With the St. Louis Blues travelling to Florida for a few days, the cynic might think it was nothing more than a golf trip. At the start, the Blues came to play some hockey against the Florida Panthers.
Both teams had seven shots in the first period, showcasing how both teams are not clicking on all cylinders, nor reaching the heights any fans thought they might. Nevertheless, the Blues managed to score the only goal of the period.
Halfway through the period, off a faceoff win, Cam Fowler whizzed a wrister towards the net. Jake Neighbours managed to get a deflection, and it was 1-0 on his ninth of the season.
The Blues then doubled their lead before the second period was two minutes old. On a power play, the Blues held the puck along the left corner wall. They found Pavel Buchnevich on the left circle, and he got it across to Jonatan Berggren for the one-timer on the right to make it 2-0.
Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. The Panthers got on the board at 7:35 when they spun a shot from the right wing to the net. It bounced in off AJ Greer and counted, despite some calls for goalie interference and an unsuccessful challenge.
The officiating got even more infuriating. Colton Parayko was involved in a battle for the puck where he was getting held and shoved the guy away. Somehow, he got the only penalty, and the Panthers took the lead on the power play.
The Panthers went from right wing, goal line to the slot in the blink of an eye. Sam Reinhart got the power play goal to tie it, and the goal was earned, but the power play was not.
It seemed like it would head to intermission deadlocked. However, Justin Faulk sent a prayer slap shot to the net, and it deflected off the defender and over the glove to make it 3-2 Blues with 0.8 seconds left.
The Blues opened the third well with 45 seconds in the offensive zone, but then they took a bone-headed tripping penalty. St. Louis did kill it off, and Otto Stenberg got a shorthanded chance too.
The Blues had a good shift from their top line when Robert Thomas denied a breakout with a solid poke at the blue line, and then Berggren found Pavel Buchnevich in the slot. It got behind the goalie, but the Florida defender swept it away before any Blues could get there.
St. Louis did a good job of keeping on the front foot, though. They got their fourth goal about eight minutes in.
Schenn fed to Stenberg in front, but the Swedish rookie one-touched it just to the right to set up Neighbours for the better angle. Instead of sitting on it, the Blues got another.
51 seconds later, it was 5-2 Blues. Buchnevich saucered a pass to Robert Thomas in the slot, and he clanked one off the left post and in for the goal.
The Panthers pulled their goalie with five minutes left. Joel Hofer took his crack at it with about 4:11 left, but the Panthers had a guy back.
St. Louis took a late penalty, but the Blues pulled off the rarest of plays after that - an empty netter. St. Louis got the puck to the neutral zone, stole it back, and then Thomas scored from center ice into an empty net to make it 6-2.
Pros: Multiple point games
The Blues have needed their top guys to step up. They've needed more than just one goal or one point from them, and finally got it in this game.
Brayden Schenn had one assist, and was a plus-2. Thomas had two goals and three points.
Berggren had a goal and three points too. He's not a "top guy", but he was on the top line. Stenberg had two assists, quickly showing why the team was high on him, even with ups and downs in the AHL.
Neighbours had two assists, and Buchnevich had two assists. With the injuries the Blues have, they need all these guys to be consistent producers.
Con: Another blown lead
We can accept it because we know the final result, but the Blues' inability to hold leads could easily have cost them. You're up 2-0, and instead of making it 3-0 or 3-1, you allow the Panthers to score two unanswered.
There were extenuating circumstances. One goal could have been goalie interference, and the other should never have happened because Florida shouldn't have been on the power play.
You can only play the game as it happens, not as it should happen. The bottom line is that they got themselves into a lead and couldn't really absorb that initial push, which has been a problem all year.
Pro: Faulk
Justin Faulk has been an interesting player during his Blues career. When the team has truly needed him to be their best defenseman, he has stepped up to the plate. When they've asked him to play a role, or if he's had a revolving door of linemates, he's struggled.
While Colton Parayko is still the top right-handed defender for the Blues, Faulk has likely been their best for much of this season. He continued to show that in this game.
The goal was a bit fortunate, but it was a player who understood the situation. Time is ticking down, so he just spins and fires one to the goal. He doesn't know it'll deflect off the defender, but just taking the shot gives them a chance.
In addition to the goal, he had four shots and four shot blocks too. Fans still notice the mistakes, but one way to tell how well Faulk is playing is how little you actually see his name on social media posts. If people aren't complaining about someone, they're actually doing pretty well.
Overview:
While the standings are in constant flux, it's hard to believe that the Blues are just one point behind the final playoff spot. As bad as they've been, they're right in the mix of things.
That showcases that they still have the potential to do things, but also highlights how inconsistent and mediocre most of the Western Conference is. Regardless, the Blues are right there.
Now, the issue is how they come out of this game. If they get blown out, then it's just the same old story. If you can get another point or another win, maybe St. Louis can start figuring things out.
While I'm realistic about what this team is, my secret hope is that by actually getting a blowout win, maybe they can shed some of that hangdog mentality. Maybe they can formulate some belief in themselves and play with pride instead of looking for the next bad thing to happen.
This team is so hard to read. I've been as down on them as I can remember, and I see all the trade chatter and giving up on the season. But to their credit, even though they're not great, the Blues stay in it. They have points in three straight and four out of the last five games.
Other teams have games in hand, but the Blues can't worry about that. They can only take care of their own games, and if they continue on an upward trend, then maybe they don't need to be sellers.