The St. Louis Blues have not always played their best after longer breaks. With that in mind, they were trying to avoid a fall against the Winnipeg Jets in their first game after the holiday break
Coming into their game with the Winnipeg Jets, the St. Louis Blues had just about everything in their favor. They had won six-straight games heading into the holidays.
They were fresh off three off days, as was the entire league. They were facing a team that, while good, was a full nine points behind.
However, that is why you play the game. The Blues did manage to get things going early. They scored on their very first shot of the game.
Unfortunately, they were never able to capitalize on their momentum. Every time they got on the front foot, they would be forced to take a step back.
Winnipeg tied things 1-1 just before the first intermission. St. Louis would take a 2-1 lead just over five minutes into the second, but the Jets tied it about four minutes later.
In the second period, it was the Blues turn to score a late goal. The Jets repaid the favor with an early power play goal in the third.
St. Louis looked like they finally squashed the momentum by hitting the back of the net with a fantastic one-timer just minutes after that tying goal. Instead, the Jets would not go away and made the Blues pay with a goal while their own net was empty.
Thankfully, the game was not a waste for the Blues. While they did give a divisional opponent a point, the Blues would leave with the two points as they scored late in overtime.
It was a wild back and forth affair. St. Louis came out the victor, 5-4 in overtime.
Pros: Justin Faulk starting early
If the St. Louis Blues were worried about the slow start for Justin Faulk, they were not letting on. Blues fans were definitely feeling frustrated at paying him a large sum on his new contract and not getting results.
However, you can now tell that Faulk is starting to feel more at home in St. Louis. While this game was not in St. Louis, he is feeling more comfortable with his team and the production is starting to come.
While the first goal of the game in this one was only Faulk’s third of the season, they are starting to come more readily. It was never for lack of trying as Faulk was always shooting. However, like hitting in baseball, sometimes you just need some good fortune.
This goal was not overly skillful, but it was not solely good fortune either. Faulk took a good pass from Jaden Schwartz and hit a one-timer low on the ice.
The shot skimmed along and snuck in just under the pad. It got things rolling for the Blues and continued a decent roll for Faulk who now has two goals and four points in six games.
Cons: Back and forth
Giving up any lead is not a good thing, but the Blues are typically up by a couple goals at some point during their wins. That was not the case in this game.
St. Louis never had more than a one-goal lead against Winnipeg. If you do not count intermissions, their longest lead was actually the time between each team’s first goal.
The Blues just seemed to lack that killer instinct to keep themselves on top. Even when they scored the opening goal of the game, the Jets came back to life and rattled off the next six shots before the Blues got a second.
When the Blues scored their second goal, they had a couple good shifts that created some chances, but they came up empty. The same was true just before the Jets tied it. The Blues had a couple opportunities to punch in that third goal, but were denied.
It does not help that the Blues made some mistakes. Taking an early penalty in the third period is not the way to preserve a lead, but it was just the overall sense of continually letting the Jets back into things instead of stepping on their throats somehow.
Pros: Bozak
Early in the season, Tyler Bozak was one of the hardest workers for the Blues. He was also seriously snake bitten.
Bozak was creating some of the best chances for the team every game. He was also coming up shorthanded.
It got so bad that many fans were saying anyone else would have had a goal, in this situation or that, when Bozak would get a crack at goal or even a breakaway. The pendulum has finally swung back the other direction.
Bozak now has two two-goal games in his last five games. The other deuce came against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 14.
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The Blues were never really in danger in that contest. Thus, the two goals against the Jets might have been even more important.
The first one was a little fortunate. After Schwartz’ shot on the power play was blocked, the puck trickled right back to Bozak, who had dished to Schwartz in the first place. Bozak made no mistake, roofing it right away for a 3-2 lead.
The second goal was more impressive. Again, it gave the Blues a lead at 4-3.
This time it was another Robert Thomas setup, showing they have some good chemistry. Thomas drove to the endline and dropped it out to Bozak who ripped it in from his knees just to the right of the slot.
Both goals were the type that would have hit the post or been saved earlier in the year. Now, they are hitting the back of the net.
Cons: Late goals
This one sort of ties back into the back and forth nature of the game. However, this is something the Blues actually need to fix.
The Blues allowed a goal late in the first period. They also allowed the goal late in the third with an empty net awaiting them at the other end. The Blues were also fortunate not to allow a late goal in the second as Kyle Connor had essentially an empty net, but whiffed on a loose puck.
The other issue is both late tallies were quite preventable. You could argue that any goal is preventable if you go far enough back, but these goals had distinct events you could pinpoint that were avoidable.
On the Jets first goal, the Jets scored on a zone to zone stretch pass. St. Louis has suddenly made a bad habit of letting those up, allowing too many creases through the middle with not enough backside pressure. It could also be said that Jay Bouwmeester might have taken a stride or two out to block the shot instead of staying at the edge of the crease, but that’s more a bang-bang play than we give credit for. He did form a slight screen for Jordan Binnington though.
On the game tying goal that force it into overtime, it was an odd play where Colton Parayko got handcuffed along the boards. Normally a more mundane play, Parayko actually turned the puck over and it immediately ended up in the back of the net after one pass.
Pros: Getting the win
This was a gritty, divisional win and as long as you get the two points, it does not matter how. It was not the prettiest at times, but the Blues got it done.
The reffing continues to be questionable throughout the league. On one play, the refs basically made up a call, putting Vince Dunn in the box for slashing when he had one hand on the stick and there was barely even a tap. I guess you just have to expect these ridiculous calls these days.
As far as the game went, it was solid all around. The Blues kept up their offensive chances even though the Jets would not go away.
The Blues let the Jets have the higher number of hits, but sometimes that is best. The Blues often lost when they tried to be too physical against the Jets in the playoffs, so focus more on your game as opposed to just hitting.
Jaden Schwartz continued to be hot, racking up three points. Alex Pietrangelo had two of his own. David Perron had two big points, including the game winning goal in the extra period.
Still, while the Blues deserved the win and the Jets played hard throughout, you feel like the extra effort could have been avoided. There were just enough instances where certain plays could have been made or mistakes avoided that would have added a goal here or denied a goal there and the Blues would have ended things in regulation.
The fact they continually overcome the odds is impressive though. You just worry the luck runs out eventually.
Overview
This was a big win for the Blues within the division. They came into the game up by 10 points over the Jets and leave with an 11 point lead over Winnipeg. Even the Colorado Avalanche are further back in the rear view mirror than they were just a couple weeks ago.
As we have said for awhile, these are points in the back pocket or the bank, if you will. The Blues won’t continue winning forever, but the bigger cushion you can build gives you more room for error later.
Getting a win on the road also keeps the Blues in the Jets heads. St. Louis won three games in their barn in the playoffs in 2019 and now stole one in the 2019-20 regular season.
That becomes important since the Jets will visit the Blues on Sunday. Maybe the Blues win or maybe they don’t, but taking one on the road is always a good way to start things.