When the Blues fell behind Vegas by two goals just 6:50 into Monday’s game, I had them figured out.
They’re just not very good.
Then the Blues went on to score five unanswered goals for a 5-2 victory, and suddenly the two short-handed goals they surrendered in Dallas on Saturday were forgotten. Well, not forgotten by everyone, but judging by the high-fives that were flying in the sellout crowd of 18,096, forgotten by many.
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Granted, the Golden Knights were without nine players Monday — six injured and three on the COVID-19 protocol list — but this was a solid victory.
But when you look at the last stretch of games, it makes you scratch your head …
| Last 4 games | |
|---|---|
Nov. 16 | Arizona 3, Blues 2 |
Nov. 18 | Blues 4, San Jose 1 |
Nov. 20 | Dallas 4, Blues 1 |
Nov. 22 | Blues 5, Vegas 2 |
I don’t want to get caught up in the topsy-turvy, game-to-game overanalysis. For context, the Blues aren’t unlike a lot of other teams in the Central Division. No team in the top four of the standings has won more than six of its past 10 games, and no team has won two straight. Those clubs — Minnesota (23), St. Louis (22), Winnipeg (22) and Nashville (21) — are separated by two points.
Also, has anyone paid attention to what Arizona has done after leaving town? The Coyotes are 2-0-1 since then and now have points in their past four games. Sorry, I know that doesn’t make a loss to the league’s worst team any better.
But after watching the Blues bounce back again Monday, Craig Berube could breathe a little easier knowing that his team is battling. I asked him afterward if he had a handle on where the club is.
“A little bit,” Berube said. “Some of those (recent) losses, I thought we played pretty well, but you make a mistake at the wrong time … I talked about timely saves, and they’re important. I thought three of the games (Nashville OT loss, Carolina regulation loss and Edmonton regulation loss) were right there for us, whether we go into overtime, and we made a mistake and ended up losing the game.
“I think that we’ve got work to do. We’ve got to keep improving. I think we can still be more consistent with what we’re doing with our game and stay on it and keep pushing. Like the third period tonight. I would have liked to come out and really made a push right away in the third period. That’s what I thought we should have done. We didn’t do it, and we let them kind of push us. So there’s still things we need to improve on.”
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Yes, they do, and though Monday’s win was a step in the direction, you can’t help but have some random thoughts. I know I do. Here are five of them in no particular order …
I never question O’Reilly and Perron
They go through scoring slumps like every other player, but you can never question their desire to play well and help the team. Going into Monday’s game, Ryan O’Reilly hadn’t scored in nine games, and David Perron’s drought had hit 12. So when the Blues took the ice for their morning skate at 10:30 a.m., O’Reilly and Perron were the first two players on the ice, taking shots before the rest of the players joined them. Then, nine hours later, after Vegas jumped out to a 2-0 lead, it was Perron who set up O’Reilly for a goal that was the first of three within 2:15, giving the Blues a 3-2 lead.
Needed that one! Thanks, Cap'n. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/VXKwNcfMNV
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 23, 2021
“Their work ethic is unquestionable,” Blues defenseman Justin Faulk said. “Every day, those two show up ready to work, and it’s the exact reason that they’re leaders on this team. Guys see that and follow it, and know that that’s the type of commitment you need day in and day out, especially when things aren’t going well as a group. Maybe you’re on the wrong side of things, (but) you still need to treat things the same and go about your business, and those two are great examples of that.”
Though Perron’s scoring drought is now at 13 games, he did have two assists Monday.
Kostin is becoming more noticeable
Klim Kostin didn’t score against Vegas, but he made a play that helped lead to the Blues’ second goal by Tyler Bozak. Faulk noticed Kostin standing in front of the net, looking for a potential redirection, so he put the puck on net. Vegas goalie Robin Lehner made the save, but Bozak buried the rebound for a 2-2 score.
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“I saw (Kostin) put his stick out for me,” Faulk said. “There was no traffic, really. He was off to the side a bit, and there was no screen. He did a great job of making my job easy. I looked up and knew what to do because he was there. He presented the stick and it was a really good tip. He got it up high. I think it hit (Lehner’s) shoulder, and then over to Bozie. It’s a hard play to make and Kostey did a good job.”
