Recap 01-23-10: Blues vs Ducks
Just another night down at Scottrade. Apparently even the Ducks announcers commented on the Blues potential (and eventual) 3rd Period collapse. Is the word out around the NHL that this Blues team can’t close out a game and opponents come in to the 3rd Period expecting to come back? Not a good trend here Blues fans.
The Blues were handicapped tonight. David Backes has been used as a shut down center against the best lines in the league. Backes missed his second straight game and was replaced (admirably) by TJ Oshie. The Blues still missed his big body denying space and creating chances. Carlo Colaiacovo also did not play (lower body). While his play hasn’t been as consistent as it was last season, his offensive presence is still missed on the blue line. These two players are counters to the aggressive game played by the Ducks. Backes as a physical equalizer and Colaiacovo as a puck mover.
The tale of the 3rd Period really was how the Ducks rolled two lines and dominated the Blues. There was no answer to Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, and Scott Neidermeyer. THose 4 really dominated the pace of the game in the third. The Blues couldn’t contain Perry down low. Getzlaf worked them over from all angles while Ryan put 10 shots on goal. aybe someone needs to check for some PEDs on those three. They were out shift after shift for 60 second + shifts. The Blues couldn’t stem the tide. Which truly seems to be the problem. Once the scale is tipped, the Blues struggle greatly to tip it back.
Case in point, shots on goal. The teams were even after the first and the Ducks were +1 on the Blues after two. In the third the Ducks outshot the Blues 17-3. Once the Ducks caught a break with Barret Jackman falling down at center ice and scored their first goal the scale tipped. The Ducks threw everything they had in to the push and dropped the hammer on the Blues. Who stepped up to stem the tide? Who stepped up to equalize the push? No one. Let’s face facts. The game is passing Keith Tkachuk by. Paul Kariya is not the type of player to take over a game anymore. Andy McDonald isn’t really that type either. The young guys with the size, mental capacity, and skill set like Oshie and Erik Johnson are too inexperienced to do it. This is where someone like David Backes helps this team.
I understand the “safety net” type approach in using the McClement line late in games to hold off the other team. However, they were on the ice for two of the three goals and really couldn’t stop the big three up front for Anaheim either.
The lone obvious bright spot was TJ Oshie and his play at center. TJ mostly played Center at North Dakota and you can likely call it his natural position. Let’s just say that the consensus around the Blues media seemed to be that TJ looked good. In 20 minutes on the ice TJ had 6 Hits, 2 Takeaways, a very pretty goal scorers goal and numerous defensive plays. TJ covered as much ice as Backes has been and played the part well. I can’t really say I have a complaint about his level of play. He even got Brad Boyes going a little as well.
David Perron the other hand…that’s a little different. Kudos to David for taking EJ’s best stretch pass all season and drawing defenders to the net to drop off the puck to McDonald for the firs goal. However, after that play his game stagnated. David can play a fast paced game, he has shown that. Last night he seemed to revert to “It’s me and four other people”. Multiple times he killed the speed generated out of the defensive zone by holding on the the exist pass for too long. He tried to make too many moves in the offensive zone when he had easier plays to make. The odd man rush where Tkachuk was left hanging on a drop pass might be the most glaring example. The bottom line is David has the skill, but still needs to learn how to work with the other guys on the ice consistently. It’s a learning process for David. The kid is motivated enough to get where he needs to be. His Hockey IQ just needs a little work.
I have seen some fan rage against Erik Johnson for his role in the second goal. Look folks, this is a simple concept people need to acknowledge. Development does not work on a positive linear path. This is not NHL10. EJ has the potential to be a franchise defensemen, but that is potential. Not every single player jumps in right away and does everything right. I’ve sen people mention a Toews, Kessle, Tavars, Crosby, Ovechkin. Really? EJ is the ONLY defensemen taken #1 overall since Chris Phillips (Ottawa) in 1996. he has developed in to a solid NHL player and that took a little time. Understand this, EJ has great potential. Potential does not actualize right away. This team has no one close to his level of skill that can assume the role he has, so we wait and let him develop. The stretch pass he executed up to Perron for the first goal is what we will see more of, but don’t forget is is going to crawl before he can walk. In my opinion EJ is one for one in the good vs bad play department, I’ll take that.
Chris Mason didn’t look so solid. He as moving laterally often and was ending up more out of position than he likely wanted to. That said, he didn’t get much help in the third. The Blues did a poor job of playing defense in the offensive zone in the third. Meaning they didn’t keep the puck out of their own end very well. Mason did stop 34 out of 37 shots.
Interesting shootout, the longest in Blues history (seven rounds). I was very disappointed in the effort by Perron and McDonald. Boyes and Oshie had the Blues goals. Perry, Getzlaf, and James Wisniewski (Game Winner) with the Ducks goals. Both Mason and Jonas Hiller got stronger as the shootout went on. Mason just bit on a good move by Wisniewski before the Blues could get Hiller for a third time.
The Blues head back on the road to take on Western Canada again. Monday night the Blues are in Calgary…another team slumping. The Blues need to be mindful of playing with fire. A lazy effort in Calgary against a hungry team getting beat up lately could be the start of a weak road trip.
