The St. Louis Blues were in the midst of a three-game losing streak with an offensive powerhouse coming to town. Thankfully, the Blues got their game back at just the right time.
The St. Louis Blues entered their midweek game with the Tampa Bay Lightning in need of something positive. It was not as though the Blues had played terribly, but they were losers of three straight. St. Louis got points in two of those three, but they were still on the short end.
The Blues needed to keep the losing streak brief. One of the reasons the Blues had such success in 2018-19 was not having any four-game losing streaks once Craig Berube took over. They had the opportunity to avoid one with a win.
The problem was Tampa Bay came in red hot. The Lightning had won four of their last six and scored 29 goals in that span.
However, St. Louis was determined to show that defense still wins championships. They proved that last year when they won the Stanley Cup and while Pat Maroon was in town to receive his championship ring, the Lightning’s vaunted offense could not muster enough to get the win.
The Blues came out stong and were doing a good job of getting some early chances. Unfortunately, the Blues also seem to be proving that starting strong does not seem to benefit them as they continually give up the first goal of the game when they play better.
On the plus side, the resilient Blues returned. For a long time, it looked as though St. Louis would get shut out, but it was a gritty goal that got them back into things and allowed them to really get into their game.
From then on, they smothered the Lightning and barely even let them into the offensive zone, let alone giving them scoring opportunities. It was an impressive defensive display through physicality, good positioning and a few key blocks too.
St. Louis would score the go-ahead goal early in the third period and, shockingly, they would add an empty net goal too. St. Louis won 3-1, handing the Lightning their second loss in a row.
Cons: First goal given up
The Blues just do not seem to have good luck when they start the game strong for whatever reason. It is getting a little concerning.
The first period was the only period where Tampa outshot the Blues. However, even so, the Blues were the better team for stretches of the first few minutes. Nothing came of it.
Then, the Lightning score on a play that did not really need to happen. Nobody was squarely at fault, but certain things could have happened to avoid it.
Tampa was doing a good job of cycling the puck, but the Blues were staying in front for the most part. All it took was one lapse moment to give the Lightning a goal.
Robert Bortuzzo went for a hit on Victor Hedman instead of going for the puck. Bortuzzo made good contact, but Hedman kept the puck alive.
The Blues seemed to switch off, perhaps thinking they had won the board battle. Vince Dunn was standing still in the crease, of all places, while Anthony Cirelli stood mere feet away, able to put in the goal.
It was not the most egregious goal the Blues have ever given up, but when your defender is in the crease and his mark is the one that scores, it just does not look that great.
Pros: First goal scored
The Blues were starting to fall into the trap they were deep into over the last few games. They were getting a good volume of shots, but not quality ones and too many were right at the goaltender.
Honestly, it was starting to look like the Lightning was going to get the shutout until the Blues finally cracked the scoresheet. It was a nice, gritty goal too.
Like the Lightning on their goal, St. Louis was doing a good job of moving the puck around. Colton Parayko, who had a solid overall game, faked the big blast and then backhanded it in front. David Perron was right there on the doorstep to take the rebound and tuck it just past the left pad.
It was not pretty or stylish, but it was the kind of goal that will get you going. The Blues needed something to go their way and this did the trick.
Perron can snipe with the best of them. To get a “dirty” goal might actually be more beneficial for him and the team sometimes.
Cons: Useless shots
While the broadcasting crew can continue to pucker their lips when discussing the opposing goaltenders, the Blues have not really done enough offensively lately. The game against Tampa was just another example of that.
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Unlike the games against Arizona or Columbus, Andrei Vasilevskiy actually played a good game. He made a handful of quality saves in the third period, including a fine glove save to rob Sammy Blais.
That is that point though. It was a handful of quality saves. In previous games, it was not even that many. Yet, if you listen only to postgame shows, you will hear how wonderful these goaltedenders were and how they shut down the Blues who valiantly and tirelessly put pucks toward the net.
Nevermind that the Blues hit the logo on his chest 90% of the time. We were told how much pressure the Blues generated in the second period when they outshot Tampa 18-4.
I would say the defense was impressive holding the Lightning to four shots. The offense did nothing to move the needle.
They generated some good zone time. They continually shot right at the goaltender, however, or had no net-front presence and Vasilevskiy could see it the entire way.
I have played goal myself, though clearly not at a high level. I, and any goaltender in the world, would gladly get peppered with 50 shots a game if you told us ahead of time that the vast majority would hit the chest protector.
It is fine to put pucks on net. We have seen good things happen and goals that should not have gone in go in. You have to at least be looking for gaps though. There is not, nor will there ever be, a hole in a goaltender’s chest.
Pros: Sundqvist
Oskar Sundqvist continues to make all of us doubters look like fools. Let us not pretend as though 99% of Blues fandom was not ready to throw him out with the bathwater, to turn a phrase.
However, he kept improving his defensive skills and now, as Craig Berube pointed out in the postgame, Sundqvist has confidence offensively. The defense is still there, as Chief put it, but he’s got the confidence and skill to do things in the offensive zone.
What is impressive about the turnaround in his game is it’s not a fourth-line guy just hitting a lucky streak. Sundqvist is earning his goals and extra time on the ice.
Due to some line tinkering, Sundqvist had been moved to the wing on the third line. Not only did he get good minutes with that trio, but he occasionally double-shifted with the fourth line too.
That shows how much faith Berube has in him. Not only did they want him on the ice with the more skilled guys, but they liked his tenacity with the three guys he has spent most of 2019 with.
Sunny showed some good offensive pop as well. He snapped a career high six shots on goal.
Several were quality chances, not just backhanded dribblers. Then, his goal was a thing of beauty.
Interestingly, Sundqvist fell down moments beforehand. However, he composed himself in seconds, fielded the passe and then just ripped a wrist shot into the upper corner. Vasilevskiy did not seem to even know the shot was taken. He clearly knew one was coming the way he hugged the post, but he had no clue it went by him other than the crowd reaction.
It was a fitting end to a solid two-way night for Sundqvist.
Overview
This was a nice win. It was not great or anything we can really glean too much from, but it was a good win.
The Blues showed what a class franchise they are with their pregame ceremony for Maroon. As he said after the game, the Blues were not obligated to do that. They easily could have just mailed him the ring, but instead they went with the pomp and circumstance and it gave the hometown hero one last opportunity to bask in that particular limelight.
As far as the game went, it was actually quite pedestrian for long stretches. Oddly enough, the Lightning outhit the Blues by almost a 2-1 margin.
Perhaps that is actually how the Blues won. They forced the offensive juggernaut into trying to match the Blues style and any time you can change how an opponent plays, you have won an important battle in the overall war.
The worrying thing is the Blues’ continued struggle offensively. You can look at a boxscore and say they had three goals, but the offense just is not there the way it needs to be.
Three total goals will help their average, but they continue to struggle. The one positive offensively, other than some individual performances, was all three goals were even strength.
We love to focus on the power play. However, the Blues came into this game 29th in the league in even strength goals.
Overall, this game was won mostly by defense and goaltending. Jordan Binnington was not spectacular, but he made some big stops at key times, including more shorthanded chances against.
While there were no eye-popping defensive plays really, you have to marvel any time you can keep an offense like the Lightning to only 18 shots on goal especially when an offensively challenged team like the Blues had 18 shots in one period.
There are still plenty of things to improve on. Nevertheless, this was a good win to stop the bleeding and get some momentum to face Calgary with.