St. Louis Blues: Defenders Hold Large Responsibility to Regain Playoff Momentum

Defense wins championships. It’s a cliche that comes around, but a philosophy that could the St. Louis Blues blue liners could translate into upcoming playoff fortunes.

The six defensemen who played for the Blues in Game 1 of the second round have exactly 200 combined games of playoff experience. Even after trading Kevin Shattenkirk at the trade deadline, the Blues’ defensemen offer a balance of experience and talent that exists for very few remaining playoff contenders.

Wednesday’s game alone demonstrates defenseman contributing at a premium, led by a 3-point performance from Nashville’s P.K. Subban in Game 1. Each player offers the potential skill set of a two-way defender and could ultimately play a large responsibility to a Blues series comeback or downfall moving forward.

Alex Pietrangelo

Coming into the playoffs as one of the league’s hottest offensive defensemen with 17 points in last 21 regular games, Alex Pietrangelo has considerably cooled on the scoring front. He has just one assist in this playoff campaign. But the captain is still doing the little things right that helped him claim his designation last summer.

Pietrangelo’s ice time finished just over 25 minutes in Game 1, and he has averaged the second highest average ice time (29:05) among defensemen on remaining contenders. However, he has a minus-4 plus/minus rating over the last three games and was on ice for all four goals in Wednesday’s loss. While Pietrangelo has proven capable of adjustments in his career, Nashville will inevitably look to wear him down more than any other St. Louis defenseman.

Jay Bouwmeester

Colton Parayko

Following a regular season that some may consider a sophomore slump, Colton Parayko has stepped up as one of the Blues’ largest contributors in playoffs. He scored the Blues’ opening goal in two of the five playoff games so far, including a five-hole shot with a patient delivery against Pekka Rinne in Game 1.

It’s also worth noting that Parayko holds a plus/minus playoff rating of plus-7 over six playoff games. Combine that with a Corsi Factor near 51 percent. It’s a small sample size for the big 6-foot-6 defender. Still, the ability to blast a slapshot over 100-mph while contributing in the hit and block departments makes him a vital piece to St. Louis’s approach moving forward.

Joel Edmundson

Another young defender at 23 years of age, Joel Edmundson has become one of the team’s better players in terms of situational awareness. In particular, the two goals he scored against Minnesota in the opening series demonstrate his ability to play closer to the net than the average blue liner . More recently, he dished a pair of assists against Nashville to keep the contest close.

It’s hard to tell exactly where the Blues may be without Edmundson right now. He has played very sound defense with his offensive emergence in the playoffs, but he has also taken at least one penalty in his last four games. Considering that the Blues may use him more often in penalty kills than the power play, and with the nature of being limited to just five defensemen if one is in the box, Edmundson may need to tweak his approach just a little bit.

Carl Gunnarsson

Each player offers the potential skill set of a two-way defender, and could ultimately play a large responsibility to a Blues series comeback or downfall moving forward.

Often the forgotten defender in the scheme of action, Carl Gunnarsson really has not done much statistically since the start of playoffs. His plus-minus has ended with an even rating each game and he has only generated a few shots on goal between both series. To a degree, this works to Gunnarsson’s advantage.

The Swede plays a crucial stopper role on defense where his positioning has limited the Wild and Predators from getting into more favorable scoring opportunities against Jake Allen. He has only played above 12 minutes twice in playoffs, which also gives him a fresher set of legs to capitalize on the 42 hits and 68 blocks he posted in the regular season.

Robert Bortuzzo

Short-term memory is often the key when it comes to Robert Bortuzzo. A regular season plus/minus rating of plus-11 may be misleading, as suggested by 13 giveaways in the same timeframe. Combine that with a pair of trips to the injured reserve, Bortuzzo’s presence does necessarily translate into a successful formula for playoffs.

However, Bortuzzo’s strength comes in his forechecking. He has recorded 10 hits over five playoff games. Unfortunately, one of his defensive efforts in Game 1 resulted in a broken femur for Predators’ rookie Kevin Fiala. But it’s another situation where short-term memory proves important for a player who carries a larger responsibility compared to his time in Pittsburgh.

Next: St. Louis Blues: Five Keys To Victory In Round 2

The defense may have been good enough to get pass the Minnesota Wild, but some changes for the starting six blue liners will likely be needed to fuel a comeback in the team’s first ever series against the Nashville Predators.

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