The St. Louis Blues desperately needed a good performance to end their losing streak. For a team struggling to keep goals out, facing the Edmonton Oilers is not what this team needed.
Despite that, the Blues played pretty well overall in the first period. They only allowed eight shots on goal, and the defense was solid.
Unfortunately, things still didn't end well. The officials assessed a penalty on Oskar Sundqvist, and the Oilers scored almost immediately.
The second period saw it get worse. The Blues had a great start with energy and rush plays, but they kept passing to set up something pretty and didn't even get shots.
Meanwhile, the Oilers went down and scored on an odd-man break. It was 2-0 before the period was three minutes old.
Thankfully, the Blues didn't get too down. They weren't great, but kept themselves in it.
St. Louis gained a power play and finally got on the board. Dalibor Dvorsky slammed home a one-timer from the right wing, and it was 2-1.
St. Louis kept the momentum with a couple of Jordan Binnington saves. They'd tie the game shortly before intermission. Just when it looked like they'd missed their chance, Robert Thomas snuck it across the goal line for a 2-2 tie going into the third.
The Blues didn't play a perfect third period, but it was closer to Blues hockey than we've seen in a while. St. Louis only had two shots until late in the period, but they just tried to outlast the opponent.
Finally, Colton Parayko unleashed a slap shot late. Calvin Pickard couldn't hold the rebound, and Pius Suter popped in the rebound.
The Blues didn't back down either. They never let Edmonton get established in the zone and won 3-2.
Con: Buchnevich
Normally, I avoid jumping on any one player or overreacting to my own individual opinion. However, I've had enough of Buch to be honest.
All I hear is how he does all these little things that go beyond the score sheet. I'm usually pretty good at noticing those things, but I don't see it.
He is continually put on the top line and just takes up space. Buchnevich is almost always the F1 (first forward up the ice on the forecheck), and he does nothing.
He won't hit anyone; he just reaches for pucks and almost never gets into the zone with enough speed to really trouble anyone. I was there and specifically watched.
His passing is atrocious. There were so many passes by Buch in this game where he basically said, "Here, you do something with this", when he was under pressure, but so were his teammates.
He's got the talent to pass and score, and we saw the kind of defender he could be when the Blues first brought him over from New York. That's all gone now as far as I see.
Pro: Power play timing
One for two isn't bad for a power play. It should be said that the first one was not very good, though.
With that in mind, it was the timing of the goal that really proved to be big. We've seen so many times where the Blues have had a power play in a key moment in the game, did nothing with it, and lost.
Instead, with a key power play late in the second period, the Blues got it done. The setup was good, with quick, decisive passing off a faceoff win.
The finish was even better. On the postgame show, they said we haven't seen that kind of one-timer since David Perron. I'll go even further, saying we haven't seen that kind of one-timer since Brett Hull. I'm not saying Dvorsky will be Hull, but that's the type of shot it was.
St. Louis had been building and needed that goal to give them some confidence that they could get over the hump.
Con: Forecheck
Springboarding off the Buch complaint, this team has become one of the weakest forechecking teams in recent memory. They're still being told to do it, but there is no threat of a hit and little chance to steal the puck.
This team used to put fear into opponents; they'd be blown up and worn down. Now, it's almost a token motion, and very few get there quickly enough to actually come up with the puck, much less put someone through the wall.
Overview:
Welcome back, Robert Thomas. It should go without saying that having your top-line center will make a difference, but you'd think the fans that complain about him would actually soak in how many games we lose when he's out and how much better the team is when he's in.
Let's not forget about Jordan Binnington. 24 saves on 26 shots doesn't seem that big, but he made some huge stops to keep Edmonton from running away with it.
The individual play from the Blues still had a lot of gaps and flaws, but the team play was where it needed to be. As a unit, they made smart plays and got to the tougher areas of the ice, even when things weren't clicking with the passes.
I still argue that the Edmonton power play goal should never have happened. Sunny had his stick in a poor place, but it did not impede the player. There was a gap between the two, and the Oiler looked like he grabbed more than Sundqvist. I could deal with that call if they didn't miss some trips on Edmonton, too.
Nevertheless, at least the streak is finally over. This team is almost certainly not a Staley Cup contender, but they have too much talent to be in the conversation for worst in the league.
Dvorsky is going to make the coaches make a tough decision. The defense is starting to actually help their goalie instead of hurting him, and the offense found some stride.
Now comes the hard part - actually building off this win.