Heading into their matchup with the Anaheim Ducks, it felt like a potential trap game for the St. Louis Blues. The Ducks had been on a roll, but it's still easy to look at their spot in the standings and overlook the team as a whole.
The Blues seemed like they were not going to do that. They struck first in the first three minutes.
After a nice passing play, Alexey Toropchenko took a wrister from the middle-left of the zone to make it 1-0. It was a puck that Lukas Dostal needed to stop, but those are the kinds of breaks the Blues have been earning late in the season.
However, even Jim Montgomery said in the postgame that he didn't like the team's energy and effort level in the last 15 minutes of the first. Eventually, that caught up to them as the Ducks tied it with about five minutes left.
Sam Colangelo got credit for the power play goal due to a deflection. I watched it several times and never did see the tip, but it was an upper 90 shot regardless and Colangelo was screening no matter what.
The Blues came out better in the second, although the shot totals wouldn't show it. Despite their six total shots on goal, they took the lead a little past the midway point in the game.
Dylan Holloway came flying in on the forecheck and disrupted a zone exit. The turnover was completed with the Jordan Kyrou interception, Holloway fed it across the slot and Brayden Schenn roofed it to make it 2-1.
The shot totals did not increase in the third period, but St. Louis continued to make the most of what they did get. This time around, the offense was sprung by the backcheck instead of the forecheck.
The Blues stripped the puck in their zone and went in transition. A pass through the seam from Cam Fowler sprang Zach Bolduc, who split two defenders and banked one off Dostal to make it 3-1.
That goal became important as the Ducks pressed in the final five minutes. The Blues turned it over as the defender was too soft on the wall as he accepted a pass up the boards from Jordan Binnington.
Binner was then bumped into by Ryan Suter and the Ducks scored from the left circle to make it 3-2.
A little over a minute later, the captain gave the Blues some breathing room again. Schenn scored on an empty net to make it 4-2.
St. Louis couldn't make it easy though. The Ducks sent another point shot off the end wall. It went right to Troy Terry, who tapped it in front of Alex Killorn who banked it in to make it 4-3.
The Blues would eventually hold on and won 4-3.
Pro: Schenn
Brayden Schenn has been playing pretty well anyway, but you could tell the pressure was off. With his name being mentioned in several trade rumors leading up to the deadline, he just seemed more free and like himself now knowing he would finish this season with the Blues.
The first goal was just a quality finish. It easily could have been nothing the way the puck wouldn't settle for Holloway, but Schenn got the puck to sit and then scooped it over Gibson for one of the best goals of the night.
His ability to get the empty net was good as well. We've seen plenty of guys choke and go wide or let the defender make the block. Instead, he outwaited the defenseman, made him slip, and then tucked it away.
His percentage was pretty good. Two goals on two shots.
Con: Making us sweat
I won't take credit away from the Ducks pushing at the end of the game. They got guys into position, took good shots, and took advantage when the Blues had miscues.
That said, it just didn't need to be as close as it was. Suter has been a fantastic addition this season, but you just can't run into your goalie with three minutes left.
The Ducks third goal was both luck and skill. There's not a ton you can do to counteract a fortunate bounce off the endwall, but you've got to find a way to track it better to snuff out the chance before it even gets to the point of the final shot.
The Blues got the win, but being up by two twice and still having to sweat at the end isn't great.
Pro: Fowler
A player's first game back in their former home is always emotional, especially when you spent the entirety of your previous 14 years in that city. Just suiting up and getting through it is often half the battle.
However, Cam Fowler understood the assignment. The Blues are relying on him to step up and help fill the void of Colton Parayko and he did that well.
Not only did he play well defensively, but we saw what made him a solid offensive force. Fowler picked up two important assists.
His passes helped spring both Toropchenko and Bolduc on their transition plays/breakaways.
Overview:
At this point in the season, you can't be picky. You need wins and you need points.
The Blues got both in their first two games of this California trip. They had a gritty win against the Los Angeles Kings a couple of days prior and then hung on against the Ducks.
We'd all like to have seen this one be a 4-2 or 5-2 win instead of 4-3 where you needed two late goals just to hold on. However, the Blues played well enough over the 60 minutes to deserve the win.
You could tell Parayko wasn't there. The penalty kill looked a bit hesitant and just a step off and you just felt like his lack of presence in the final four minutes was palpable.
Still, the guys that did play on defense did a good enough job. Sometimes it's hard to keep the focus on games like these, but there was a reasonable amount of physicality and 23 shots blocked by the Blues too.
St. Louis was fortunate to win. Dostal let in two soft goals that had no business beating him. The Blues tried to give it away, bumping their goalie and relying too much on playing in their zone at the end.
However, those are the exact types of games the Blues did not win earlier in the year. Had they, they might be in a much happier position right now, but better late than never.
There weren't any big, glaring mistakes that you worry could become a habit. We would all like to see more intensity and killer instinct, but you got the two points in regulation. Asking for more at this point in the season is more about fan greed than anything the team would benefit from.
There's no rest for the weary as it's back to Los Angeles just one night after. The Blues better come with their A-game and Joel Hofer better be on.
Under normal circumstances, two wins out of three games in California would be great, but the Blues need at least a point, which puts them under more pressure. These are the situations that forge playoff teams, however.