The St. Louis Blues looked fantastic in flashes against the Calgary Flames. Unfortunately, the end result was not as cushy as we would have liked.
The St. Louis Blues pulled off their first win of the season in their first matchup of 2018-19 against the Calgary Flames. While it is great to get that W under your belt, the team made it a little more nervy than it needed to be.
St. Louis got off to a rough start, allowing the first goal of the game. Once again a bad giveaway led to the goal. Jake Allen haters will point to how he slipped and could not regain position, but he reacted to the person in the slot and then the shot came from the circle.
Fortunately, the Blues answered rather quickly. In fact, it only took 12 seconds for the Blues to even it up. Even better, it barely took two more minutes for St. Louis to take the lead.
Alexander Steen scored the tying goal and David Perron scored the first of three to take the lead, which the Blues would not relinquish. They did try, however.
After St. Louis built up a 5-1 lead, they fell into the trap of being too comfortable. Calgary stormed back with two goals in the third period and made all the Blues fans chew their nails.
Fortunately, the team held on at the end and finished off the 5-3 win. It was not perfect, start to finish, but it will work.
Cons: More turnovers
As mentioned, the Flames’ first goal was a direct result of a turnover. For some reason, Robert Bortuzzo let the puck off his stick and when he regained, managed to only flutter it toward the wall.
There was no reason to be indecisive there even with pressure coming on. The Blues subsequently lost the battle on the wall, which nobody expected and gave up a goal afterward.
Statistically, the Blues only turned the puck over twice. However, regardless of what the statisticians say, the team has just been letting possession slip away at the worst possible times and it has bit them far too often in the early portion of the season.
Pros: Allen was quite good, not great, but did not have to be
Those of you that have read my blogs or articles long enough know that I am an unashamed Jake Allen apologist. I’m not one of those that makes out like he is the second coming, but I believe there is talent there to win. He just needs the team around him. He showed that on this night.
No, Allen was not spectacular. He did not make eye popping saves that leave your jaw on the floor.
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
He was good though. He was good enough to win and bailed the team out when they needed him. Just as good as him playing well, overall, was the fact the team did not lean on him too much. Far too often in recent years, whether it is Allen or someone else, the Blues look to their goaltender to lead them to wins instead of doing the work themselves. That did not happen in this game.
The Blues put in the work, for the most part, and when they faltered, Allen was there to pick them up. That is how a team is supposed to work. It’s not supposed to be all about the offense or all about the defense or all about the goaltending. It should be a team effort and it was.
For his part, Allen made 31 saves and a couple were really nice. His scoop save off the ice toward the end of the game was huge, keeping the two goal lead intact instead of clinging to a one goal lead.
Cons: Taking your foot off the gas
I’ve never played a minute of professional sports, so I can’t say I’ve been there or done that. However, I grant you that it is hard to keep a mental focus for 60 minutes, 82 times in a year.
Despite this, it’s just discouraging for a team to take their focus off things enough to let a tough opponent back into it. I jokingly made the comment on Twitter about how we all love the Blues, but they feel like the only team that can take a 5-1 lead and make it a nail-biter.
Neither goal was that great either, with one coming off a slap shot from a loose puck as the Blues were chasing and the other being kicked in by Alex Pietrangelo.
It did not come back to bite them, but these are not mistakes and lapses in effort that can continue throughout the season.
Pros: David Perron
It’s impossible to talk positively about this win and not mention the frenchie, David Perron. Perron scored his first hat-trick back with the Blues against the same opponent that he had his last hatty.
Just as impressive, all three goals were scored in different ways. The first one was a beauty of a one timer on a set up by Brayden Schenn. The second was a little tap-in after a miscue by the goaltender and the third was a seeing-eye shot from the point.
Just as important as Perron scoring, getting him rolling offensively, was his entire line playing well. Schenn has not gotten off to the start he wanted and he ended up assisting on all three Perron goals. Jaden Schwartz got in on the act too, picking up a helper as well.
Hopefully, this was just a taste of what that line could do together if they remain.
Overview
A win is a win and points are going to be at a premium. So, we cannot dwell in the negative too much in this one.
That said, this was a roller coaster of a contest. We basically saw, in a microcosm, everything that has gone well and everything that has gone wrong in this young season.
The defense played better, but is still not up to snuff yet. The goaltending was good, but even I will admit that there is just a tenuous feeling surrounding Allen.
The offense was clearly there, but the will to hold that lead and keep an opponent down was not quite there.
Fortunately, there was more bright side than anything else. Allen was sharp. Jordan Kyrou got his first point in the NHL on a great assist to Steen’s goal.
The defense played better, overall, and got involved in the offense. The power play is still lacking, but it managed to score two goals regardless of how it went about.
Most important, as mentioned, was getting the win. At this point, though the season is in an embryonic stage, we are seeing that the Central Division will be near impossible to come out of without being on every night. So, no matter how you come about them, you have to get W’s and points.