St. Louis Blues Pros And Cons From Game 13 Vs. Carolina

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ST. LOUIS, MO – NOVEMBER 6: Ryan O’Reilly #90 of the St. Louis Blues shows his three game pucks after scoring his first career hat trick against the Carolina Hurricanes at Enterprise Center on November 6, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Pros: Ryan O’Reilly

The St. Louis Blues made a lot of big splashes in the 2018 offseason. The cherry on top of it all was the addition of Ryan O’Reilly.

Disappointed Buffalo fans were quick to point out how much Blues fans were going to love this guy. It was not an immediate love affair, but the affection has grown immensely over the first ten-plus games.

O’Reilly was large and in charge against Carolina. His entire line was creating a lot of good energy right from the word go, which is good because O’Reilly has not played with Jaden Schwartz at all and not with Vladimir Tarasenko for several games, other than a power play shift here or there.

Their connection for the team’s first goal was something to behold. All three players, plus Alex Pietrangelo, were strong on the boards to keep the puck in the zone. Then, they had some really good passes to connect for a roof job by O’Reilly.

O’Reilly would draw the penalty that led to the power play that St. Louis would score their third goal on. That would have been good enough, but O’Reilly managed to get that goal too. Not only was it a good goal, but it came immediately after Carolina scored and only four seconds before the period ended. It deflated the Hurricanes and gave the Blues some much needed cushion.

O’Reilly got his just desserts too, by scoring his first NHL hat-trick. That is somewhat surprising given O’Reilly’s offensive talents, but it was just what he deserved. An empty-net goal might not be the prettiest way to finish it, but it’s a sweet way given that it ices off a win.

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