Follow me on twitter Follow @stlgoalie Sunday afternoon the Blues lost their final preseason game 4-3 to the Washington Capitals in the final preseason game auditions of Wade Megan, Samuel Blais, Oskar Sundqvist, Klim Kostin, Tage Thompson, Vince Dunn, Jake Walman and to a lesser extent Ivan Barbashev, Dmitrij Jasin and Magnus Paajarvi.
Megan used this game to put his exclamation point on his case to make the team, scoring a goal and contributing importantly but subtly on Jaskin’s goal while winning 67% of his faceoffs. After Megan was tripped, Jaskin carried the puck behind the net where a Capitals player smacked the puck away from him, off the end boards and right to Megan. Megan made a nifty move to the middle and put a backhand shot past Braden Holtby.
On Jaskin’s goal, the 2nd of the game, Jaskin had a 2 on 1 with Kyle Brodziak. Megan smartly filled the center lane, trailing the play creating a second passing option before Jaskin wristed the puck past Holtby. This was a very smart play by Megan that contributed to the goal but will never show up in the score sheet.
Megan only played a little under 12 minutes in the game but part of that was because of being placed on the 4th line. He played almost a minute more than Brodziak.
Blais also played very well, making a great read to steal the puck behind the Capitals net before cutting to the front and feeding Brayden Schenn for the goal. Blais had 2 shots, a hit and a blocked shot in a little over 17 minutes of ice time.
Blais was on the receiving end of a boarding hit from Tom Wilson that earned Wilson a five minute major and a game misconduct and likely another call from the NHL department of player safety, a trend for him after Blues pre-season games. He was suspended for his interference hit on Robert Thomas after the last game.
On the hit, the fans and Blais appreciated that newcomer Schenn went right after Wilson, dropping the gloves to stand up for his teammate.
I don’t see how Blais and Megan aren’t on the team.
Oskar Sundqvist played an average game in my mind, logging 15 minutes of ice time and winning half of his draws. He had one hit, one shot, and one block while forcing two takeaways. From what I have seen, he has played a steady, unremarkable, safe game this preseason. Will that be enough for him to make the team?
Kostin only played a little over 7 minutes and threw three hits. Expect him to be sent to the AHL but make sure to pay attention to him in the coming years. He could be a force in a year or two. His ceiling is very high.
Thompson was given almost 22 minutes of ice time but only generated one shot. You can see the skill in him and the size and reach is Parayko-like but expect him to get sent down as he still needs AHL seasoning.
Barbashev seems to be on the wrong path. Today he logged less than 12 minutes even though over 4 of them were on special teams. His face-off winning percentage was terrible at 22%. In the game last Tuesday he was only 37% in the circle and played 16 minutes though over 6 of those were on special teams. In the Stars game, he played over 18 minutes and was 53% in the circle. He’s trending down. I don’t think he will get assigned but there might be a remote chance.
On defense, Vince Dunn had another solid game, growing as the preseason has continued. Dunn logged over 21 minutes and blocked two shots. He played a solid game, making good reads and safe and effective passes. It wasn’t a spectacular game but he looked like a regular NHL defensemen. It is interesting to note that this is the first time he logged more minutes than Walman in the same preseason game.
Contrast that to Walman who played just under 19 minutes and displayed some fancy stick handling and offensive moves in the Capitals zone but got chasing the Oshie and Ovechkin lines at various times. He also got beat wide and in strength defending a few times. I think more seasoning in the AHL will allow him to be better defensively and help him make the team next year.
I’m betting Dun won the spot over Walman unless they surprise me a little and decide to keep both and send Prosser down.
The injury status of Alexander Steen and Jay Bouwmeester are still unknown which makes predicting a final opening night roster but I think both will start the year on the shelf and the roster will be this: Forwards (14) – Schwartz, Stastny, Tarasenko, Sobotka, Schenn, Blais, Jaskin, Megan, Paajarvi, Brodziak, Upshall, Thornburn, Sundqvist and Barbarshev. Defensemen (7) – Paryako, Pietrangelo, Edmundson, Gunnarsson, Bortuzzo, Dunn, Prosser Goalies (2) – Allen, Hutton
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.