A shootout winner from Radek Faksa probably wasn't on most Blues fans' radar last night. But that's exactly what happened, as he went up the ice and made a very nice move and put the puck past goaltender Arvid Soderblom.
Faksa has been a little bit of everything for the Blues this season. He's provided some scoring depth, toughness, and grit out on the ice. He makes an impact on the ice in many ways other than just scoring.
Faksa took a puck to the upper lip earlier in the game
According to Lou Korac of The Hockey News, Faksa had to receive seven stiches to his upper lip after taking a hit with the puck. The fact he stayed in the game and eventually scored the winner in the shootout shows how Faksa plays the game, which is the right way.
Faksa was the surprising aspect of the game, but it was also nice to see the Blues offense come to life. While the offense was there, the defense was definitely off last night. Jordan Binnington was excellent in both overtime and the shootout, and was one of the only reasons the Blues walked away with two points.
Could there be a market for Faksa at the deadline?
This is an entirely discussion in itself, but could Faksa have a market at the deadline? Maybe. The Blues could probably get a late round draft pick from a contender for Faksa if they wanted to, but for what he brings, wouldn't they want to keep him around? We'll see.
He wouldn't be the top player the Blues would be dangling out there, as there are reports that Brayden Schenn could be made available, although a trade seems unlikely. Whatever the Blues decide to do with Faksa, it'll benefit them. They could keep him and resign him, or trade him and get a pick for a player who's making very little money by league standards. .
What does this win against the Blackhawks say about the Blues?
This win says nothing about the Blues that we don't already know. They're good enough to force overtime against some of the best teams in the NHL, like the Oilers and the Panthers, but are so inconsistent that they'll show up the next game and barely beat the Blackhawks.
They're almost there, but they aren't there yet. That's okay though, the Blues are still in a retool. Fans will just have to be patient and watch this team grow.