Blues Roll Over Wild
Game #58 St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild | February 18, 2012
The St. Louis Blues are geared up for the stretch run and kept the success going against the Minnesota Wild. With goals from unlikely sources, the Blues handled the Wild with ease in a 4-0 victory.
Brian Elliott pitched the shut out blocking a barrage of seven shots in the first period, three in the second, and three more in the third. While no goose egg is easy to grab, the St. Louis defense is making the goaltending position as painless as a Canuck body check.
A guy known for touching faces rather than touching pucks kicked off the scoring for the Blues. Midway through the first, Ryan Reaves found the back of the net for his first goal of the year. Some fancy stick work by Kevin Shattenkirk found Scott Nichol who attempted the wrap around. The try was denied but Reaves picked up the rebound and buried it by Josh Harding.
Early in the second, another Blues player tallied his first goal of the season. Barrett Jackman let a slap shot rip from the point. Going through the arm of Harding, Jackman scored his first goal in over two years. Patrik Berglund and Jamie Langenbrunner would pick up assists on the play that derived from strong offensive pressure by the Blues.
The Blues power play has looked different lately and that is a good thing. The return of Andy McDonald is a big reason why. The veteran forward has been a force since returning from concussion problems and has immediately impacted the man-advantage.
With under a minute left in the second, McDonald scored on the power play to give the Blues a three goal lead with a redirection on top of the crease. A fake shot from Shattenkirk was enough to free a lane to Alex Pietrangelo who took the shot from the blue line. The smooth hands of McDonald put a great touch on the puck for his second.
Vladimir Sobotka is not known for his scoring but even he found the back of the net in this game. Only his third of the season, the goal came seconds after a power play expired. Contributing for his second assist of the night, Pietrangelo pushed the puck down to David Perron who circled back to find a play. Open in the slot, Sobotka called for it and finished the one timer.
Up Next: An early Sunday game in Chicago
