous, the defensive marking was a bit lax and left much to be desired. It also begs the question of why the Blues keep failing to get off to good starts and put themselves in a position to where they must come back.

Nevertheless, come back they did. 57 seconds after Sceviour’s goal, Alexander Steen poached one back for the boys in blue.

It was all Blues from there. The first period would be capped off by the suddenly red-hot captain, David Backes. Backes scored on the powerplay with a little less than four minutes left in the first period to put the Blues up by a goal before the break.

It was a typical Backes goal as he was set up in front of the net and got the tip on a Kevin Shattenkirk shot.

The Blues seem to have put a bit of their second period demons to rest as well. They outshot the Stars 16-10 in the middle frame and outscored them 3-0 in that period alone.

Troy Brouwer may have not produced like he or fans wanted in the regular season, but he showed why the Blues traded the uber-popular TJ Oshie for him with a nifty move and goal to open the scoring in the second.

Vladimir Tarasenko got his fifth of the playoffs about 90 seconds later.

What isn’t seen in that very brief clip is all the effort Tarasenko put in prior to that goal. Yes, the actual score was completely luck, but he did it all leading up to that. NBC actually highlighted the play – one of the few good things they did on the night – and he got a hard shot to start things.

Then he furiously stayed on the forecheck and forced a turnover to keep the puck in the offensive zone. After that he managed to get himself into a good area and then you see the result.

The Blues finished off the second period in style. Steen got his second of the night when Antoine Roussel was called for delay of game by flipping the puck out of play from his own zone.

Again, the goal might have been a bit fortunate as it barely trickled past the goaltender but it was the result of a lot of good pressure on the powerplay – something that has been lacking of late.

The Blues finished things off strong. Unlike the previous game, they didn’t allow the Stars even a moment to ponder whether they could make a comeback. They locked things down and while they still tried to keep the shifts short, they still held the puck and took it into the zone with possession instead of dump and change (not even chase).

Backes got his second with a great snipe from the right circle with less than two minutes left in the game. What was even better than the goal was the calm demeanor and limited celebration. Backes has been there to a point, but it was just the right reaction instead of jumping for joy on a sixth goal in a game that only puts you up 2-1 in the series.

The Blues played smart right to the end.  Ryan Reaves got physical and stood up for his teammates when needed.  He even got into a fight after Alex Pietrangelo was boarded.  Still, the team kept their cool and wasn’t suckered into any late game message sending on the Stars part.

Negatives

The Blues just can’t seem to get off to a great start. Dallas again looked like they were going to fly around the ice the way the first few minutes went. Again, it may have been a lucky bounce right to Sceviour but the marking wasn’t as tight as it could have been and the energy just isn’t being matched compared to the Dallas third and fourth liners out of the locker room.

Brian Elliott‘s rebound control. His recovery has been stellar so far, but ever since looking fatigued in the overtime game against Chicago in Game 5, his rebound control hasn’t been there. It hasn’t cost him much yet, but it would be nice to see him keep the pucks under control just a little bit more.

More from Bleedin' Blue

• St. Louis Blues Prospects Shine And Fizzle In Prospects Showcase
• St. Louis Blues Giving Nick Ritchie A Look Is No Lose Situation
• St. Louis Blues Torey Krug Already Injured Before 2023-24 Season
• St. Louis Blues Need Kasperi Kapanen To Be On Best Behavior
• Former St. Louis Blues Forward Going Into Hall Of Fame

This isn’t a negative on the game, but more as a fan. Scoring six goals put the nail in the coffin for the game. I only worry it wakes Dallas up a bit. That said, Keith Jones comment on the NBC postgame about a blowout sometimes being a good thing for the losing team was rather ridiculous.

The coverage by NBC. Apparently some people in St. Louis got the game switched over like it should be. Those of us that have U-verse or Direct TV had to wait until the Lightning/Islanders game was over, which of course went into overtime. Many of us have done our best to take the late starts with humor, but to not be able to see the beginning of our team’s game was a terrible situation. Not everyone has access to NHL Network so it was a double slap in the face.

Positives

Brian Elliott again. His rebound control is really a bit of a nitpick. He’s been so solid on just about everything it’s hard to even pick that out. For once, his workload was lighter and he only had to make 25 saves, but many were still quality shots and he was up to the task.

Speaking of goaltenders, the Blues chased the starting goaltender for the second game in a row.  This time Niemi got yanked after allowing three goals on 12 shots and then the Blues scored another three on Lehtonen.

The big boys are stepping up. We talked earlier in the day about how Alex Pietrangelo is quietly putting together a great series regardless of points. Now the big guys who are supposed to score are. Backes has long been seen as a postseason underachiever, but he’s making a huge case for a contract in the offseason. Steen came alive after having spent so much effort defensively prior to Game 3 and Tarasenko got a good bounce to end his little drought.

The Blues finally slipped the knife in as their GM would say. Too many games this season, regardless of opponent, have come down to empty net nail biters. The Blues and their fans could actually just sit back and relax a bit and fully enjoy a win. It was a rare feeling and one that people shouldn’t get too used to, but still a joy to behold.

Next: Blues Can't Let Up Now

Looking Forward

The Blues take on the Stars in Game 4 on Thursday night. It will be a 7 p.m. CST puck drop.

The Blues have put themselves in an enviable position by winning Game 3. However, winning Game 4 might be even bigger. Not only does it give you a cushion, it doesn’t allow Dallas the momentum of winning the last game played in St. Louis and then going back to home ice.