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St. Louis Blues: Keys to Winning Game Four

By Steven McNeil

Apr 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) celebrates scoring a goal during the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. St. Louis won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) celebrates scoring a goal during the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. St. Louis won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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The St. Louis Blues have a rare opportunity to go up 3-1 on a tough Blackhawks team. How can this happen?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the St. Louis Blues have another opportunity to prove to us all that they truly are a different team by taking care of the Chicago Blackhawks tonight and grabbing a stranglehold on the series by grabbing a 3-1 lead with just three games remaining.

What are the keys to this happening?

Aggressive Forecheck

One of the biggest differences between this team’s game two and three performances and their game one performance is the forecheck. In game one the Blues were tentative and hesitant to put the puck on goal. However, that has changed as they are now putting the puck on net and controlling the puck with more regularity.

This has to be repeated in game four tonight. The Blues cannot regress back to game one, as the Blackhawks will pounce on this and will test Brian Elliott with regularity like we saw in the second period of game three.

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Continued Strong Defense

Alex Pietrangelo is absolutely working his tail off during this series, and he and his teammates absolutely have to continue this trend. Not only should they continue to assist while in the offensive zone, but in the defensive zone, they absolutely have to continue their work on Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin (who have just one goal between them through the first three games of the series).

The most impressive thing has been the defense’s ability to close any separation the Blackhawks do get. In year’s past, the Blues gave the Blackhawks best players way too much space and this has not been allowed so far in this series. This has been incredibly impressive and it needs to continue for the Blues to grab another tough road playoff game.

Don’t Take Stupid Penalties

The Blues have been notorious for taking bad penalties at the wrong time and even in succession. They cannot be the ones that are making the mental mistakes and allowing the Blackhawks and their dangerous power play to take the ice. This is what got them in trouble in game two and they were lucky to get away with allowing five power plays during game one and not allow any goals.

This will allow for the Blues to have more chances on net, and will make the Blackhawks become more aggressive which could actually lead to them committing more penalties and getting the Blues more scoring opportunities via their hot power play. Hopefully the inclusion of Robert Bortuzzo does not result in more penalties.

Next: St. Louis and Chicago are more alike than you know

Recap

To recap, these are just a few things that the Blues need to do in order to come away with a victory tonight. It may seem redundant or obvious, but if the Blues continue this we will see a great game from them as we move closer to a potential advancement beyond the first round.

This is a great opportunity for the Blues, and they have proven that they are not phased by the pressure of playing on the road in a tough place to play. Hopefully, we can come away with a victory tonight!

LET’s GO BLUES!!

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