Someone finally woke up the Blues. It couldn’t have come at a better time, down 2-1 on the road in the midst of a 9 game road losing streak in the playoffs. The top players for the Blues performed like top players and the role players performed like, well, top players.
Game 4 was the complete opposite of Game 3. The Blues got their game started early and thoroughly dominated the Wild in the first period. They won every puck battle, every race, and forced Minnesota to turn the puck over the few times over the night that they got it. Ryan Reaves got the Blues on the board early in the first for his first career playoff goal. Over the next few minutes, the Blues tacked on two more quick goals off the sticks of Vladimir Tarasenko and David Backes. At that point, it was clear the real Blues were back. The Wild’s defense got exposed in their own zone because of the strong puck support and good decisions the Blues were making. They made the Wild chase all game and by the time they could get the puck, it was time for a dump in and line change.
The second period started with the Wild on the powerplay where Jared Spurgeon sniped a perfect shot under the bar to give the Wild hope early in the second. The crowd was back in it and there was still a lot of puck to be played. This was my favorite part of the game. After the Wild goal, the Blues stuck to their game plan and scored quickly off the rush by Paul Stastny. That goal shattered any hope the Wild might have. The rest of the period, the Blues continued to pour it on and netted two more goals from Tarasenko and Patrik Berglund. Tarasenko’s was another one that sends mouths to the floor and he made it look effortless. Berglund played an excellent game and converted on a nice backhand that should have been stopped by Devan Dubnyk. Berglund could have scored 4 or 5 with the amount of open nets he missed last night, but he is creating a ton of space for Stastny.
Dubnyk got the yank at 6-1 and it was the most he had given up with the Wild this season. There was still another period to play and the Blues had already scored more goals than the Wild had ever given up in a playoff game. The Blues could have sat back and looked ahead to tonights Game 5 at home. Instead, they kept up the pressure in the third and nearly netted a few more goals. They never let the Wild get many quality scoring chances or sustained pressure in the offensive zone. When they did get a decent look, Jake Allen was more than solid in goal and the Blues collectively blocked 15 shots.
They played a full sixty minutes the right way and the score was decisive. It was one of the best games I have seen this team play in quite some time and if it was a sign of things to come, the Wild and the rest of the West could be in trouble.
Tonight’s Game 5 returns to St. Louis for an 8:30 p.m. CT start on NBCSN and FS-MW here in St. Louis. The Blues made a statement in Game 4 and have said that is what we will see from here on out. I sure hope so because that was some amazing hockey. The big question about this one is how will Minnesota respond to being embarrassed on home ice when they had a chance to take a commanding lead. I see it unfolding in one of two ways. One, they come together and bounce back with a much better performance from every player, or two, they let the Blues dictate the play and get embarrassed again. I think it will be more along the lines of the first option.
It became clear in Game 4 that if the Blues stick to their game and execute it the way they should, the Wild don’t stand a chance. Their defense is very mobile and good puck movers, but they are too small to be chasing the Blues all over the defensive zone. The Blues will keep the same plan for tonight as Game 4 and as long as they give the effort and execution they showed, it should be another fun night at Scottrade. If they get cocky, like maybe the Wild did, it could be a not so fun night. Every Blue played at a high level and found another gear on Wednesday. I expect the Blues to have the same attitude going into this game and the lineup to be the same. It’s time to take control of this series and head back to the Twin Cities on a high note.