The St. Louis Blues sent their B-squad to play against the defending Stanley Cup champions in the final preseason game. While they held in there, you could tell a big difference.
The St. Louis Blues took on the Washington Capitals for their last preseason game of 2018. If things continue as they have the last two years, Doug Armstrong or Tom Stillman might want to take them off the preseason schedule for the near future.
The Blues sent out a younger squad, having called up seven players from the AHL. It ended up being a smart decision as a Blues player got hurt for the third game out of four against the Capitals.
Beyond the injury, the Blues played alright, but that is it. They had an early breakaway, but failed to capitalize.
St. Louis did manage to score the first goal of the game, with a nice effort play on the rebound. However, after that, it was all Capitals.
There is no reason to get too upset about the result. It was the Capitals opening night roster against the Blues third and fourth line players as well as guys that might get called up during the season.
Nevertheless, it is always a sour taste to lose handily.
Cons: Another injury against Washington
People that read my articles regularly know I have no great love for Oskar Sundqvist. I was slightly hoping the team would not renew his deal and just let him walk.
More from Analysis
- St. Louis Blues and Cardinals Similar In All The Wrong Ways
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 82 At Dallas
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 81 Vs Dallas
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 80 At Minnesota
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 79 Vs NY Rangers
That said, I don’t wish ill to him as a person or player. It’s not his fault that the staff or management are, in my opinion, giving undeserved opportunity. However, for him to have any opportunity at making the roster ripped from him is sad.
For those that missed it, Tom Wilson, injured a member of the St. Louis Blues for the third time in a calendar year. While he is known as a physical player and some call him a head hunter, it makes no sense.
There is no rivalry between these two teams. They play twice a year. The last two years you could bump that to four, if you include preseason games. There simply should not be major animosity.
However, instead of getting his own game right, Wilson takes it upon himself to right some perceived wrong and take out a player that had nothing to do with it. It is baseball justice at its worst and not because that’s a reference to a different sport.
Maybe Sundqvist wasn’t going to play in game one anyway. We will never know now. He’s likely to miss significant time due to this guy’s repeated offenses.
Pros: Offense from the right places
We were starting to wring our hands together a little, worrying about Robert Thomas‘ offensive ability. He was putting up several assists, but some wondered if he was another Paul Stastny that would not score himself.
He put that to rest, scoring the opening goal of the game. No, it was not a slick wrister or and beautiful dangle, but a gritty goal on the doorstep.
That actually makes me appreciate him more. Some young players won’t go to the front of the net, even for rebounds. Thomas was right there, sticking his nose in the scramble and got rewarded with a goal for it.
Thomas’ offense has also sufered since he has not played with any consistent linemates throughout presesaon. Despite this, he has performed quite well and still has a strong case to make the NHL.
Cons: The lack of defense
This one has a heavy caveat. I admit, upfront, that I am fully aware that Vince Dunn was the only defender on this night’s roster that is likely to see any significant time this season.
The Blues had a B-squad defensive unit, at best, going against the team that won the Stanley Cup and their opening night roster. So, they deserve a little slack.
That said, those that were hoping to make impressions on the staff did not do so. On the first goal, there were three guys within a stride of the crease and yet the Capitals still got a pass and then scored from in tight.
The Caps second goal was from a careless turnover from the defense to the best goalscorer in the game. The fourth goal was a good shot, but the defense still looked a little flat, not moving their skates.
These are guys that had very little time together as a unit. Even so, there are certain assignments you’re responsible for that were lax in this contest.
Pros: Good performances mixed with a bad game
While we can complain about the result and the overall defending, there were plenty of silver linings.
Jake Allen continued to look sharp even with a limited amount of work. Allen played the entire first period and stopped all six shots against.
As mentioned, Thomas got his first goal. Zach Sanford got into the lineup, which is good since he was considered in the mix of making this team until some personal issues occured.
Jordan Schmaltz scored a nifty shorthanded goal. If he can have those kinds of quick moves and decisiveness, he could be a shootout candidate and I would not mind a bit.
Sammy Blais, Ivan Barbashev and David Perron all picked up assists too.
Overview
While playing against Wilson will never be said to be a contributing factor, thank goodness Mike Yeo put the lineup out there that he did. After the Blues game against Dallas he said they should rest all the starters just to keep them healthy and I thought that was a cowardly way of thinking. Turns out, he was completely right.
Just imagine if that is Alexander Steen or Ryan O’Reilly out there getting a shoulder to the face. That would change the dynamic of the entire season for St. Louis.
Wilson is/was a huge reason the Capitals won the Cup because he protects their best player. He’s also a dirty player. I always argue that nobody goes into a game with the intention of hurting someone, but his repeated offenses make me question my thoughts.
As far as the game itself is concerned, it is what it is. It’s a B or C-squad of Blues going against the Capitals best. If nothing else, we should be impressed they kept it as close as they did. A few converted opportunities, such as Sundqvist’s breakaway, and it might have been a different story.
Now, at least, we can focus on the regular season. The Blues start on the road, against Winnipeg, on October 4 and come home, against Chicago, on October 6.