The St. Louis Blues were hoping to clean some things up the second time around against Minnesota. The Wild would not make it easy for the Note.
The St. Louis Blues were coming off two rather poor games at home. Despite getting four points and two wins in those games, the Blues had not played well.
If they were hoping to turn things around the second time around, they did not do it in the opening of the first period. In the first five minutes, the Blues had several turnovers, failures to clear the zone or cover the puck and allowed the first goal against. If not for a quick answer by the red-hot fourth line, this game could have gone south quickly.
The Blues managed to turn things around a little earlier than they had in the prior games. In those, they seemed to wait until the third period. In this game, they managed to take the lead with time still remaining in the first period.
For whatever reason, this just ended up being an odd game overall. Minnesota got some puck luck in the second period to counter the Blues own luck in the first.
For the second night in a row, the referees were calling a lot of weak stuff and allowing some clear penalties to slide. They were calls that benefited both sides, so in that respect things were equal, but if both teams have reason to gripe beyond the normal chatter, things are not right.
The Blues goaltending situation continues to be a bone of contention if Jordan Binnington is not in there. It does have to be said that Jake Allen has not benefited from situations that would set him up for success though.
St. Louis’ tying goal to make it 3-3 was another that, maybe, should not have counted. Sammy Blais got caught up with his opponent and we have seen that called as a penalty plenty of times, but it was not and Blais jammed one in shortly after.
The Blues managed to get this one to overtime for the second night in a row. It seems they are going for a team record in that category.
It did not end as quickly as it did against Columbus, but the Blues pulled off the win. They dominated possession in the overtime period and Ryan O’Reilly got the winner with a snap shot from the slot.
Again, it was not pretty, but the Blues pick up two points.
Cons: ANOTHER slow start
We are still early in the season, having not yet played a quarter of the year yet. Still, the Blues just do not come out of the gates ready or firing or however you want to say it.
I don’t know if they need the caffeine injected straight into their veins or what the issue is.
I get that as the defending Stanley Cup champion, you are going to get everyone’s best shot right off the hop. However, this is just ridiculous how much of a trend this is.
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The Blues continually allow their opponents to get the first shot of the game and it is usually a high-quality chance. They are regularly outshot by several shots until they get their own first crack at goal. All of that held true in Minnesota.
The Blues were not quite as flat defensively as they were against Columbus the night prior but they were not flying to the puck either. The Blues should have gotten a whistle when Jake Allen briefly had the puck covered, but they did not and the Wild simply cycled it back around a sluggish defense and tipped one in for the first goal.
The team woke up toward the end of the period, but something has to change. You’re not always going to get that response or eventually the fourth line will cool off.
Pros: Some early puck luck
The Blues were better in the first period in Minnesota than they were at home against the Wild or the Blue Jackets. You would still not call them good though.
As mentioned, the Blues just lack jump and drive in those early moments of the game. Craig Berube even tried to open the game with the fourth line to give the team some energy and it did not work.
Thankfully, they got some decent puck luck, which rarely happens for the Blues. If you really look at it, the Blues had no business scoring their first two games.
Mackenzie MacEachern got his first goal of the game to tie things up at 1-1. It was great hand-eye coordination to knock it out of midair, but Devan Dubnyk actually knocked it in by wildly swiping his glove behind him in a vain attempt to knock it away.
After that, the Blues gained a 2-1 lead on Carl Gunnarsson‘s first goal of the year on a wraparound. Again, this one was due to a mistake by Dubnyk as his left skate seemed to get stuck and allowed an unusual little space under his pad.
You need to give credit to the two guys that scored. They put themselves in close to the net, which always gives you a higher probability to score.
That said, neither goal should have gone in. The Blues were fortunate.
Cons: No luck in the second
If the Blues had all the luck, or at least some, on their first two goals, they had none on the next two from Minnesota. These goals were not lucky for the Wild either. It was more that the Blues had no luck leading up to things.
The goal that tied things up at two goals apiece, the Wild won the faceoff and got a quick shot from the boards. The Blues had no luck as Jake Allen did not even see the puck until it was mere feet away from him. Allen should have had his stick in better position, but it is hard to stop anything with that little reaction time.
The goal that gave the Wild a 3-2 lead made Allen look rather foolish, but it was an extremely lucky play prior that even led to a power play shot. The Blues could have and should have cleared the puck, but instead of hoisting it out of the zone, they tried to go slightly elevated. Brad Hunt knocked it out of mid air and that led directly to the cycle and the goal.
Again, even as an Allen supporter, he was not steady on his skates and lost balance when he could not dig his edge into the ice. But, in a normal game, the Blues get that puck out or Hunt knocks it down and it still trickles over the line. Instead, he catches it clean, Allen can’t keep the edge work and the Wild get the goal.
After that, the Wild got another fortunate goal. What would have been their fourth got knocked down by Colton Parayko and past an unsuspecting Allen. The Blues did get some luck as that was called for a weak goaltender interference call, so that all washes out.
Pros: Perseverance
One thing you cannot take away from the Blues, whether it be the 2019 playoffs or the start of the 2019-20 season, they do not give up. The Blues were not sharp, their goaltender was not sharp and still they get a win because Allen and the team kept their head up and battled through it.
Allen was not incredibly tested in the third period. He was only forced to make seven saves. Still, after a shaky second period, Allen battled through and kept Minnesota off the board in the third.
From an offensive standpoint, the Blues just chipped away and kept plugging away. Several of St. Louis’ goals probably should not have gone in, but Blais tied the game up by not giving up on the puck and putting it on net, hoping for a hole and finding one.
O’Reilly’s goal was anything but luck, but you do not even get to overtime if not for their ability to keep going. The team looks tired and somewhat out of sorts, but they just keep at it. With the exception of one or two games, the Blues have not been out of anything because they just keep coming even if they are not on their game.
The worry is that they are using up too much energy, which they lack to begin with, in continually coming back. We will worry about that later.
Overview
This was a big win just to get a win in the back pocket of Allen. I fully admit to being biased, but I believe he was still coming back from his flu symptoms. Even when you feel better, your conditioning is awful and the muscles don’t react quite the same. Also, if you think anyone should be right as rain after they’ve lost 16 lbs, you’re insane.
That said, Allen was not sharp. There were several reasons that some of the goals should not have happened beyond the goaltending, but just the body language of Allen was not that great. He needed the win more than the team and got it.
eyond all that nonsense that is made more of by fans than needs to be, the Blues are just off and continue to be. I am more and more impressed by their ability to come from behind.
They have come from behind seven times to win in 15 games. However, it can be argued whether that is a good thing or not. Nobody will argue against the final result, but how you are getting there is somewhat concerning.
That said, this game was so odd that it did not really have the frustration felt after the Columbus game. There were so many weird bounces and odd calls that you just shrug and take the win and move on.
This was a big win even if against a weaker team. The rough western Canada trip is up next, so getting as many points as possible going out there is always a big plus.