The St. Louis Blues squared off against the team that brought them to the very brink of defeat in round two of the playoffs last season, the Dallas Stars.
We all remember the hometown hero, Pat Maroon, scoring the double-overtime winner in game seven of round 2 last season. While the taste in St. Louis Blues fan’s mouths is one of champions, Dallas was left with a taste of disdain and revenge.
We all expected a physical old school style hockey game. It wasn’t as physical as some of us anticipated, but the battle was there. Dallas was without a few key players due to injury, but the core of their team was intact and giving the Blues their best.
Welcome to the first report card of the 2019-20 season. The game, like the first in the season, left somethings to be desired, but the ending was what everyone hoped for. The Blues won the game 3-2 in regulation.
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It wasn’t perfect, but in the end, a win in regulation against a division rival that is expected to push you to the brink once again is priceless no matter how it came to pass.
The Blues took an early lead once again from the vastly improved offensive play of Sammy Blais, cementing a spot on the 2nd line alongside Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron. This line is looking like a real dangerous second line, which is encouraging. Let’s dive into the report card.
Offense B+
The offense got us the win in the end, but like in the opener, it seemed to vanish in the second period. With the aforementioned second line producing another early goal, this time on a nice pass from Blais to Perron, the Blues took another early lead on their opponent. Great news for this team so far!
What keeps the offense from getting the A is the top line. Although generating some third-period offense, and Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz picking up assists on Brayden Schenn‘s first goal of the season, they seemed to have trouble creating some real puck control and sustained pressure.
The third line was more of the same. With Robert Thomas sitting out day-to-day, Zach Sanford was asked to fill his spot, and that line seemed to turn the puck over too much. To me, these were primarily due to lost board battles by Sanford or some ill-advised or careless passes by Fabbri.
To get the A, I need to see the Blues offense play their game, and that game is heavy forecheck pressure, and puck control. It was puck control that cost them in the opener, and it nearly cost them in this game.
There is a lot to like with this offense so far, and when they get to their puck control game, we will be dangerous for anyone.
Defense B+
The defense overall looked good, but like the offense was missing, that puck control aspect that the Blues rely on for success. Overall the pairings were good, and each player had some good moments.
Justin Faulk has stood out to me in not just this game, but the opener as well. He has made some great plays defensively and looks like he is going to fit in real well with the team. He is known more for his power play abilities, but I have been impressed with his defensive positioning and ability to break up plays.
There were a couple of times in the game where the defense missed assignments and left Jordan Binnington in some bad spots, but Binny did what he needed to do and kept those opportunities out of the net. More on that later.
Special Teams C
Anytime you allow a short-handed goal, you need help. The powerplay was ineffective on both opportunities. With Thomas out and Fabbri slotting in (why not Blais), the power play seemed to lose control and never get set up in the O-zone.
Poor entries led to easy clears and at times, breaks for Dallas, one of which they scored on. Albeit thanks to Schwartz knocking the puck into his own net to tie the game 1-1. The power play is a work in progress, and we saw it look fair to good in the opener, but it was not even fair in this game.
The power play is why special teams get a C. The penalty kill did their part in holding a potent Dallas power play off the board by blocking shots and filling lanes, keeping pucks to the outside and allowing Binnington room to see the shots and plays develop. They get an A to the power play but an F on the kill, thus averaging a C.
Goaltending A
Binnington got the win after a loss as we’ve so far come to expect. He did it in a game where the Blues puck control was lacking again, especially in the second period. His positioning was sound throughout the game. Then why the A and not an A+?
He seemed off. His rebound control wasn’t very good and allowed Dallas some high danger scoring chances. He had to make some difficult saves and did what you need your goaltender to do and make those saves as well as give your team an opportunity to win.
Binnington was battling, and he seemed to be fighting the puck at times in the game, but ultimately made the saves needed and gave the guys a chance to win. He has turned in two good performances so far and looks like he is ready to make another run as the Blues starter.
Binny had to come up big a couple of times and did so. Dallas is going to be a pain all season. Binnington is going to be tested not just by shots, but physicality as well. Dallas let him know at the end of the game what to expect going forward as the scum when Jamie Benn piled on top of him.
Coaching A
The coaching staff gets just as much credit for the win as the team. Without their successful offside challenge, it’s a different game. The Blues seemed to gain some energy after that challenge and used it to score a couple of goals for the ultimate win.
When the Blues were fading away in the second period, I noticed that the coaching staff made adjustments to the game plan to adjust to the way Dallas was defending the Blues after the first period. Something they didn’t seem to do in the opener.
Overall B+
The Blues did enough to win the game. It wasn’t pretty and definitely not how you want to script it, but as I mentioned, a win against a division rival expected to push you to the brink as they did last season is always superb!
I look forward to seeing this team improve. The power play per usual is a concern, but we knew that coming in. With time I expect the addition of Thomas to the top unit to start paying dividends, and I also expect to see Blais nudge his way into the fold as well. Whether on the top unit or second, he is making a statement these first two games.
B+ play will win you some games, and it’s a good baseline to start the season. There are some areas we need to improve, and I know this coaching staff will address them, and the leadership of this team will address them. I believe in order for this team to succeed early, it’s going to take the younger guys, Blais, Thomas and Vince Dunn, to have productive starts. Blais is doing his part, and there’s no reason to think Thomas and Dunn aren’t going to do theirs.
Drop the puck!