The St. Louis Blues are enjoying
some much needed time off this week, following their first home win in 6 tries.
Once again, they struggled to score goals on home ice, but would only need 2 to
gain the victory over the last place Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night. Winning
at Scottrade was a refreshing change, considering the way things have gone this
month. These four days off will be their longest break of the season, and it
couldn’t have come at a better time for the Blues.
They
began February by losing 5 straight games, 4 in a row on home ice, before
taking their show on the road. They managed to win 3 in a row on the shoulders
of Jake Allen. The rookie goalie carried the Blues to those victories, earning
one win in overtime at Detroit, one in
regulation at Calgary, and the
third in a shoot-out, against Vancouver. Allen
stepped up and played with youthful exuberance, if not ignorance to the fact
that he was up against the best of the best in the NHL. He looked
like he truly belonged, showing flashes of brilliance during his stay. He did
not appear the least bit overwhelmed.
After dealing
with a broken down plane ordeal that began Monday morning in Vancouver, and carried
over well into Tuesday morning, the Blues took on San Jose Tuesday night,
literally running on fumes. The Blues went on to drop their 5th straight
at home by a 2-1 margin to the Sharks. Jake Allen played well for the home
fans, but could not get any scoring help from his offensive friends. No pun
intended. Still, Allen put together a respectable 3-1 record in 4 starts. He was
sent back to the Peoria Rivermen after the San Jose game. He suffered
a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Wolves Saturday night, in his only start since rejoining
the minor league affiliate.
Meanwhile,
back in the Blues clubhouse, Jaroslav Halak made his return from a groin
injury, just in time to face the Colorado Avalanche on the road Wednesday night. Halak
blanked the Avs for 64 minutes and 44 seconds Wednesday night, before giving up
the game winner with time winding down in overtime. The Blues played well
enough to win in Colorado, but
suffered a 1-0 defeat.
No time for
complaining, the Blues were right back on a plane to St Louis. The
exhausted Blues would finally have a couple days to regroup, before facing the
Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. Halak and the Blues finally broke the ice at
home, defeating Columbus 2-1, on
the strength of his 19 saves, including a highlight reel effort with time
running down in the 3rd period, while he was sprawled on his back. The
play, saved the game for the Blues.
The scoring
punch was provided by Chris Stewart(7), and David Perron(6), and Halak was
helped by a solid defensive effort from everyone. The Jackets only goal came on
a bad turnover during a Blues power play. The short handed effort from Matt
Calvert(3) in the 2nd period, tied the game 1-1, and suddenly the Scottrade
crowd was apprehensive, wondering if they were about to witness another home
loss. That would not happen, thanks to the Perron goal mid way through the 3rd.
With the
crowd once again energized, and the Blues back in front 2-1, it would come down
to some big saves by Halak, who showed no ill effects from the groin since his return to action. There would still be some
nervous moments, but none more dangerous than the save he made on his back,
during a Columbus power play
in the final 2 minutes, to preserve the victory.
This
extended break should leave the Blues feeling refreshed, and hopefully afford them fresh legs for their next contest. That’s a good thing, because it
gets no easier for the Blues. To close out a rough month, the Blues get to face
the Red Hot Chicago Blackhawks! All they’ve done is win every game this season, currently
sporting a 16-0-3 record, and sitting atop the NHL with an
incredible 35 points.
The Rival
Hawks are led by former Blues Head Coach, Joel Quenneville, and are the toast
of the NHL right now. They’re on a
record streak to start any season, and they’ve taken down everyone in their way, including
the defending Stanley Cup Champion L.A. Kings twice. They were the only puzzle the
Blues could not solve, during their very respectable 6-1 run in January, losing
a close contest by a score of 3-2 in Chicago.
The
Blackhawks are led by Patrick Kane, with 10 goals and 14 assists. Marian Hossa
has 9 goals, and Jonathan Toews has 7 goals to his credit. Other notables
include Patrick Sharp with 4 goals and 11 assists, and defenseman Duncan Keith,
who only has 1 goal, but has also added 11 helpers. Goalie Corey Crawford is a
perfect 11-0, with a .941 save percentage, and 2 shutouts to his credit. The
Hawks other goalie Ray Emery, not to be outdone, sports an 8-0 record, and a
.927 save percentage. With the Blues struggling to score goals at home, it
would seem that they will truly have their work cut out for them, no matter
which guy gets the nod from Coach Q.
For the
Blues to end the arch rival Hawks run, they’re going to need continued
outstanding play from T.J. Oshie who has 5 goals and 8 assists on the season.
Scoring leader Patrick Berglund has 9 goals, and Chris Stewart is close behind
with 7. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been Alex Steen, who leads the Blues
with 16 total points, 4 goals, and 12 assists. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is
right behind Steen with 15 points, on 1 goal, and 14 assists. Vladimir Terasenko
has 12 points on 6 goals and 6 assists, but hasn’t put the biscuit in the
basket since Feb 13th at Detroit.
Whoever does
the scoring, the Blues are going to have to find some way to score more goals
at home period. And they need to figure it out real fast if they want
to end the Blackhawk’s run on Thursday. The Blues are expecting a
sell out crowd Thursday night, and they’re going to need that energy, if they
have any hopes of corralling this seemingly unstoppable Blackhawks team.
One other
note. The Blues have recalled Chris Porter from Peoria. No word
yet on whether he will suit up Thursday against Chicago.
Rodney N Eldridge
The Sportz Yak
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