Con: Special teams
I'm not a stats geek. I think they can tell the story, but also mislead sometimes.
They were not misleading as far as special teams went. It was a horror show.
The power play went 1-5. The Holloway goal was fantastic, but the rest of it was a joke.
The Blues move the puck and just hand it to someone, hoping they'll make a play. They pass up shots because they're afraid they'll be one and done. Ironically, what happens is they're none and done since they just pass, pass, pass, which emboldens the pressure and the PK clears it anyway.
Then, in a pivotal moment in the game, you have a double minor, which gives you a chance to tie the game if your power play can come up big. What do the Blues do? They had a horrendous, lazy line change and gave up a shorthanded breakaway that made it 3-0.
Not only does your power play contribute next to nothing, but you give up a goal. Then, you allow two power play goals too.
Con: Pavel Buchnevich
No matter how positive anyone tries to be, we all have our personal players who just don't hit the right note for us. Pavel Buchnevich has become that person for me.
Everything Vladimir Tarasenko was ever accused of is what we're getting from Buchnevich right now. He's moody, temperamental, selective about when he puts in the right amount of effort, and often nonexistent in big moments.
The stats are still there, for the most part, but he's on pace for a career-low in goals and the assist numbers just won't be enough to justify the extension the team gave him.
Making matters worse, the effort he does put in is often useless. Maybe he gets his nose a little dirtier than Tarasenko, but it doesn't accomplish much more right now.
You couldn't tell it from the TV angle, but he was one of the laziest getting off the ice for the third goal. Buch wasn't the only one, but it's just an example of how he often assumes certain things and when he figures it can be a nice, relaxed line change while a player is cutting right up the middle and the puck on the stick of one of the best puck movers in the league, it's just not good enough.