The St. Louis Blues went into Toronto with little hope, of winning, outside the locker room. The Blues finally put on their big-boy pants and played like we know they can.
The St. Louis Blues fan base was trying to keep the faith, but with the two top offensive teams in the league in front of them, the rest of their Canadian trip seemed rather bleak. How different things can look after a couple hours.
This was not the kind of game you necessarily want to introduce someone to hockey. It was slow at points and a bit plodding and very meticulous.
However, it was the exact kind of game the Blues had to have right now. They needed to come together as a team, play solid, fundamental hockey and see how the results would fall. The Blues did just that and the results went their way in a big way.
Who knows how much this can carry forward for the season. Regardless, this was what we wanted to see from the very beginning.
Pros: Keeping It Simple
The Blues were trying so hard in all aspects of the game that they were making things way too complicated. There were too many blind passes, assuming players might be in spots they aren’t, getting out of position when trying to aid teammates and so much more.
St. Louis needed to get back to the simple things and they did in Toronto. They were making the simple exit passes and getting into the offensive zone.
The Blues were also very smart defensively. Nine times out of 10, they were clearing the puck if there was no good option and making the smart decision with crisp passes elsewhere.
There was still the occasional blind or backhanded pass that did not go where they wanted it. Even so, there were shots on net looking for rebounds and all the little things that had to happen to get this win.
Cons: Taking Foot Off The Gas
Ok, this one is a little nit-picky, but the Blues took their foot off the gas just a little bit in the third. That’s when Toronto started double-shifting their best players and any little gap could be taken advantage of.
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
The Blues ran out of gas slightly as well. They took two penalties in the third period alone, giving an already dangerous offensive team more time to set up in the zone.
Fortunately, the Blues managed to keep their team game together and continue to pick each other up. A win is a win, especially with so much bad feeling like it was happening.
So, when you are almost looking for things that did not quite go right, you have to point out the Blues slightly letting Toronto back in the game with a glimmer of hope.
Pros: Vladimir Tarasenko
Vladimir Tarasenko is starting to gain notoriety for being one of the forwards not living up to expectations. However, this was one of the best overall games I have seen out of him in some time.
Tarasenko actually threw some hits, which shows you where his head was at. He was only credited with one check, overall, but he was not shying away from contact.
He picked up a slick assist on the Ryan O’Reilly goal, which could spark some much needed chemistry between the two. The only bad part of the game was him not scoring. But, those come in bunches with Tarasenko, so hopefully, that will come. Right now, I am more impressed that he played a 200 foot game, had some jump in his step for most of the game and was engaged in all aspects.
Cons: Missing More Nets
This is a reoccurring thing, but the Blues continue to miss the net. A lot of teams miss nets and take a lot of chances that go off target. The Blues seem to make a job of it.
In this game, they had 53 attempts and 25 shots on goal. That means that over half the pucks they intended to go on net were either blocked or just missed. With 14 blocked shots by Toronto, that means the Blues simply did not hit the target 14 times.
Making matters worse is the quality of opportunities for some of these misses. Tarasenko clanked a semi-open net chance off the iron.
Tarasenko’s was the clearest example, but the team continued to do it throughout the game. You give credit to the team for taking the shots in the first place, but you’ve got to start burying those chances. In a league where no lead is safe, there was an imaginable scenario where four goals was not enough.
Pros: Team Effort All Around
We can highlight the goal scorers or Tarasenko’s clean game or Jake Allen making some top saves, but this was a true team win. The Blues skated as a team, hustled as a team, defended as a team and won as a team.
What was so encouraging was how the team skated. Everyone kept their legs churning in the key moments and the team had a good energy almost the entire game.
On top of that, it was almost as though the guys had a rope around their waist tied to the teammates. Everyone moved as a five-man unit – or four-man unit when shorthanded.
They put bodies on opponents, getting credited with 33 hits. They blocked 23 shots and were hard on the Leafs in the zone. Instead of just letting guys have their space, they had sticks in the lanes and were tying opponents up within the rules. It was quite amazing how big a difference doing all the small things actually made.
Overview
For now, I am only viewing this as one good win. It does not mean the Blues have cured everything or they will be able to string together a bunch either. However, it was a really good win against a team many think might win the Eastern Conference.
The Blues came together as a 20-plus man unit and lifted one another up. That is incredibly encouraging.
They got good goaltending. They had solid defending and timely scoring. It might have taken a bit to get rolling, but maybe, just maybe this game can be a jumping off point. For right now, I’ll just take the W and be happy.