The St. Louis Blues picked up a shutout and Jordan Binnington's win to give him the most in franchise history when they played the New Jersey Devils the last time out east. It didn't start quite as well for this home game.
Although the Blues had some decent looks, hitting the net was more difficult. Both Colton Parayko and Pavel Buchnevich had good opportunities, but Buch's got blocked and Parayko barely missed one of his.
St. Louis' best look was nearly another goal for Jordan Kyrou. He got a shot off from the high slot that barely went off the goalie's jersey under his armpit and then fluttered off the post. Kyrou thought it had gone in, but it ended up being covered.
Despite a slow start, the Devils would get on the board first. With about five minutes left, the Devils blasted one in that could have been icing. However, on what may have been a set play, Ondrej Palat sliced in on the left wing and one-timed a slap shot over Binnington's shoulder for the 1-0 lead.
The Blues got a power play close to eight minutes in, but continue to be unreliable. Even when they had some zone time, they just couldn't pull the trigger.
A few minutes after that, the Devils went to their power play. They made it 2-0 when New Jersey got about three attempts near the post and finally banked one off Binnington's pad.
The Devils stayed on the power play because Cam Fowler got called for a crosscheck right as the puck went in. Fortunately, the Blues managed to kill that one off.
St. Louis' best opportunity in the second came with around four minutes left. They had an odd-man rush, but the pass barely got tipped by the defender and then off Jacob Markstrom's pad. Dylan Holloway got a weak backhander on the rebound, but it went off a stick and the goalie too.
It didn't get any better in the third period either. The Blues just couldn't get any offense going early, even knowing they needed two goals just to tie.
It quickly became three as the Devils added to their lead. A rim around went off the referee's skate in the corner, causing an odd scramble for the Blues. They didn't clear after an initial save by Binnington and then a shot from just outside the left circle went past a four-player screen and into the upper left for a 3-0 lead.
It seemed like a lost night as the offense kept missing the net and couldn't get sustained pressure. Jim Montgomery took a gamble and pulled the goaltender with almost 10 minutes left and it actually worked.
Almost immediately, Jordan Kyrou sniped his 14th of the season. Some quick passes set up Kyrou near the left circle for a shot just under the goalie and a 3-1 score.
Despite the initial bump from the goal and some physicality after that, the Blues just didn't get much going. New Jersey clamped down even harder.
St. Louis pulled their goalie again but did not get the same result. Even though they got the puck deep, New Jersey stripped it near the end wall and sprang a one-on-one the other way, and deked Fowler down to the ice for an easy goal to make it 4-1.
Although St. Louis showed some spirit and physicality again late, they couldn't get anything done offensively. The Devils won pretty easily.
Con: Offense
We can point fingers at certain individuals if we want, but the reality is that there just wasn't enough offense from anyone. 12 shots through two periods won't cut it, especially if you find yourself behind as the Blues did.
It wasn't as though they weren't trying initially. The top guys still created a little as Kyrou and Buchnevich both had three attempts on the net through two periods, but they weren't actual shots.
There wasn't a whole lot of room to shoot, so the guys were trying to be too precise with their shots toward the upper corners. Some of that is situational, but some of it is just missing the net.
Force the goalie to make a save and hope the guys are there for rebounds. Even the announcers mentioned how it was too much one-and-done.
Pro: Kyrou's streak
When you lose, nobody cares about streaks. However, you want your goal scorers to stay hot because it often gives you the best chance to win.
Kyrou now has 14 goals on the season. He also has goals in five straight games.
It's been a pretty long run of good form too. With this goal, he's got points in six straight and seven of the last eight. Kyrou also hasn't gone more than one game without a point since the end of October.
Con: Binnington
This loss is not on Jordan Binnington. There wasn't anything he could've done about any of the goals.
However, there's just an off-ness to his game right now. In two of the last three games he's been in, his body language just felt off.
Although the reasoning is not what the Facebook trolls would have you think, it can't be denied that the team seems to play worse in front of him. It's almost as though the Blues are so accustomed to Binner bailing them out that they play with less focus.
Binnington didn't lose it, but he just didn't look quite right. He seemed partially frustrated and even that breakaway late in the game where he lunged out with his stick didn't seem like a goalie who was confident in his ability to stand in there and make the stop.
Pro: Sticking together
Although it's a minor thing for this game, at least the Blues continue to stick up for one another. One of the most frustrating things in the last couple of years has been something happened and nobody did anything about it. That led to teams taking advantage of the Blues.
In this game, the things that got it all started weren't even that bad. Alexey Toropchenko got a clean hit along the end wall and his teammates quickly came to his aid when the Devils took exception.
Later in the game, Jake Neighbours got sent awkwardly into the side wall and that sprang a big scrum with everyone on the ice. Upon review, it was more a trip than a bad hit, but it was good to see the St. Louis players react and also go after the same guy later.
Overview:
All in all, this was a boring game. Once the Blues went down, it was almost reminiscent of an early 1990s Devils game.
It wasn't quite as boring as some of those neutral zone trap games used to be, but New Jersey didn't allow the Blues to do anything. That said, St. Louis didn't have enough push either.
There's something odd about the inconsistency of this team. They don't have the talent level they need to be a contender, but the fact they can get 30-40 shots a couple of times under Montgomery and then revert to having shots in the teens or low 20s is concerning.
New Jersey played a very solid defensive game and kept things clogged, but the Blues missed some of their best looks. Even Montgomery was disappointed with the pushback as St. Louis just didn't have any sustained pressure, especially when the game was still close.
Overall, games like this happen. It's just extra disappointing because the Blues just can't get themselves multiple games over .500.
You'll run into good defenses or hot goaltenders or just not have your A-game. St. Louis has put themselves in a position where they can't afford those things, however.
Now, it's back on the road in Florida against two recent Cup winners and then a Red Wings team that is also struggling for consistency like the Blues. Hopefully, they don't have any more snoozers like this game.