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3/20, Blues at Canucks - Recap (aka "if we took out the 2nd period, ...") |
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I haven’t watched the entire game yet (I saw the 1st period and the first two Vancouver goals and then caught highlights this morning; I’ll get the rest tonight), but my 3 stars for that stretch were:
1. Cory Schneider, VAN. With the Canucks outshot 15-3 in the 1st, he was the reason it was still 0-0.
2. Daniel Sedin, VAN. Was dangerous offensively, and the 2nd Vancouver goal was a thing of beauty.
3. Alex Pietrangelo, STL. I thought he was very good in the 1st period, especially on defense.
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Miscellaneous Thoughts
I saw that Schwartz went down hurt in the 3rd. Looked like his ankle more than his knee. It didn’t look good on the replay, so I’m expecting him to miss some time over it. We should know more later today.
Chris Stewart dropping the gloves to go with Zack Kassian. Really? Kassian is a 3rd-line guy for the ‘Nucks, Stewart is easily the hottest player on the ‘Note. Vancouver had to be tickled pink seeing Stewart sit in the box for 5 minutes, knowing he wouldn’t be a threat on the ice. Guys have to be smarter than that.
Speaking of the “drop the puck, and two guys drop the gloves and decide to square off” thing … really? In 2013, do we really still have to have that? I’m not anti-fighting, but I am anti-staged fighting – and it’s pretty clear that when the puck drops and immediately after two sticks and a pair of gloves hit the ice, it wasn’t a spontaneous, heat-of-the-moment event.
There’s a slowly growing chorus of Blues fans putting together the "trade Perron" bandwagon. It’s not that he’s not skilled (we all know he is), it’s that for all that skill he continues to play selfish hockey at times – and given Ken Hitchcock’s history of busting his top players to play a complete 2-way game, it’s really surprising that Perron continues to play that way and that Hitchcock hasn’t stapled him to a seat in the press box by now. Sure, the Blues could trade him away and it could come back to haunt the team for years to come – but at some point, everyone has to buy into playing the team game. Right now, Perron doesn’t seem that interested in it – and when he’s not, he’s hurting whatever line he’s on the ice with more than he's helping it.
So … what is the problem with the ‘Note? Not much – if they play 60 minutes of hockey. When they only play 40 and change, like it appears they did last night, it’s harder to win games – especially in a league where there’s no truly “bad” teams, and especially when you’re playing a talented (even if inconsistent) team like Vancouver. The one positive aspect is that the Blues didn’t roll over and play dead after the 2nd period; in their February swoon, they would have played out the 3rd waiting for their opponent to finish them off.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of people who swear I hate Jake Allen: you have to admit, if Brian Elliott had been in net for the 2nd and 3rd goals, people would be screaming about how he gave up yet more weak goals. The fact is, neither one was - Sedin just made a spectacular play in pulling Allen out of position, and Weise did a nice job elevating the puck in close.
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Days to the trade deadline: 14
Next game: Saturday night at Edmonton. The final late start of the year for Blues fans, and a critical game for the Oilers as they try to decide whether they’re buyers or sellers going into the trade deadline.
St Louis Blues Blogger • 
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