Blues @ Colorado Avalanche 3-0 - Sunday, March 05, 2017
Jake Allen made 27 saves to help the St. Louis Blues defeat the Colorado Avalanche 3-0 at Pepsi Center. The shutout was Allen's third of the season and his 14th in the NHL. Allen was shaken with 3:08 left in regulation when he was hit in the throat with a shot and needed aid from the training staff. Paul Stastny, Kyle Brodziak and Patrick Berglund scored for the Blues (32-27-5), who ended a five-game losing streak and moved one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Avalanche (17-44-3) have lost four consecutive games, and are 1-6-1 in their past eight and 8-21-2 at home. They've been shut out 11 times. Berglund scored a power-play goal at 10:11 of the second period to give the Blues a 3-0 lead with Blake Comeau serving an interference penalty. He accepted Colton Parayko's pass and beat Jeremy Smith for his 18th goal.
The Blues took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Stastny and Brodziak that came 1:37 apart. Stastny scored a power-play goal into an open net at 3:56 off a pass from Jaden Schwartz with Rene Bourque off for holding. The goal was Stastny's 17th of the season and first in 11 games against the Avalanche, for whom he played his first eight NHL seasons. Brodziak knocked in a loose puck from in front for his eighth goal at 5:33. Ryan Reaves got his stick on the puck after a turnover by Avalanche defenseman Fedor Tyutin behind the net.
* Stastny's goal came with his wife and 18-month-old daughter in full view sitting in the first row
"It was fun, that was special," he said. "You don't write it up like that. That was one of those things, you look down the road and it will be something special that you never plan. They've gone to a few games, once a year sitting there. I've been robbed a few times from that spot as well, so it was nice to score."
"The game was pretty much what we expected as coaches. We were nervous about this game. There's still an awful lot of skill on that side. I don't think they're playing for a whole lot other than pride right now and that's dangerous when you're playing against teams like that."
"We knew we wanted to get off to a good start seeing that they played last night and for our own sake. After we scored the second goal in the first period we kind of backed off a little bit, so we've got to get better with that." Mike Yeo said.
"It was fun, that was special," he said. "You don't write it up like that. That was one of those things, you look down the road and it will be something special that you never plan. They've gone to a few games, once a year sitting there. I've been robbed a few times from that spot as well, so it was nice to score."
* Smith deflected Upshall's shot on a breakaway at 5:14 of the second period.
* Parayko was in perfect position to intercept Gabriel Landeskog's attempted clearing pass before feeding Berglund for his power-play goal.
* Blues defenseman Magnus Paajarvi blocked three shots in 11:44 of ice time.
* St. Louis defenseman Jordan Schmaltz made his NHL debut, played 15:07 and was plus-1. He was the Blues' first-round pick (No. 25) in 2012 ... Schwartz played his 300th NHL game ... After being issued his U.S. visa, Avalanche forward Sven Andrighetto played his first game since being acquired Wednesday in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. He had two shots and was minus-1 in 15:19 of ice time.
"The game was pretty much what we expected as coaches. We were nervous about this game. There's still an awful lot of skill on that side. I don't think they're playing for a whole lot other than pride right now and that's dangerous when you're playing against teams like that."
"We knew we wanted to get off to a good start seeing that they played last night and for our own sake. After we scored the second goal in the first period we kind of backed off a little bit, so we've got to get better with that." Mike Yeo said.
"I felt good out there. We didn't give much and I played solid. I couldn't breathe. It zapped me. My throat's still killing me. It's tough to talk." said Allen.
"I've thought about it a few times. A nice little tap-in from my teammate there, so that was nice. More importantly, it was nice for us to get the lead and play with the lead." Stastny said.
"It was a faceoff loss by me and my two wingers (Reaves and Scottie Upshall) did a great job jumping, creating a turnover and the puck just bounced right in front of the net. It was a good bounce, but we'll take it. It's definitely nice if our line can pitch in every now and again." Brodziak said.Anaheim Sucks @ Blues 3-4 - Friday, March 10, 2017
Joel Edmundson scored with 20 seconds remaining in the third period to give the St. Louis Blues a 4-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Scottrade Center.