Bye bye 2-goal lead. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/19PMSsooOa
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 23, 2021
Kostin played 10:04 on Monday and, in addition to his assist, he had four hits. What I’m noticing more out of Kostin is his ability to protect the puck, keep it in the zone and find an open teammate. He’s made a lot of smart plays lately that aren’t always easy.
Is Saad currently the Blues’ best player?
I asked that question about Brandon Saad on Twitter during Monday’s game, and it was quickly shot down.
“That honor belongs to (Jordan) Kyrou,” replied @bmccartney09.
Fair enough. Kyrou leads the Blues with 18 points, and he’s their player who’s the most fun to watch.
But on Monday, Saad scored for the third straight game and now has four goals in the past three games. He’s tied with Kyrou for the team lead (eight).
Where Saad helped again Monday was on the power play. In Brayden Schenn’s absence, Saad has taken over the net-front duty on the No. 1 unit, and that’s where he scored his third power-play goal of the season, giving the Blues a 4-2 lead over Vegas in the second period.
If at first you don't succeed, just keep firin' away! #stlblues pic.twitter.com/9aOvz9l79f
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 23, 2021
“He’s played well,” Berube said. “That’s two goals in a row, two power-play goals in a row where he’s just battling at the front of the net and gets them.”
Saad’s shooting percentage is now up to 20 percent for the season (eight goals on 40 shots). Considering that his career average is 12.1 percent, there might be a regression at some point, but perhaps not. His shooting percentage with Colorado last season was a career-best 22.1 percent (15 goals on 68 shots).
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Blues must keep Mikkola in the lineup
The Blues have played 18 games this season, and before Monday, Niko Mikkola had dressed in just two. He had a hard time cracking the lineup earlier in the season, then he contracted COVID-19.
Mikkola’s last game before he went on the protocol list was Nov. 4 in San Jose, so he’d missed the previous eight games when the Blues put him back in the lineup against Vegas. Robert Bortuzzo was “dinged up,” and it was a chance to get Mikkola some work.
He was solid, playing well before he scored his first goal of the season in the third period. To see the 6-foot-4, 209-pound defenseman get up the ice, take a pass by Robert Thomas in stride and then rip a shot past Lehner was something.
Niko Mikkola's first goal of the season was B-E-A-UUUUTIFUL. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/NY7WTXlAyB
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 23, 2021
Mikkola played 16:38 and, along with his goal, had three hits.
“He was just on top of people,” Berube said. “He was aggressive with his skating. He scored a nice goal to get up in the play. His puck play was good, moved the puck well. He was a good player.”
Could the Blues try Mikkola in the top pairing with Colton Parayko? Perhaps, but I don’t think they will.
They opened Monday’s game with Torey Krug
Mikkola and Perunovich played 10:13 of five-on-five together Monday and, along with Mikkola’s goal, had six scoring chances for and one against.
“A lot of times, it’s just matchups back there,” Berube said. “(Blues assistant coach Mike) Van Ryn will move guys around a little bit. Listen, Faulk and Krug have played well together for quite some time. I thought Mikkola and Perunovich did a nice job.”
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Bortuzzo’s status for Wednesday’s game isn’t known yet, but the Blues must keep Mikkola in the lineup.
What happens when Schenn comes back?
I don’t want to reveal all of my thoughts on what Brayden Schenn’s return will mean for the lineup because after Part 1 of the Blues’ mailbag was published Monday, Part 2 is coming soon, and several readers asked that question.
Will Schenn be at center or wing? Whom will he knock out of the lineup? Hint: With Kostin being more noticeable, as I mentioned above, it might not be him. With Berube saying Monday that Schenn was “very close” to returning, we’ll find out soon.
In the meantime, just think about what the Blues’ forward group will look like — knock on wood — if everyone is healthy and available for the first time all season Wednesday in Detroit.
“Unreal,” Blues forward Tyler Bozak said. “It will be a huge boost for us when you get a guy like Brayden back.”
(Photo of Justin Faulk: Jeff Curry / USA Today)
