Entering the game tonight, the Blues were coming off two very difficult losses. After being dominated, and shut out, by the Chicago Blackhawks, they lost a special teams game to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Entering the Consol Energy Center, the Blues knew they would have a difficult game ahead of them. The Pittsburgh Penguins are dominant on home ice, and boast the best powerplay and a top five penalty kill as well. It's never easy playing against two of the top players in the world, in Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin.
Yet the Blues have been one of the few teams who have been able to shut down the dynamic duo. Coming into the game, Sidney Crosby had not scored against the St. Louis Blues in his career. The Blues were looking to keep it that way, and Brian Elliott did just that.
Brian Elliott was easily the number one star of the game, stopping all 33 shots he faced, including stopping the 12 shots put up by Crosby and Malkin.
The first period was as even as it could be. The score was 0-0 after the period, and the shots, hits, and face-offs were even as well.
Both teams registered 10 shots in the period, and both Elliott and Marc-Andre Fleury came up big for their respective teams.
The Blues penalty kill was strong in the first, killing off an interference penalty taken by David Backes. The penalty kill in the second period would have to be even better as both T.J. Oshie and Jaden Schwartz were in the box as the period started to give the Penguins a 5-on-3 power play for the first minute and a half.
The Penguins put up five shots on goal during the 5-on-3 and all were stopped by Elliott, including a slap-shot, point blank, by Crosby. Both Backes and Oshie were credited with block shots before the penalty to Schwartz ended.
The Blues would receive a power play after Robert Bortuzzo interfered with Ryan Reaves in the neutral zone. The power play however came up dry, as the Penguins allowed just two shots on the kill. Brooks Orpik and Olli Maata registered blocks.
The Blues would kill off another penalty that had many people scratching their heads. After Craig Adams took down Ryan Reaves, Max Lapierre skated over and challenged him to drop the gloves. Adams obliged and both had a short wrestling match before Lapierre took Adams down.
Both Adams and Lapierre were given two minute minors for roughing, while Lapierre was given an extra minor, for charging. Now how in the world can a player get a charging penalty, when he never even hit the player? Many were asking questions, and it's calls like this when the officials should have to answer questions after games. If they were forced to hold post game pressers like the coaches, maybe we wouldn't see so many horrible calls like we did this afternoon, and like we did in the game against the Flyers.
The second period would end scoreless and the Blues would carry a lot of confidence into the third period.
The Blues would get a powerplay just over nine minutes into the third as Evgeny Malkin would head off for high-sticking. The Blues really upped their pressure in the offensive zone on this powerplay, putting pucks towards the net, getting guys in front to try and screen the goalie. It would pay off, as Alexander Steen would fire a slapper from the point that deflected off of David Backes and into the net, just three seconds after the power play expired.
While it wasn't a power play goal, the offensive pressure during the power play resulted in the goal. It wasn't pretty, but it counted, and that's what mattered.
That goal was all the Blues would need as Brian Elliott posted his fourth shutout of the season. There were two penalties handed out as time expired, as Malkin gave Alex Pietrangelo a slash and Pietrangelo retaliated with a punch to the chops. The two would get into a scrum along the boards, but time had expired and the Blues earned a big win against one of the top teams in the league.
The key to today's game, was their ability to kill penalties and play as a team. It was a full, 60 minute effort, which the team has been searching for most of the season, it was a strong effort by the Blues special teams, and it was a big game for the Blues back up goaltender, Elliott.
The Blues are off tomorrow, and will finish up their road trip with a flight to Toronto, Ontario to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are in action later today to battle the New Jersey Devils, as the Leafs are looking to stay in the playoff race in the eastern conference.