Recap 01-09-10: Blues vs Kings
First things first, Congratulations Davis Payne on your 1st career NHL victory. May it be the first of many more to come (especially at home).
This game narrowly flirted with disaster, but held on to enough vestiges of the San Jose game to get the Blues two points.
What vestiges did it hold on to?
- Working as a 5-man unit in all three zones.
- Quick puck movement. Little delaying through the neutral zone.
- Getting pucks deep and winning board battles. Forced LA to play from 200ft often.
- Stepping up to hold lines or position.
- Good forecheck pressure.
IT was not just the offensive boards the Blues held their own on, it was the defensive boards as well. For most of the game Kopitar and Smyth were not given much time or space to make plays behind the net. Cutting down LA’s cycle game really made a difference in terms of being able to reduce sustained offensive zone pressure. LA was able to work in several slot plays from the corners in to the slot, but really only scored on one of those plays. The Blues did a fairly good job of denying everything else and keeping the play on the perimeter.
The “grinders” were on a mission. To seek and destroy any Kings player they could find. Brad (or Brian as Jimmy Hayes called him) Winchester and BJ Crombeen were the biggest factors in this game physically. They worked the pucks in and took the body hard and often. Payne has emphasized eliminating players by finishing checks and the whole team was following orders. However, it was Brad, BJ and Cam Janssen doing the damage. BJ did further damage in the third period when he put the 4th goal of the game in, which went on to be the game winner.
The physical nature of the game seemed to really get under the Kings skin. It wasn’t just three mentioned above doing it, David Perron was mixing it up all night. LA tried to fight back (literally) but that really didn’t work. The Kings did not clearly win any of the three fights and didn’t really seem to build momentum off them. I don’t like the penalty calls on Janssen and Polak, but those are the penalties you want. Cam for Roughing and Polak for Boarding. Those are penalties to take because normally they are establishing your level of physical play (so long as they aren’t retaliations). Polak’s hit form behind was questionable, but I’d rather see that play than him hooking a guy.
Payne really deserves some credit for giving the defensemen a new role and getting them to excel at it. In Murray’s tenure teh defensemen was not activated very often offensively, save for the power play. In Murray’s system the defensemen got the puck to a forward and let them work. Under Payne the defensemen are doing more. They are jumping in to the offensive play and the rush more. They are stepping up to hold the line. They are being far more proactive than being reactive. Last night was a good example of this, much like the San Jose game. The bluelines were proactively stepping up to reduce time to handle the puck. They were attacking the lose pucks knowing someone was supporting them. It feels like team defense more so than any time before. I think Payne’s emphasis on trusting your team mates is helping here.
The newly minted “second line” (if I can call it that?) of Winchester-Berglund-Perron seemed to have good chemistry. They were impressive in the offensive zone in terms of controlling the play and the boards. Patrik Berglund is really finding himself under Payne. He is playing with the physical edge Murray wanted, but could never get.
Perron was his normal shifty self including another pretty goal that should be on the highlight reels. Brad Boyes makes a very solid play. He gets the puck on the boards and takes a big hit to clear the puck up ice where McClement wins a board battle at the Blues bench to get the puck to Perron on the left wing. As Perron gets to the faceoff circle Dustin Brown comes charging in like he wasn’t to lay him out Mike Richards stlye. Foolishly so he misses Perron who sees him coming and side steps him. He dangles the puck and snipes it past Jonathan Quick, glove side.
Speak of Brad Boyes, I want to say THANK YOU. Thank you for giving me a reason to stop beating you like a dead horse. That is his BEST effort all season. He was activly moving with the play and being involved in the play. Besides the Perron goal he made two other outstanding plays.
1. In the slot covering the wakside a pass came across as Boyes flipped his stick behind him to break up the pass. He turns and fires it off the right wing boards as McClement picks up the puck and carries it deep.
2. LA was buzzing around the net as a pass came through the slot to Anze Kopitar. While Boyes did slash Kopitar, credit him for being in position to make a play and prevent Kopitar from banging in the tying goal to an open net.
I say all the time and firmly believe in this. Get teh little things right. Have one shift done right. Then two, then a game, then a week. Get your details right and the rest of the game will come back.
TJ Oshie lit up Quick like he did Roberto Luongo last night. David Backes didn’t get an assist but he deserved one. While short handed the Blues break the zone and come up ice, Bakes with Oshie. Oshie gets the puck around the Blue line and heads up ice. Backes drives the net taking two LA defenders with him opening up a lane for Oshie to go one on one with Quick. TJ doesn’t really move a lot, but he forced Quick to make the first move. After Quick moved Oshie goes wide and flips it up and in from a sharp angle and its 3-1 Blues.
A link to the game highlights on FSMW’s site can be found here. Check out that goal and Perron’s.
The special teams play seems to be generally improving. The penalty kill did allow one goal in five chances, but also created a goal. Yes, the penalty had just expired when Oshie scored, but it was basically a shorty. While the Blues power play didn’t score, there certainly were chances created. With LA owning the leagues second worst home penalty kill, I would have though chances would turn in to goals. It just didn’t happen, as it seems to usually not happen. I’ll take the chances as building blocks and go from there.
The third period was troublesome. Not because the Blues sat back, but just because they gave up two goals. I will say that the style of play and talent level of teams is really changing late game dynamics. Its very hard to hold on to a lead when another team decides to do a full press. Teams can counter act that by forcing their opponent to go the full length as many times as possible. That usually happened, except on a play by Patrik Berglund. I was watching the play as I saw Berglund try to stickhandle in to the LA zone around three players. I sat there and said “he cannot turn this over, it has to go deep”. Sure enough it didn’t and Dustin Brown scored about 15 seconds later.
I did not like the call on Jackman. That was just a good puck battle. The ref didn’t see it that way and the Blues PK faltered for the first time in a while. Credit Kopitar for having an excellent shot though. However, the Blues didn’t give up on their system and play passive in the third. They continued to work for another goal and pressure LA in all three zones.
Andy McDonald did not play in the third. FSMW originally said it was a lower body injury. However, after teh game Payne said its an upper body issue. Hopefully we find out more and Andy will be good to go for Tuesday’s game against Columbus. What a big game that will turn out to be.
Blues Player of the Game
David Perron
Perron chipped in a very pretty goal on top of hard work and a get under your skin attitude. Image via blues.nhl.com.