Edmundson took a pass from Robert Bortuzzo and put a wrist shot past John Gibson. Paul Stastny and Vladimir Tarasenko each had a goal and assist, and Jake Allen made 23 saves for the Blues (34-27-5), who won their third straight. St. Louis moved three points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference and two points behind the Nashville Predators for third place in the Central Division. Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist, and Chris Wagner and Jakob Silfverberg scored for the Ducks (35-23-10). Gibson, who missed six games with a lower-body injury and was not expected to play, made 31 saves. Tarasenko scored 12 seconds into the first period to give the Blues a 1-0 lead on a quick snap shot past a screened Gibson. Rakell tied it 1-1 at 11:59 on a play that needed video review. The Ducks successfully challenged that there was no goaltender interference after the initial call of no goal. Anaheim took a 2-1 lead at 18:12 after Jared Boll's pass deflected in off Wagner's skate. Ryan Reaves tied it 2-2 off a rebound of a shot by Jaden Schwartz at 4:17 of the second period. Stastny scored 25 seconds into the third period to put the Blues on top 3-2, but Silfverberg's power-play goal at 9:24 tied it 3-3.
* Stastny made a nice cut to the middle of the ice before sliding a shot past Gibson.
* Gibson denied Schwartz with a glove save on a shot from the slot with 1:30 remaining in the second period.
"The crowd was too loud, I was going to do the 'Peyton Manning' quiet down. There was too much going on for me, that's not my element," Reaves said of his failed third-period penalty shot.
* With Gibson healthy, the Ducks reassigned goalie Jhonas Enroth to San Diego of the American Hockey League. ... Blues defenseman Colton Parayko missed the third period with an undisclosed injury and Yeo said he is questionable to play against the New York Islanders on Saturday. ... Blues center Jori Lehtera was hit in the face with a puck late in the third period but returned.
"I think I just saw some space. I think [Stastny] was yelling, 'Skate it!' as opposed to just ripping it up to a guy standing still. So I took the ice and we were able to squeak by and make a play." Robert Bortuzzo.
"Me and Bortuzzo did a little regrouping. He rushed it all the way down to the corner and we made eye contact. He just sauced it across the ice and I was lucky enough to bury it." Edmundson said.
"We knew that we needed everybody tonight. There was parts of our game as far as coming back home were better, there was parts of our game that still we can improve on, some of the mistakes, some of the areas were going good and then we had a little bit of a letdown or we get a little casual with our play. I thought we did a much better job getting to the net, getting pucks to the net tonight. I thought we were tougher to defend in that area." Mike Yeo said.
* Gibson denied Schwartz with a glove save on a shot from the slot with 1:30 remaining in the second period.
* The Ducks worked the puck from their end of the ice to set up Wagner's goal, making crisp passes and exposing the Blues' loose coverage.
* Not only did Reaves score at the end of a shift, he worked to get a penalty shot. Reaves played 12:56 and had three shots on goal and two hits.
* With Gibson healthy, the Ducks reassigned goalie Jhonas Enroth to San Diego of the American Hockey League. ... Blues defenseman Colton Parayko missed the third period with an undisclosed injury and Yeo said he is questionable to play against the New York Islanders on Saturday. ... Blues center Jori Lehtera was hit in the face with a puck late in the third period but returned.
"Me and Bortuzzo did a little regrouping. He rushed it all the way down to the corner and we made eye contact. He just sauced it across the ice and I was lucky enough to bury it." Edmundson said.
"We knew that we needed everybody tonight. There was parts of our game as far as coming back home were better, there was parts of our game that still we can improve on, some of the mistakes, some of the areas were going good and then we had a little bit of a letdown or we get a little casual with our play. I thought we did a much better job getting to the net, getting pucks to the net tonight. I thought we were tougher to defend in that area." Mike Yeo said.
NY Islanders @ Blues 3-4 - Saturday, March 11, 2017
Vladimir Tarasenko scored two goals, and the St. Louis Blues extended their win streak to four games with a 4-3 victory against the New York Islanders at Scottrade Center. Alexander Steen had a goal and an assist, and Carter Hutton made 21 saves for St. Louis (35-27-5). The Blues were without center Paul Stastny (illness) and defenseman Colton Parayko (undisclosed), but held a 4-1 lead after two periods and hung on in the third. New York (32-24-11) finished a franchise-long nine-game road trip 5-3-1 and fell out of the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference by one point when the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime on Saturday. Thomas Greiss allowed four goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Jean-Francois Berube to start the third period. Berube made six saves. Tarasenko put the Blues ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal at 7:23 of the first period. The Islanders thought they tied it at 11:31 of the first on a power-play goal by Andrew Ladd, but the Blues challenged New York was offside and the goal was overturned because Jason Chimera was in ahead of the play. Steen gave the Blues a 2-0 lead at 4:58 of the second period, but Brock Nelson made it 2-1 at 11:37. Tarasenko scored his second of the game at 15:28 of the second to make it 3-1, and Patrik Berglund gave the Blues a 4-1 lead at 18:06. Anthony Beauvillier's slap shot from the high slot caromed off Hutton's glove at 2:11 of the third to make it 4-2. Nick Leddy scored a power-play goal and Berube pulled for a 6-on-4 situation with 1:29 remaining to make it 4-3.
