The St. Louis Blues got off to a very good start to the 2017 preseason offensively. Defensively, they have some things to work on and a need to build a winning mentality.
The St. Louis Blues opened up their 2017 preseason campaign in Dallas on Tuesday. While the end result was not what anyone would have wanted from the game, the Blues still had some impressive things happen.
The team ended up falling by a score of 5-3, but it was a better performance from many players than the final score would imply. Still, a loss is a loss and the team has to improve in certain areas as well.
On the surface, the Blues have at least gotten a couple things out of the way already. While there were a lot of prospects playing last night, the Blues have somewhat gotten their first game against Dallas out of the way.
That is somewhat of a big deal since their former coach is now the had man in Big D. Ken Hitchcock was on the bench and implementing his own game plan for the Stars.
This game does not count in the long run, but you have to believe that Hitch got at least a tiny bit of satisfaction taking the Blues down. We’ll see how things pan out when each team has its full roster going, but they will play again in the preseason as well, so even the prospects will have a chance for redemption in the final score.
From a performance aspect, you have to be happy with the guys that scored. Klim Kostin continues to show why he was rated so highly in the draft. He scored the second goal of the game for St. Louis.
The Blues also got goals from Wade Megan and Samuel Blais. If you remember the name Megan, it’s because he was a potential flash in the pan last year.
He came out of nowhere to lead the AHL in goals in 2016-17. It was good to see him get another chance with the Blues and prove that last season might not have been a fluke. It is still very early and Megan has only a small chance to make the team, but if he can be a solid player when recalled for injuries, the Blues will definitely benefit.
The Blais goal has more important ramifications. Blais has been playing his butt off in the prospects tournament and during camp. He has quietly been putting together a really strong case for himself.
I say quietly because he has not really been on many fans’ radars. However, he has shot toward the top of the list of guys that are going to get a serious look if he keeps his current pace up.
The Blues never trailed in the game until the third period. They allowed Dallas to tie it up each time, but the team kept retaking the lead after Megan scored the first goal.
Unfortunately, once Dallas tied it up at 8:04 of the third, it was all Stars after that. The go-ahead goal came about four minutes later and then Dallas added an empty net goal toward the end.
Carter Hutton and Jordan Binnington were the goalies for St. Louis in the preseason opener. Hutton allowed two and Binnington two with nine and 10 saves respectively.
Overall, there was plenty to like and also a lot to dislike as with any loss where your offense plays well. Mike Yeo felt the same.
One game in the preseason is not going to kill you, whether it’s a loss or a poor performance. For fans, it is just disappointing to get back to hockey and not taste victory right away.
We get greedy. We want the prospects to score, as they did, but also know how to win right away. That’s not very realistic, but that’s why we re fans.
The Blues will be fine. The up-tempo style seemed to have worked very well for this new group. Defensively, they just need to clean up a few things.
They will have their chances. The preseason continues tonight with a home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7pm.