St. Louis Blues Morning Links: One Down, Two To Go

Good morning Blues fans! The St. Louis Blues did things pretty unorthodox, but in the end they got the job done and that’s what matters most.

The St. Louis Blues can’t make it easy on themselves or on the fans. They continued to live on the edge in terms of penalties taken, but in the end they got the job done they needed to do.

The Blues came out with a good push and a lot of jump out of the gate. That is exactly what you want to see when your team is down and almost out in a series.

It provided no comfort though as the Blues have come out well to start three of the four games they have played. They went unrewarded each and every time.

It was much of the same for Game 5. The Blues owned the first period, but came up empty.

Complicating matters was the wasting of a five-on-three powerplay. The Blues had almost a full two minutes of two-man advantage and did absolutely nothing with it.

When someone says nothing, that is usually an exaggeration. The Blues did literally nothing as they had one shot on goal.

Not only was it one shot during the five-on-three, but it was one shot on the entire powerplay. St. Louis failed to even get things rolling to start the second period.

That would become a very frustrating theme. The St. Louis powerplay was just dreadful the entire game.

The Blues had five powerplays and if they came close to scoring on any of them, I must have been in the bathroom or getting food. The Blues could barely gain the zone on most of their man-advantages, let alone get the offense set up.

Credit goes to the Nashville Predators, as they have seemingly endless energy to pressure every single pass. The Blues just look stuck in quicksand though and that is disconcerting.

St. Louis was supposed to have focused on becoming a speed team in the offense. They are still slower than most of their opponents and no longer have the physical advantage.

Finally, regardless of everything else, we finally saw the Blues have some willpower. They were not going to be denied on this night.

Firstly, a decision that was force on Mike Yeo paid off. Nobody would have picked Dmitirj Jaskin to come from nowhere to be a hero, but he did just that.

Jaskin was a bull in the corners, fending off countless opponents. On top of that, he had timely positioning and was able to finish off a great rebound goal to take the lead.

On top of Jaskin’s efforts, the goal showed one important thing that had been lacking from the Blues. They took shots from the point, got them through and were rewarded for it.

Nashville has blocked a lot of shots, but the Blues have been unwilling to let fly from the blue line too often too. They did it more often in Game 5 and got their just desserts because of it.

The officials continued to play a big role in this series by giving Nashville a five-on-three. Each penalty was deserving, but you rarely see two handed out on the same play.

Even so, the Blues overcame. Jaden Schwartz pounced on another rebound goal, continuing his relatively hot streak.

St. Louis did just about everything right from there on out. They made simple clearances when allowed. They battled for every puck and won many of them. The Blues moved their feet and kept themselves out of the box when it mattered most as well.

There is still the summit of Everest to climb at this point, but the Blues have set up base camp at a high elevation. Now, they just have to do it again.

Here are your St. Louis Blues morning links to get your day started off right.

The Blues were all smiles after the game, but don’t think they don’t know they have work to do.  Their coach was more than willing to heap praise on his team for their efforts.  (Blues)

Don’t ask me if it makes sense, but there is a revolving door involving Jordan Schmaltz going on. While he is unlikely to play with the Blues and Chicago is back in action, the Blues continue on focusing on what is best for their own roster. (Arch Authority)

While Blues fans were reveling in the win on home ice, Predators fans were forced to lament a missed opportunity. Here are one of the accounts from their point of view. (On the Forecheck)

We all have the dream of creating a space that makes us feel comfortable and happy just by looking at it and enjoying it.  Dennis Minner took that to another level with his “fan cave”.  While many have seen it on Twitter, now the local paper has caught onto the story as well.  (STLToday)

Next: Blues Backup Goaltender Options

The Chicago Blackhawks put themselves in an interesting position when they traded away Scott Darling.  It became apparent why they let him go as he signed an extension in his new home.  (NHL)

The Edmonton Oilers experienced the pain that Blues fans and many fans have gone through this playoff season.  They felt a call was missed at a key moment in yesterday’s game that would have altered the outcome.  (ESPN)

Have a great day Blues fans!