* The Islanders were buzzing down 2-1, but Tarasenko's quick-release caught Greiss off-guard and restored the Blues' two-goal lead in the second."They had momentum and I couldn't help but smile on the bench because that's what you need at that time," Yeo said.
* Berube kept it a 4-2 game with a right skate save on Berglund 3:59 into the third period.
* Berglund stepped up with Stastny unavailable. He was assigned to shut down Tavares, which he did, and won 14 of 19 faceoffs (74 percent).
* Blues defenseman Jordan Schmaltz played in his second NHL game with Parayko out, and Nail Yakupov stepped in for Stastny. ... Islanders defenseman and St. Louis native Scott Mayfield, who had an assist, played an NHL game in his hometown for the first time.
"In my eyes, that was a character win. We said that before the game that it was going to be a character game. I was confident with the character in our locker room that guys would recognize that and we would respond." Mike Yeo said.
"That was a good win. Obviously it starts with goaltending, solid goaltending again. We kept it tight for the most part. I think towards the end there, we took our foot off the gas a little much and gave them some opportunities, but all in all, those are big points for us." Alexander Steen.
"I think this is how successful [our] team is supposed to be. Of course we miss those guys [Stastny and Parayko], they're great players, the team effort was what we got here and support for each other." Vladimir Tarasenko
Blues @ Los Angeles Kings 3-1 - Monday, March 13, 2017
Jake Allen made 38 saves to help the St. Louis Blues to their fifth straight win, 3-1 against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Alexander Steen had a goal and an assist, David Perron and Magnus Paajarvi scored, and Alex Pietrangelo had two assists for the Blues (36-27-5). St. Louis is five points ahead of Los Angeles for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference and trails the Nashville Predators by two points for third place in the Central Division. Dustin Brown scored, and Jonathan Quick made 23 saves for the Kings (33-29-6). Perron beat Quick to give the Blues a 1-0 lead at 13:37 of the second period. Los Angeles outshot St. Louis 21-9 in the second, but Allen stopped them all. After Jeff Carter was called for holding 46 seconds into the third period, Paajarvi scored at 1:10 to make it 2-0.
Brown spoiled Allen's shutout bid when he put in a loose puck on a power play with 2:55 remaining to make it 2-1. He scored after Allen was unable to clear it from the crease. Allen made 27 saves in a 1-0 win against the Kings at Scottrade Center on Oct. 29. Steen scored an empty-net goal with seven seconds remaining to make it 3-1. Blues forward Dmitrij Jaskin left the game with an upper-body injury with 8:24 remaining in the second period after a collision with teammate Robert Bortuzzo. St. Louis center Paul Stastny (illness) and defenseman Colton Parayko (undisclosed) returned to the lineup after missing a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders on Saturday. Stastny won nine of 16 faceoffs and had three shots on goal, a blocked shot and a hit in 20:39. Parayko had a blocked shot and a shot on goal in 19:01.
"In games like that, getting the first goal is big," Perron said.
* Quick came off the left goal post to rob Steen on a redirection from close range off a pass from behind the net from Patrik Berglund at 3:30 of the third period.
* Pietrangelo had two shots on goal, a plus-1 rating, three blocked shots and a hit in 26:27.
* Stastny played his 200th game with the Blues. … Perron is two goals shy of 100 with the Blues. ... Doughty played his 674th game to pass Mike Murphy for ninth in Kings history.
"Every game is huge, but I think both teams understood the significance of this game tonight and I think it showed in the desperation from both teams. Obviously, Jake was outstanding tonight. From top to bottom, we had a really strong team effort."
"We're just trying to approach it one game at a time here. This was a great challenge for us, and we know our next one is going to be as well. We're just trying to stay in the moment and get prepared every game. We're also in a fight here, so we don't have the luxury of relaxing a little bit here. We know that we have to keep pushing, and the guys are doing a heck of a job." Mike Yeo
"You could feel the [intensity] in the first period. Everybody was trying to do the right thing, and it was a tough physical game. Not very many highlights, so to speak, but [goalie Jake Allen] came through. He was huge." said Paajarvi.
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