St. Louis Blues Pros And Cons From Game 38 At Los Angeles

It was the second time in 2019-20 that the St. Louis Blues took on the Los Angeles Kings. The result was pretty similar overall.

The St. Louis Blues have struggled in the past when they traveled out west. The present seems to not care about such things as the Blues looked to snuff out the L.A. Kings hopes early and did just that.

The Blues got off to a raucous start, scoring four unanswered goals before the Kings finally cracked the score sheet with a power play goal late in the first period. The Blues were dominant in the period and it was not just the stats that showed it.

St. Louis scored two goals within the span of a minute, twice. If not for a ticky-tac penalty call, the Blues might have carried a shutout into the intermission.

The second period was mostly uneventful. The Blues had 15 shots in the first period alone and both teams combined for 15 shots in the second period.

The Kings did manage to outshoot the Blues in the second. However, despite John Hamm’s assertion to the contrary, it never really felt like the Kings were on the march.

The Blues needed a save here or there, but they were keeping Los Angeles at bay.

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The third period was much ado about nothing as well. The Blues took far too many penalties for my liking, but it led to nothing.

It literally was all downhill after those four goals. The only thing that could have made the game more solid would have been a shutout.

Nevertheless, it was six wins in a row and a 4-1 win before Christmas.

Pros: Fast and furious first

We have become so accustomed to the Blues getting off to a slow start that anything else makes you do a double take. The Blues were determined to stick it to those of us that claim they play down to their opponents though.

The Blues got off on the right foot and never got pushed back onto their heels until late in the first period.

St. Louis had a 5-1 shot lead by the time Brayden Schenn scored his first goal. It was lucky since it tipped off a defender’s stick and through the five-hole, but that’s why you put it on the net. It was still the culmination of some good passing after a faceoff win, even if the shot was not a ripper.

Less than a minute after that, the Blues got the first of two power play goals. At first it seemed as though Alex Pietrangelo‘s slap shot got through, but it was later switched to Jaden Schwartz on the tip. Regardless, it was another example of how quick this offense can strike, even though it is not highly thought of at times.

Vince Dunn scored his sixth of the year. Then, another power play goal came on a fantastic odd-man rush that was finished off by Schenn. It was a long stretch pass that was the bane of the Blues existence defensively for years, but finally went in their favor.

By the time the Blues had their fourth goal, they only had 13 shots on goal. It seemed to take them off their game a little, since they only had two shots in the final seven minutes-plus. Nevertheless, it was an impressive run to gain such a commanding lead.

Cons: Penalties

The Blues penalty kill was actually not a problem and played quite well. They were dominant and snuffed out the Kings power play right from the start on their second chance.

Unfortunately, on the Kings first power play, they made the Blues pay for going into the box. The goal itself was just unfortunate for the Blues. They defended things well, leaving a shooting lane open but Binnington was in good position. However, the Kings’ Alex Iafallo made a nice deflection, spoiling things.

The problem was not really the goal though. The Blues kept giving the Kings chances to get back into the game by going back into the box.

Los Angeles had a power play late in the first, which led to the goal. Another one came late in the second. Though the Blues looked good killing that one, you’re still going to have fatigued legs.

Things got worse in the third period. The Blues gave the Kings three straight power plays, including a brief five-on-three advantage. It might not have led to goals, but the Blues did not even give themselves a chance to get back on the front foot by constantly being a man down.

We can argue about the validity of some of the calls, but the bottom line is the Blues kept putting themselves in a situation where the referee had an option. Too many were “lazy” penalties, such as Alex Pietrangelo’s tripping call. There was just no need for his stick to be there, even though you know he was trying to poke the puck loose.

Overview

As a fan, it would have been nice for the Blues to get a couple more goals. It’s been a few years now, but the Kings are still an irritant (especially that goal horn), so utterly crushing them would not have bothered anyone cheering for the Note.

Instead, the four goals was all we got. Nobody is going to complain about that and a 4-1 win is one goal more than what I predicted going in.

Still, the only downer was not piling on.

Regardless of that, there was a lot to like. Jordan Binnington had another solid game. Even though he was not overly troubled, he did make 29 saves.

The top line continues to grow with one another and Jordan Kyrou‘s speed is opening up more space for his two linemates. He’s earning more trust too, getting close to 14 minutes of ice time.

The power play took advantage of a bad PK for the Kings. They were 2-2 and David Perron helped set up both goals while a man up.

Now, the Blues can get a nice rest with the league having three days off for the Christmas break.