The St. Louis Blues entered tonight without a win in the preseason, and that was something they wanted to change. The Hurricanes were in town but that wasn't going to stop the Blues from earning a win in their second preseason game on home ice.

"It took a little bit longer than expected." Brian Elliott said after the game about getting the first win of the preseason. "The guys played great, they were in the offensive zone the whole game."

That's no lie. The Blues were strong all game long at controlling the puck and cycling it down low. The Blues dominated in puck control, and it showed on the shot chart, especially in the first two periods. Cam Ward stopped 26-of-29 shots on goal, and was lucky on a few shots that rang off the bar. Brian Elliott stopped 19-of-20 shots on goal to earn the win.

The story of the night belongs to Robby Fabbri, who yet again, shows the Blues that despite being 18 years old, he deserves a spot on the roster.

"I feel it was pretty good," Fabbri said in regards to his game tonight. "I worked hard, trying to keep things simple. Just tried to utilize my skill in the offensive zone but make sure to take care of the defensive zone first. At the next level, I know that's a big part."

Ken Hitchcock certainly isn't writing Fabbri off the roster either. "He's not missing a beat, he's not going to go away. He's pushing for a job here right now."

"It may be a surprise for some people (that Fabbri is still in camp), but for for guys who coached against him in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League), there is no surprise. I had his coach tell me before we drafted him that he has great vision and hockey sense, and that was in the middle of June. Tonight he made a play in the third period, where he pushed two guys out of the zone and then cleared the puck himself. That's 35 year old that does that, not an 18 year old. We're all waiting for the shoe to drop here, but the shoe isn't dropping, he's putting it on and tightening it everyday."

Alexander Steen, who was originally credited with two goals and after the game, he made the comment, "I was credited for two goals and didn't score either of them."

The first goal was a point shot from Kevin Shattenkirk on the power play. It was David Backes, not Steen, who deflected the puck in. Paul Stastny was credited with an assist on the goal as well. The goal came just 33 seconds into the second period.

Then late in the second, Steen stole the puck, fired a shot that beat Cam Ward high glove side. That's because Joakim Lindstrom deflected the puck behind Ward, but no one realized it at first. Lindstrom was then later credited with the goal.

Tarasenko scored the final goal of the game late in the third period, off of a beautiful tic-tac-toe play. Jori Lehtera fed Alex Pietrangelo, who gave it to Tarasenko, who finished it off with a hard shot past Ward.

Petteri Lindbohm had a very quiet game, but was solid in both ends. Nate Prosser also put together a solid game. Prosser finished the night with 15:31 time on ice, with one shot, one hit, and one blocked shot.

The Blues take on the Minnesota Wild at home on Thursday in their last home preseason game. They open the season at home opener on October 9th against the New York Rangers.

Join the Discussion: » 69 Comments » Post New Comment

» Quick Update

» The Next Captain Of Your St. Louis Blues Is....

» Battle of the Bottom Feeders (SJS @ STL) 7pm CT

» How Crucial Is This Off-Season For St. Louis?

» Reminder, Hockey Is Just A Game