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Brian Elliott Shines In Overtime Win Over The Lightning

February 3, 2015, 11:10 PM ET [46 Comments]
Randall Ritchey
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Brian Elliott stole the game for the Blues tonight, as he was dynamite against the Lightning.


The St. Louis Blues have tied a franchise record, recording a point in 12 straight games, holding a 11-0-1 record during that span.

Lets cut to the chase, if it wasn't for Brian Elliott tonight, the Blues would have gotten boo'd out of the building after tonight's game. Elliott stopped 30-of-31 shots he faced tonight, including more than a few highway robberies.

Cedric Paquette scored his sixth goal in the last four games for Tampa, putting the Lightning ahead 1-0. The Lightning out shot the Blues 11-2 in the first period, effectively dominating the period.

The second period saw more push back from the Blues, as they out shot Tampa 10-6 in the middle frame. They were not able to convert, and they went into the third period trailing 1-0.

The third period was dominated by the Lightning, as they fired 14 shots on goal, compared to just five shots for the Blues. However, the Blues showed that it's not about the amount of shots you take, it's all about the quality of the shot, as Vladimir Tarasenko would tie the game late.

Tarasenko rifled a shot off a face-off win by Paul Stastny, that beat Ben Bishop high glove side, to tie the game 1-1. Tarasenko was tied with Chris Butler tonight for the second most shots tonight, with three shots on goal. Jaden Schwartz led the team with five shots.

Ironically enough, it was Schwartz who would score on the game winning goal. The assists went to Chris Butler and Brian Elliott.

We all know that Paul Stastny, Chris Butler, and Ben Bishop were all teammates at Chaminade High School in St. Louis. All three were drafted in the 2005 NHL entry draft. Stastny was drafted in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche. Bishop was drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Blues. Butler was drafted in the in the fourth round by the Buffalo Sabres. Impressive none the less.

Both Stastny and Butler picked up assists tonight on both goals, and Bishop would eventually take the loss.

Speaking of Butler, how good was he tonight? Playing over 20 minutes after a very long layoff. He was a healthy scratch for seven straight games, with a long All-Star game layoff as well. He was rock solid on the defense tonight. No doubt playing against Ben Bishop had something to do with his extra energy tonight.


The Resilient Blues



The Blues are proving to be a very resilient team. They lead the NHL with the most amount of wins after trailing after two periods. They are now 6-7-2 when entering the third period while trailing. They are finding ways to earn points, and they are finding ways to win games.

Timely goal scoring and timely saves are key to rebound after giving up a lead. When you're entering the third period with the other team ahead, you have to have a lot of focus, a lot of skill, and a lot of luck to come back and win.

The Blues are off tomorrow, but they will get back at it with back-to-back games on the road against the Buffalo Sabres and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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