Blues Win Game Two: Hats Off To Tarasenko

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The St. Louis Blues took Game 2 from the Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Saturday afternoon in St Louis. The Wild took the first game of this first-round playoff series on Thursday thanks to an early goal, a late ill-timed penalty to David Backes and a couple of empty-net goals. The Blues kept their game one starter, Jake Allen, in the net and scratched Robert Bortuzzo for the game.

This win ties the post-season series against the Wild 1-1. These teams will play games three and four in Minnesota on the 20th and 22nd and a least game five back in St. Louis on the 24th.

GAME RECAP

The game began with an interesting first line combination for the Blues of David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Ryan Reaves. The Blues came out with a lot of energy and heavy hits. After three minutes Reaves returned to the fourth line with Steve Ott and Marcel Goc. Both teams had strong chances in the first minutes but it took the Blues almost eight minutes to register their first shot on goal. Minnesota had 3.

Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) and Jake Allen (34) celebrate after defeating the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Blues found their momentum after 11 minutes and played aggressive on both ends of the ice. At 13:18 Alexander Steen took a shot from the center of the blue line, which Vladimir Tarasenko tipped in to give the Blues a rare first period goal and a 1-0 lead. Kevin Shattenkirk earned the second assist.

The Blues continued to push hard as the clock wound down and denied the Wild many additional chances. At 17:43 Matt Dumba was called for interference following a hit on Ryan Reaves. After a slight scuffle he was the only one sent to the box, giving the Blues a power play. Almost 20 second later Tarasenko made the Wild pay by scoring on a shot from an extreme angle at the goal line to put the Blues up 2-0. Steen and Shattenkirk earned a second set of assists. The Blues continued to put shots on goal until the end of the period.

The second period started with the Wild taking the reigns and controlling a lot of the early action. After a few minutes the Blues evened things out. At 7:22 Zbynek Michalek took a questionable interference penalty to put the Wild on their first power play. The Blues killed the penalty without giving the Wild much of a chance.

Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center Patrik Berglund (21) checks Minnesota Wild left wing Zach Parise (11) during the second period in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

After a big offensive push at 10:31, Jared Spurgeon was called for interference to give the Blues another power play opportunity. The Blues made a strong effort but were unable to score. At 13:24 Zach Parise took a goalie interference penalty which allowed the Blues a third power play. The Blues played less efficiently and even allowed the Wild a short-handed breakaway. Time ran out with the Blues in the lead 2-0.

The third period started with more intense offense from the Wild. 1:46 in Marco Scandella scored from the point to put the Wild on the board and the game at 2-1. The teams found themselves at a stalemate with a few explosions here and there as the period neared the midpoint. At that point, Minnesota regained control of the game.

Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (not pictured) scores his third goal of the game on an empty net against the Minnesota Wild during the second period in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Things got much more physical as the game entered its final five minutes. At 18:02 Patrik Berglund rifled the puck into the net on a breakaway to give the Blues a comfortable 3-1 lead with 1:58 left. The Wild pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with a minute left. With 16 seconds left Vladimir Tarasenko scored an empty net goal from center ice. Jori Lehtera earned the assist. The teams got some time off as the Blues Crew cleaned the hats from the ice.

Time ran down and the Blues took the game from the Wild 4-1.

HOW THEY PLAYED

In Game 1, the Blues didn’t begin to play to win until their fate was almost sealed. The bottom of the 9th, so to speak. Last minute goals are excellent, and the short-hander from the Blues added some temporary hope Thursday night. But it brings up the question: if this is what the team is capable of, why didn’t they play that way the whole game? Maybe the team asked themselves just that on Friday.

The Blues looked like a much different team from minutes one to sixty this game. Overall they played smarter, tighter, more accurately and disciplined. This is good but they still haven’t crossed into the territory of being a formidable playoff team. One that makes few errors and makes their opponent pay for their own.

Two big factors contributed to the improvement of the Blues’ performance. The first was the reemergence of the STL line (with Alexander Steen replacing Jaden Schwartz alongside Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera). The game’s first two goals came from the stick of Tarasenko with the help of Steen and Kevin Shattenkirk. Tarasenko went on to score the fourth goal of the game and land his first career hat-trick. You can see all three goals here.

Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) blocks a shot against the Minnesota Wild during the first period in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Not only is production from this line much-needed, but the three point-earners missed a chunk of the second half of the season due to injury. It is good to see them back and healthy and reassuring that their time off hasn’t cost them their abilities to be contributors.

The second factor in the Blues’ performance is goaltender Jake Allen. Coach Hitchcock’s decision to start Allen in game one left a lot of fans and analysts scratching their heads. The Blues have always been strong in the goaltending department. Brian Elliott has always been part of that status. In preparation for the playoffs last season, the Blues gave up ace Jaroslav Halak for Ryan Miller and sidelined Elliott. Most thought that because of this Elliott should be the obvious choice the second time around.

I’m sure Elliott will get his chance in the net and will probably be relied on more the deeper the Blues progress, but as for right now, Jake Allen is playing like a Stanley Cup champion. Allen wasn’t making saves on the doorstep; he was making them at the threshold. Without his quick reflexes, an early accidental goal could have sent this game into a much different direction. Allen’s days in the AHL are certainly over and Doug Armstrong and company would be crazy not to make sure he wears the Blue Note for years to come.

Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba (55) and St. Louis Blues center Steve Ott (9) battle for position in front of Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) during the second period in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, Patrik Berglund and Steve Ott will be additional players to watch through the rest of this series. Berglund led the team through the final push before the playoffs with wholesale goals. It was his goal tonight that sealed the game for the Blues. Tarasenko’s goal was an extra nail in the coffin. Ott has been a crux of leadership all season and despite being a (mostly) fourth-liner he has proven to be an excellent heads-up player.

The road to the next round is still a long and challenging one and Minnesota will no doubt come back full-force on home ice, but this victory is a good sign of success in the wake of the loss of game one.

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