St. Louis Blues Beat: Week 2 2015

Oct 10, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; St Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko (91) celebrates his goal in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Blues end week 2 with a 5-1-0 record, even better than my prediction last week. This gives the Blues ten points in the standings; leading the division, the conference, and trailing only the undefeated Montreal Canadiens in the overall league standings.

Tarasenk-show Continues

Your NHL goals and points leaders is none other than our Russian note-wearing hero, Vladimir Tarasenko. With his two goals Sunday against Winnipeg, he now has nine points (5 G, 4 A) in six games. We all knew we would be seeing plenty of offense from Tarasenko this season, but he’s on pace to shatter all expectations.

Of Tarasenko’s nine points, only one of them has come on the man advantage. It also seems no matter who he plays with, his output is as steady as can be. With Paul Stastny going down for at least two games, Tarasenko skated with Steen and Lehtera for most of Sunday’s matinee.

It’s also worth noting that these goals are not deflections or clean-up goals, they’re all beautiful shots executed with surgical-like precision. Check out his two goals against Winnipeg if you missed the game, or just to watch them again.

Vlad is starting to put together quite the highlight reel, he’s one of the players this season NHL fans should go out of their way to watch.

Don’t Worry About Stastny

As of right now, we still don’t know a whole lot about Paul Stastny’s injury. We know he went home to St. Louis and won’t play the rest of the road trip, and that the injury sustained was of the lower-body variety.

According to Hitchcock, we will get an update when the team returns home following Tuesday’s game against Montreal. Fans may be feeling a bit of deja vu, remembering how Stastny started out last season, but no need to worry, this is a different situation.

When Stastny came back last year it was to a role on the third line, that is not the case this year for the 29 year old. The main difference is when he comes back he will be playing with Tarasenko and Steen, and seeing top line minutes.

Paul Stastny is going to earn that $7 million this year, he won’t be repeating last year’s disappointment.

Week 2 Spotlight: Scottie Upshall

So far the biggest surprise for the St. Louis Blues has to be Scottie Upshall, he’s gotten off to a great start. The signing had us all scratching our heads, but the output early on has been fantastic.

In four games Upshall already has two goals, including the go ahead goal from Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Jets. He’s never been known as much of an offensive threat, and his production will likely slow down, but his two goals aren’t all he’s contributed.

Trailing the Blues 2-3 towards the end of the third period, Dustin Byfuglien took it upon himself to charge at Jay Bouwmeester. It was a dangerous and reckless penalty to take, and St. Louis didn’t like it. In comes Scottie Upshall to be the first Blues member on the scene to defend Bouwmeester.

Dustin Byfuglien is not a small skater, remember when he spent six games manhandling Chris Pronger? He’s an intimidating force, but that didn’t stop Upshall from defending his teammate and getting charged with a roughing penalty. It was a good move by Upshall to gain some early respect among Blues fans.

Week 3 Predictions

The Blues have a light schedule this week, only playing two games. Both games are against top talent, facing Montreal on Tuesday and the Islanders on Saturday.

I think the team will most likely split these two games, both of them will be close contests. Montreal is undefeated at the time of my writing this, but I believe they are the more beatable team. If Tarasenko can solve Carey Price early, the Blues will have exposed the most powerful asset in Montreal.

The New York Islanders are a team that just started rolling, with John Tavares leading by example. After dropping two games to open the season against Chicago, the Isles have won three in a row. The depth they have in every position is scary.

The Blues’ best shot is that New York plays them in the second game of a back-to-back and might be able to exploit possible fatigue. Don’t expect the back-up goalie though, NYI plays Boston the night before, we’ll likely be seeing Halak.

What do you think about the Blues in Week 3? Can we win both games?

Next: St. Louis Blues Make Line Changes In Wake Of Injuries