St. Louis Blues Pros And Cons From Game 27 At Dallas

The St. Louis Blues came away with a win in Tampa, but lost another key player. They still found a way to play well as a unit in Dallas.

The St. Louis Blues seem to face adversity like a playoff adversary. They take its worst shot and still manage to push through it.

As fans, we keep wondering what might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Some thought it could be the latest injury with Oskar Sundqvist going down.

After having a superb game in Tampa, Sundqvist left the game midway through and was placed on IR before the Blues game in Dallas. There is still no timetable, but the Blues won’t even have him looked at until they return to St. Louis.

So, would the game in Big D be the one that finally showed the Blues to be undermanned? Hardly.

If anything, the Blues laughed in the face of the injury bug – at least for one night. They came out in the first period and were as physical as we have seen them this year.

It was a typical first period with the Blues getting going a little late, but once they did, they put their foot on the gas. The Blues would take the lead late in the first period.

The second period was a lot of fluff but no real substance.  Both teams got some good chances, but other than a few unbelievable saves for the Blues, there was not much going on overall.

In the third period, the Blues picked their pace back up.  Even though the Stars tied up the game with three minutes left, the Blues regained the lead just 18 seconds later.

The Blues would add a rare empty net goal and claim a 3-1 win.  That gives them five points of a possible six on this road trip and they improve to 5-1-1 against the Central division.

Pros: First period

The Blues, as mentioned, were a little slow out of the gate when the game began. It was not their usual sluggish start, but more just taking a moment to get their legs going.

Once they got them going, the Blues started chugging like a train. They were a force to be reckoned with.

St. Louis actually got outhit in the first period, but they still appeared the more physical team. The Blues hits were bigger and more impactful on the game than just brushing someone in the corner.

The Blues were smothering on defense, holding the Stars to only five shots on goal in the first. They limited the Stars opportunities other than a key save here or there.

Offensively, the Blues were pretty sharp as well. They got 11 shots on goal. Not all of them were grade-A chances, but the Blues were still pretty solid on the offensive end. If nothing else, they were doing a great job to keep up the pressure in the zone.

On top of all that, the Blues actually scored first to take advantage of their solid play. We have seen countless times over the year that the team can have a great period but coming up empty handed.

Instead, the Blues got a 1-0 lead on a nice Colton Parayko goal. It was a seeing eye shot and many might say Ben Bishop should have saved it, but that is why you just put it on net.

Cons: Second period

It is an odd thing how perception can play tricks on you. The reality is that the teams in the second period combined for almost double the amount of shots in the second than the first.

Regardless of that, the period just seemed to drag on. There really was not much going on.

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The teams were going zone to zone, but it just seemed like nothing major was going on. It was much ado about nothing.

You will take nothing over something bad any day of the week. Still, for some reason it seemed like the period should have been over and there was still over nine minutes left.

Things picked up toward the end. It appeared as though Nathan Walker scored his first NHL goal in a Blues uniform after he jammed the puck past the skate of Bishop on the near post.

Unfortunately, the Blues trainer had to hold off on the marker after putting the tape on the puck. The Stars called for a replay challenge and won because Walker was actually offside when the Blues entered the zone.

The Blues also had a power play late in the period where they could have re-doubled their lead. Regardless, it was just somewhat of a lackluster period overall

Pros: Total team effort

I was originally going to give this section to Jake Allen by himself. He was stellar in this game and a big reason that the Blues were ahead as long as they were.

The Stars were really pushing things in the second period and their offense was buzzing throughout the second and third. Because of that, the Blues allowed some quality chances, including some huge flurries of activity right around the net.

Allen came up with save after save. Sometimes he was luckier than good, with the puck hitting him, but he was in the right place at the right time. Other times, he was showcasing his athleticism to go side to side and make a big stop.

Allen was the snake of old. Just like the game in Nashville, he was one of the biggest stars of the game, earning the player of the game on Fox Sports Midwest and the second star of the game from the league.

All of that said, it was just too hard not to mention all the great performances in this game. It was a total team effort in so many different aspects.

Parayko had a heck of a game. His game looked like it might be the game winner for a long time, but regardless of the goal he was jumping into the play constantly and making the Stars work extra hard on defense because he was a force on offense. Parayko was stout defensively too with three blocked shots.

Justin Faulk made several key defensive plays. Faulk is not known for his defensive play, but he was good within his own zone in this game.

Ryan O’Reilly had a gigantic game. He ended with the game-winning goal and two points. O’Reilly was solid in the faceoff circle, chimed in with a hit and a block and also two takeaways. He was just an all-around guy.

Ivan Barbashev was just as great in other ways. Like O’Reilly, Barbashev had a goal and two points after backhanding an empty netter at the end of the game. Barby finished with three hits and three blocks and also won some faceoffs when called upon.

Walker showcased some speed and skill in only 10 minutes of ice time. David Perron chipped in with two points and was oddly physical for a guy that does not usually get into the hitting.

Everyone was helping defensively, putting their bodies on the line. It was as close to a playoff performance as you will likely see in the regular season.

Overview

The announcers kept saying this was a great road win and I totally agree. However, it was just a great win overall, no matter where it was played.

The Blues did allow a few too many good chances, but Allen was up to the task. The Blues offense was clicking like it was when they were completely healthy.

They got 40 shots on goal and scored some goals at key times. You would like some guys to start taking a few more shots instead of looking for passes, but that has been true of this team for years.

Defensively, the Blues were a little loose at times, but you liked their hustle to get back into position. There were not the breakdowns that was have seen so often in the past.

If a guy made a mistake, he was lunging to try and block the shot that was bound to come. The Blues were only credited with 17 blocks, but they were getting down on the ice left and right. It was the hockey equivalent of rug burns.

Overall, it was just a fun game to watch. Despite the Blues only having a one goal lead for a long time, and despite them giving up the lead, it was not one of those games you felt they were going to let slip away.

The fact they scored 18 seconds after allowing the tying goal just emphasized that.

It was a really good performance by just about everyone who slipped on the sweater. Allen was great, the forwards were good and the defenders were solid.

The fact the team is doing this with four key guys on injured reserve is even more impressive.