The St. Louis Blues came out very well in their first trip to Chicago. However, defending was optional and the team was quite fortunate not to be blown out.
The St. Louis Blues went into Chicago with their recent overtime loss to the Blackhawks fresh in their mind. The Blues should have had revenge on their brain, but instead wanted to play pretty hockey and it got them in a world of trouble.
St. Louis played a really good game if you only look at the first five minutes of their first trip to the Windy City in 2018-19. Unfortunately, that is not even 10% of a normal game and much less in one that goes an extra period.
St. Louis, in what is becoming another disturbing trend, allowed the first goal of the game. They allowed the second goal of the game as well.
It was a disastrous first period in which the Blues got outshot 23-10. There are games in which 23 shots against is normal and the Blues gave up 23 in one period alone.
On the brighter side, St. Louis did battle back. They scored a goal in the second period to cut the lead in half and then tied the game early in the third. St. Louis managed to score the go-ahead goal on the power play, which was another welcome surprise.
Sadly, the mistakes kept coming as the Blackhawks scored on a mistimed line change by the Blues. Then, the garbage overtime rule of the NHL bit St. Louis as the Blackhawks took advantage of an exhausted Blues line and tucked in the game winner for their third overtime win of the season.
Pros: Jake Allen
I know this is wishful thinking, but I wish this game would put the ridiculous argument that Jake Allen is no good to bed. Allen is the ONLY reason this game was not an embarrassing blowout.
Chicago should have had eight goals, at least, in this game. Instead, the Blues went to overtime and earned a point and had a chance to get two.
The naysayers will say Allen still did not win, but my goodness, I’m not sure how any team can win giving up 50 shots. Allen made 46 saves and several of them were top notch.
This was the Snake’s night and it’s a shame that the team could not reward him with a victory. However, if we get this Allen for the majority of the 2018-19 season, maybe he’ll finally shut some people up. Time will tell.
Cons: Optional Defending
The shame of this game was as good as Allen was, his defense was equally as bad in front.
Let’s not take credit away from Chicago since they are still one of the most talented offensive teams in the league. Even so, 50 shots against is just ridiculous and should not/cannot happen.
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The problem is this game was just a reflection of everything wrong with the season so far. Nobody wants to put a body on anyone. Nobody wants to clear out the nets
When the radio crew is clearly frustrated with defending, then you know it’s really gone wrong. Those guys tell it like it is, but usually try to be positive. When they are that frustrated with the way guys are defending, you know it is not pretty out there.
Pros: Top Guys Starting To Warm Up
Springboarding off his hat-trick performance, David Perron managed to score another goal pushing his total to four goals in two games. You can chalk it up to luck if you want since two of those goals, including the one he scored against Chicago, have been because of goalie goofs. Even so, Perron is getting to the right places at the right time.
Additionally, he seems to be gaining some chemistry with Brayden Schenn, who scored two goals of his own against Chicago. Perron did not get any assists on those goals, but they looked good together. Also, Schenn has points in two straight games and five for the season.
It’s good to get these top guys rolling a bit more because it opens up the ice for the other guys. When the top guys are rolling, there’s more ice available for your younger guys because they are less of the focus.
Cons: Is This A Rivalry Anymore?
This problem has a lot to do with how the Blues are playing, but also has to do with who the opponent is. Right now, the Blues just look like they don’t want to get involved with anything.
They want to score goals and just hope that’s enough. It will never be enough because, while this team improved a great deal in the offseason, it was never built to win on talent alone.
Just as an example, several Blackhawks made contact, even if light contact, with Jake Allen. There were pokes and jabs and shoves after whistles and barely a response, if any at all.
C’mon, for crying out loud. This is hockey. Yes, we all love goals and offense and free-flowing hockey, but the reason the playoffs are so exciting is all the physicality and battles going on. The Blues don’t look like they want to battle a shadow, much less an physical opponent.
Chris Kerber made the comment during the game that there just does not look like there is any hatred on the ice. How can that be? I get there are some new players on the team, but one is from St. Louis and one played several years with the Blues already. Plus, all the new guys are forwards. Why are there no defenders mixing it up and wanting to put someone’s face through the glass?
The Blues game has gotten so soft right now that a Puffs tissue would likely be tougher than the current team defending.
This team has plenty of offensive talent, but we are not Toronto and we are not Dallas. We aren’t going to be able to outscore the opponent every single night. You have to outwork them and outmuscle them sometimes and if they do not learn that quickly, they are going to be in a hole like the Stars dug for themselves in 2017-18.
Overview
For a game that earned St. Louis a point, this is about as ugly as it gets. Normally, I can take the positive side and say it’s great to get something out of a game where you were not at your best. However, that just cannot be the viewpoint on this one because it is not as though the opponent made you play a certain way. The Blues just stunk in many aspects of the game.
The defending is just awful right now. I do not care about goalie talk anymore. When you allow 50 shots, you can put Roy, Brodeur, Hall or Plante in there and they are going to wear down eventually.
You simply have to find a way to hold on to win these games if you manage to take a lead. When you let it slip away, especially on something simple like a line change, you’ve wasted all that effort.
The offense is better and the power play has improved. Even though they’re looking better, it just does not feel on the level it should be yet. The Blues had 38 shots by the end of the game, but it just did not feel like they tested Cam Ward much. It felt like they either scored or just flipped the puck into the goalie. I grant it that the frustration elsewhere might cloud that judgement.
Overall, this one just stings. You get your butts kicked, even though the score doesn’t reflect that. You earn a point based on spectacular goaltending and some timely scoring and then have it all ripped away by a monumentally horrible overtime format. I won’t go into that argument right now, but nobody will ever convince me that 3v3 is a good idea.
Hopefully the Blues can build on this and take a win at home against Anaheim. If not, this is going to be a rough open to the season and hard to climb out of.