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We were able to take in our first view of the remodeled Scottrade Center and the Blues this season. Both left us underwhelmed with few positives and a number of concerns or disappointments. Of course, both still appear to be works in progress so I’m not sure there is a lot to be concerned about on either front.
On the ice, the Blues dressed a largely minor league roster sans experienced NHLers Colton Parayko, Robert Bortuzzo, Carl Gunnarsson, Vladimir Sobotka, and Magnus Paajarvi. Of course some players like Beau Bennett, and Chris Thorburn will see some games this season though you wouldn’t expect them to be real difference makers this year. The Stars on the other hand dressed what could be their regular NHL defensive lineup and a deeper group of NHL forwards including Jason Spezza, RJ Umberger, Mattias Janmark, Brett Ritchie, Radek Faksa, and Antoine Roussel. Given the experience difference and concentration of Blues’ preseason games lately, their lackluster performance wasn’t all that surprising.
The Blues’ kids were all over the place in the game both literally and figuratively. Far too many times the Blues got caught chasing in their own zone, running around the ice and looking like a disorganized mess with multiple people covering the same areas and leaving other areas completely unguarded.
On the Stars first goal, Adam Musil had plenty of time and was in position to cover Dan Hamhuis in front of the net but got caught watching the play, leaving Hamhuis a relatively easy goal.
On the Stars second goal, Jake Allen missed catching an easy pass/shot that basically went through the high corner of the crease, giving Spezza an easy goal.
On the Stars third goal, Thomas Vanelli seemed to get turned around, missing his man and coverage, leading to an easy Stars goal.
On the Stars last goal, Ivan Barbashev made a terrible, telegraphed pass across the offensive blue line, giving an easy breakaway to Janmark who beat Allen through the five hole.
Player notes from the game:
- Klim Kostin – Kostin showed he knows how to play a North American game, throwing a big hit at the offensive blueline and getting into his first NHL fight. He appeared to potentially injure his hand in the fight but did come back later in the game though he only played 12:30. You can see he has NHL talent. I’m trying to temper my expectations with him but he has the potential to be a real contributor in the coming years. At most, I expect him to be a year away from being a NHL regular.
- Tage Thompson – Thompson had a bit of a roller coaster game, showing an NHL ready shot, good reach and puck skills but sometimes getting lost on the ice. You can see the raw talent and can also clearly see that he needs some real seasoning in the AHL still. He is still a year or two away in my opinion. I wonder if he gets a longer look than Monday but expect he will eventually get assigned.
- Robert Thomas – Thomas was the only player to put the puck past Lehtonen though it didn’t count as the Kostin fight had already started. Thomas was again terrible in the face-off circle at 18%. He still needs a lot of seasoning but some of the skill is clearly visible. Expect him to get assigned on Monday.
- Adam Musil – Musil struggled throughout the game, missing h is coverage on the first goal, making poor passes, etc. He showed some good flashes in the prospect camp. He’ll work on his game in the AHL this season. Hopefully he can continue to improve. I expect he’ll get assigned Monday as well.
- Samuel Blais – Blais was one of the best forwards on the ice. He showed some defensive responsibility, willingness to throw the body around (4 hits), and generally had poise with the puck. Look for him NOT to get assigned on Monday.
- Chris Thorburn – Thorburn seemed to struggle in the game, often seeming to be behind the play. His played seemed to confirm that you should expect he will be in the press box most nights.
- Thomas Vanelli – Vanelli seemed to struggle in just over 11 minutes. I expect he’ll get assigned on Monday. He needs more time in the AHL to develop his game.
- Jake Walman – Walman appeared to really struggle last night though coach Yeo kept giving him chances as he played almost 22 minutes. Walman had obvious struggles like whiffing with the puck and even falling down once on his own to his reads on the play. In some of his play you could see some of his talent but overall he had a poor game. For me, he was the biggest disappointment of the kids in the game. Of course, it’s only one game so I’m not going to base my opinion on it.
The Blues are in the Pittsburgh area today for the Hockeyville game with the following lineup:
Forwards:
Sam Blais, Kyle Brodziak, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jordan Kyrou, MacKenzie MacEachern, Wade Megan, Brayden Schenn, Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Sobotka, Paul Stastny, Chris Thorburn, Vladimir Tarasenko, Robert Thomas
Defense:
Vince Dunn, Joel Edmundson, Carl Gunnarsson, Colton Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo, Nate Prosser, Jake Walman
Goalies:
Carter Hutton, Jordan Binnington
Off the ice, the scoreboard and lighting on the rink itself were great. The wifi and concessions are still terrible. The concessions though had a lot of stands closed and looked to still be a work in progress with signage even missing from some. Perhaps the worst change will be the removal of some of the paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms. Note to engineers, a total of 2 paper towel dispensers is not enough for a rink, commercial bathroom and you never take that number from 4 down to 2.
It’s a great day for hockey.
Fellow Hockeybuzz bloggers
Nashville Predator's Paul McCann,
Winnipeg Jet's Peter Tessier and
Minnesota Wild's Dan Wallace have generously agreed to a friendly charity wager. We were hoping to do the whole division but don't have it fully represented yet. The blogger whose team finishes the highest the standings at the end of the year gets to pick a charity to whom the others will donate in their name.
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