Recap 12-23-09: Blues vs Flames

For the first time in 27 years, the St. Louis Blues have swept a western Canadian road trip with their 2-1 Shootout victory over Calgary last night. After floundering all season the Blues have found some consistency. While that consistency did slip a little last night, the team held on for two points and a big moral victory heading in to Christmas.

I made a point to keep track of scoring chances last night. Maybe not the same scoring chances the league would offer to you, but chances that went on net for a play that could have lead to a goal. Here is what I came up with by period.

1st Period – Calgary – 5 | St.Louis – 4
2nd Period - Calgary – 9 | St. Louis – 9
3rd Period – Calgary – 4 | St. Louis – 3
Overtime – Calgary – 2 | St. Louis – 4
Total – Calgary – 20 | St. Louis – 20

Ballparking it, there were about 40 decent chances at creating a goal and only two goals were scored. The game really was a defensive battle decided by the goaltending.

The marquee match up was the Jackman-Polak pairing facing the Iginla line. Iginla was held to three shots on goal and a Minus-1 rating. Jarmoe is possibly the best Power Forward in the game and Jackman was able to match his level of physical play. This game looked much more like his performance shutting down the Thornton Line vs. San Jose than his performance against Tampa Bay. I like that Murray focused more on just matching Ginila with Jackman than trying to match the Iginla line with the McClement stopper line and the Jackman-Polak pairing.

Keeping with the defensemen, I was not impressed with the Brewer-Johnson pairing. I though both had solid games, but nothing earth shattering from those two. Which is probably a good thing on the road. I was a little concerned that Brewer fell down or nearly fell down multiple times. Not sure if it was the ice or just Eric getting back in to the swing of things. I was impressed with Johnson’s close quarters puck handling and passing in his own zone. Multiple times he protected the puck in a tight area and quickly send the puck over to his supporting forward to clear the puck from the zone. You can see the small things and details falling back in to place for EJ. It’s only a matter of time before he is rolling again.

Didn’t see much out of Colaiacovo, but mike Weaver quietly had a very good game. He just seems to know the perfect time to pinch, dump, pass, clear, etc. The list just goes in. He is really reminding me of Rob Scuderi and what he meant to the Penguins the last two years. A safe and steady 3rd pairing defensemen who can take out his man and play the penalty kill. His little dump play when the shooting lane was blocked lead to the Berglund goal. If Weaver tries to shoot, that’s blocked and an odd man rush going the other way. Instead it turned in to the first goal of the game.

Overall the Blues effort level was good enough to get points, but not to the same level that was displayed in Vancouver and Edmonton. The Blues did work their transition quickly, mainly because at least one forward was coming back to help get the puck up ice. Brewer had multiple good outlet passes as did Weaver. I also liked that I saw the Blues push the forecheck deeper in the zone. Multiple times the Blues had one man pressing around the net and two on the boards around the faceoff circle. The aggressive forecheck worked well when the guys were moving their feet. Calgary was able to match and get speed going up ice because of their defensemen. It seemed like they were a little more willing to let their defensemen carry the puck to exist the zone where the Blues did not. The Blues were out hit 26 to 11. Calgary really does like the up tempo physical game, but the Blues cannot be out hit that badly on the road. There were some good hits in this game delivered by TJ Oshie and Daymond Langkow. The Blues did a better job supporting each other fighting for pucks and it turned in to more puck battles won. Calgary really dominated their boards in first period and most of the game.

Not too many teams are so good at playing the puck in to open space, but the Blues did a good job. While I am a bit of a homer for my teams, I have to say that the Penguins do this better than anyone and the Blues did it to a similar level. The Boyes second effort chip in to the zone to allow McDonald to break in on net is a play the Pens use. The Brewer defensive zone chip along the boards around to Oshie to clear the zone is another example. It was nice to see the puck in open space and the Blues racing to pick it up. That speed creates confusion for the defenders and opportunity for the attackers.

I said in the Gameday blog that Berglund and Perron would be difference makers and they were. Berglund played at a very high level for the second game in a row and Perron had an improved game going. He seemed a little more decisive with the puck to me in the offensive zone. I didn’t like the weak Holding the Stick penalty he took in the offensive zone, but generally he was effective. Berglund looks like the 2008 version only a year wiser now. He was back checking, supporting the players on the boards, working deep in both zones. He just needs to find a way to keep up the effort. The effort level is making his game simpler and its producing results.

The power play wasn’t so hot, but the Blues penalty killing was status quo.

Calgary did a good job of managing the Kariya-Backes-Oshie line. They really didn’t allow them any room to operate and set up chances. They couldn’t get set or create pressure in transition. The Blues reciprocated holding Rene Bourque to one legit scoring chance that he put high and wide on Masons’s left.

The Blues didn’t really contain Olli Jokinen very well though. He had 3 very good scoring chances. Two off the post and one big save by Mason. You can’t contain everyone and Mason (with some luck) handled the rest.

The Blues lost multiple important 3rd period faceoffs. Interesting that McClement and Tkachuk couldn’t get it done, but Backes won his defensive zone faceoff. Overall the Blues only lost 3 more than they won (winning 25 of 53), but the third period Calgary seemed to control the faceoff dot.

Calgary’s only goal came off a shot form Mark Giordano from the point that found its way through.

In the third the Blues never really generated scoring chances. By my count they had three, but they couldn’t get the puck up ice often with control of the puck. The only positive of this was that the puck went deep most of the time they made it to the red line. Which is key late in the game to force the other team to carry the puck the full length of the ice.

The Blues had a higher volume of chances and they were generated by Johnson and a nice passing play by Polak to Oshie. Polak is starting to show some legit offensive ability as well. In overtime Polak’s play will become an important asset to help generate chances.

The shootout winner came from TJ Oshie on his 23rd Birthday. Did Kiprusoff even try to stop it? Didn’t look like it.  Boyes had a very nice head fake to a forehand stuff goal similar to TJ Oshie’s first shootout goal vs. Chicago last year. Calgary failed to make Mason make a save in the shootout. One his iron and the other didn’t even go on net.

The Blues and the rest of the NHL have two days off before retuning to action on Saturday the 26th. The Blues will be in Minnesota to fight off the Minnesota Wild. Going in to that game both teams are tied with 39 points. An important game in deed.

Blues Player of the Game

Patrik Berglund

Berglund scored the Blues only goal in the second period. Berglund now has 2 Goals and 3 Points in his last 2 Games.