Follow @stlgoalie I guess it’s the more things change, the more things stay the same part 3. After an impressive and encouraging 6-2 win last Friday night over the Predators who, at that time, were the best team in the league (technically the Sabres are now but I’ll reserve comment on that), the Blues were embarrassed on hockey fights cancer night/hockey night in Canada, losing 8-4 to the Jets.
What likely is even more frustrating to Blues fans is that the Blues actually led in the game, opening the scoring on a goal from David Perron, a goal Laurent Brossoit should have stopped. Of course the Blues did what has come to be expected after scoring and gave up a goal against barely 2 minutes later. Worse yet, they gave up two goals in less than three minutes after scoring but again, this has been relatively commonplace this season.
On the Jets 2nd goal, watch how there is no urgency or hustle in Oskar Sundqvist. He is kind of trying to stay with Patrik Laine but isn’t doing the real work necessary to actually stay with him. Sundqvist’s tired or lazy play allows the goal.
The Blues actually showed some resolve with Vladimir Tarasenko evening the score before the end of the 1st period. Unfortunately, the Blues would crumble in the 2nd half of the game.
The Jets took the lead less than 2 minutes into the 2nd period on Laine’s 2nd goal, his patented power play goal. Alex Ovechkin and Laine are the new Brett Hull when it comes to one-timer, power play goals.
Brandon Tanev extended the lead on a goal where goalie Chad Johnson either got completely lost relative to the net or got pushed, pushing him outside the net. I personally think it is the former. Johnson can’t make this poor play in a one goal game give the psyche of the team and how things have been going this year.
Laine would add goals 3 and 4 thanks to mistakes from Blues players who had already contributed to goals against. On his 3rd goal, Johnson makes a very curious save selection, leaving a lot of openings for a puck to sneak through.
Laine’s 5th goal isn’t much better as Pat Maroon is caught standing next to the wall, defending what I don’t know as Laine is wide open in the slot.
The Blue face off against the Red Wings tonight in Detroit. Three of their next four games are against teams with 50% points percentages or less. All three have losing records. In my opinion, they have to take at least 6 of the 8 points here and really need 7 to suggest they may even have a chance to salvage the season at all (unless you count tanking for Hughes).
While they are only 8 points out of a playoff spot, they likely need to win at least 60% of their remaining points to even have a chance at the playoffs. 60% would give them 91 points. Winning 2/3rd of their remaining points, likely gets them in with 99 points.
The Red Wings are 4-6-1 on the road but are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. They are 24th in the league in scoring and 23rd in goals against. Their special teams are in the middle of the pack. As you would expect, Dylan Larkin leads the team in points with 21 in 24 games while Andreas Athanasiou leads in goals with 10. Jimmy Howard has been playing well, stopping 92.2% of the shots he has faced.
Anthony Mantha has been on fire since being moved back with Larkin, potting 6 goals and 3 assists in his last 8 games.
For the Blues, it sounds like Alexander Steen will be back in tonight. I expect the lineup will look like this:
Sanford - O'Reilly - Tarasenko Fabbri – Schenn - Thomas Perron – Bozak – Maroon Steen – Barbashev - Sundqvist Edmundson-Pietrangelo Dunn-Parayko Bouwmeester-Schmaltz Allen
Of course, Steen will likely move around if things are not going well. Robert Bortuzzo is getting closer and is traveling with the tea.
NHL Champions for Charity We’ve gotten some traction on the charity wager among the Central Division bloggers. More on that to come. It’s a great day for hockey.