Preview: The St. Louis Blues (26-26-6) play the Seattle Kraken (25-30-4) as the Blues wrap up their 6-game home stand. No changes in the lineup from the win against the Avalanche and Jordan Binnington will be back between the pipes…Joey Daccord in net for the Kraken.
Blues go up by 2 in first period
5 minutes in, the Blues have the edge in shots 4-2 and overall, have a good pace to the game.
Jordan Kyrou makes it 1 to nothing with a heel-to-toe wrist shot after he dekes the defenseman and zipped it top shelf. Cam Fowler and Colton Parayko assisted his 24th goal of the year at 8:04. Kyrou’s 8th goal in 10 games against the Kraken.
Kyrou then draws a tripping penalty with 7:20 left in the period. Eight seconds later, Oskar Sundqvist fired one from the slot with no one in front of him…high to the glove side…his 5th with assists to Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas, who won the faceoff (7 games in a row with an assist)…2-0 on their 9th shot. That happened fast! Sunny’s 3rd PP goal this season.
Blues out shoot the Kraken 14 to 4 and lead the game, 2-0, in the 1st period. Blues won 72% of the faceoffs.
Blues score 4 and lead by a touchdown after period 2…
Blues have scored 4 goals on their last 10 powerplay opportunities in the last 6 games.
Radek Faksa gets caught for a tripping penalty one minute into the period. Blues face some pressure but no goals as Binnington makes several saves.
At 14:47 Robert Thomas bats his rebound out of the air and makes it 3-0…assists by Philip Broberg and Jake Neighbours. The Kraken has been pushing as they are up to 13 shots versus 18 for the Blues.
The birthday boy Zach Bolduc, makes it 4-0 at 11:37 on the transition…Sundqvist drops a pass to Bolduc for his 7th of the year. Nick Leddy with the 2nd assist.
5-0 Blues, pouring it on with 10:15 left a shot from Fowler at the blueline sneaks through the screen in front…Fowler’s 7th…in 28 games with the Blues…assisted by Brayden Schenn and Dylan Holloway.
Goalie change and the NHL debut for Nikke Kokko for the Kraken.
Make it 6-0 with 8:05 left in the period…Neighbours took a pass to the backside and buried it for his 14th goal…a 10-game goalless streak broken. Fowler and Parayko with the assists. For the first time this season, the Blues have had a 6-goal lead. And my wife Dawn says…” Did they score again??”
Kyrou draws another tripping penalty with 1:50 left in the 2nd. No goal…and 10 seconds will carry over to the 3rd period. Shots on goal through 2 periods the Blues 25 to 18 for the Kraken.
Blues add the extra point in the 3rd period...
Blues have only lost 2 games all year when leading after 2 periods.
The Blues add the extra point…A season-high tying 7th goal to make it 7-0 - 20 seconds into the period, and just 10 seconds after the penalty ended…Mathieu Joseph fires a shot from the blue line, and Bolduc tips it in for his 2nd of the game and his 8th on the year. Sundqvist…his first 3-point game in his career…with the 2nd assist. Hatty Watch for Bolduc!!
Former Blues defenseman Vince Dunn makes a steal at the blueline and he banks one in off the post and in…7-1 at 5:13 to break the shutout.
A goal for the Blues was disallowed on a bad call of goalie interference when Alexi Toropchenko was one the wrong end of a blatant high-sticking, in front of the crease and was called for bumping the Kraken player into the goalie.
Then…former Blue Jaden Schwartz scores and goalie interference is indicated…originally called as interference but Kraken challenge as it’s Parayko’s stick that hits Binnington. And it is 7 to 2 with 7:51 left.
Blues go on the penalty kill with 3:49 left…Faksa with a holding penalty and a good kill… Kraken 0 for 2 on the PP with 3 total shots.
Blues finish the game with 27 shots and 27 for the Kraken…Binnington made 25 saves for a convincing 7 to 2 win. Binner is 4-0-1 in his last 5 games. And move the Blues 1-game over .500 at 27-26-6.
Notes: Blues play 7 of their next 8 games on the road. 7 points from the defense in the game. 13 different players with points.