T.J. Oshie recorded his second career hat-trick, Alexander Steen and Kevin Shattenkirk notch four points a piece, as the Blues route the Sharks in San Jose.
The Blues were in need of a boost offensively, and T.J. Oshie was there to provide it, as he scored three goals, one in each period, to lead the Blues to a 7-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jaden Schwartz, and Dmitrij Jaskin also scored for the Blues tonight. The offense surely wasn't lacking tonight.
Brian Elliott was solid in goal for the Blues. He allowed two goals.
We're starting to see the T.J. Oshie of old, as he's finally getting back into form after starting the season off slow.
To be fair to Oshie, he's had some pretty rotten luck thus far this season. Between the passing of his aunt, the news that his father is showing signs of early Alzheimers, and that concussion from the Marco Scandella hit, it's nice to see him getting some bounces.
Jaden Schwartz returned to the line up, and his presence was felt. He scored once, a beautiful deflection on an Steen point shot. He also notched an assist, the prettiest assist of the season by any Blues player. He was falling backwards, then he flicked his wrist and sent a back-handed pass to the front of the net, and found Kevin Shattenkirk late in the second.
Schwartz is a spark plug for the Blues, and when he's not playing, he's sorely missed. The Blues went 1-5-1 without Schwartz in the line up. They had won five straight before he was injured. His first game back, and he was a vital player in tonight's victory.
Shattenkirk registered four points tonight, tying him with Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames for first in the NHL in points by a defensemen. His 35 points have him on pace for about 70 points. His career high is just 45 points, which he hit last season. I doubt we see Shattenkirk reach the 70 point mark, but 60 points is certainly in reach.
This is a big win for the Blues, who really had been struggling prior to this game. The defense was out of sync, and just flat out abysmal. The offense struggled, and the goaltending was questionable.
It seems however, with Brian Elliott and Jaden Schwartz back, the Blues get a little extra boost.
Many people don't appreciate the return of injured players to the line up. It can almost be viewed as a "trade". Depending on how long a certain player has been injured, getting them back can be like acquiring a player for nothing. That's basically how it's been with Elliott and Schwartz.
You miss those kind of players. Elliott, being the Blues number one goalie, is clearly going to be missed if he's out for any extended period of time. Schwartz is going to missed any game he's injured for. His style of play, his spunk, his energy, the Blues don't have many players like him. He's capable of doing it all, and that's the kind of guy you want in your line up every night.
Tonight's win will probably keep the Blues from making any trades or firing any coaches. It was a dominant win, scoring a season high in goals with seven. The only question is, will they be able to keep it up?
One roster move that could be possible, is placing Joakim Lindstrom on waivers. The 31 year has officially lost his place in the line up. He has been surpassed by Dmitrij Jaskin, and at his age, he's not going to be improving.
Jaskin however, is only going to get better. Since being recalled from Chicago, Jaskin has played eight games, scoring three goals, two assists. He's officially an NHL player now, as he's not headed back down to Chicago after this stint with the Blues.
The Blues are headed to Arizona, and will be back at it on Tuesday to take on the Coyotes.