It
feels like a script from Groundhog Day when it comes to the St. Louis
Blues.
At
least when a game goes beyond 60 minutes.
For
the sixth time in as many tries, the Blues can’t hammer down the
second point, again falling in overtime, 3-2 against the Philadelphia
Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Travis
Sanheim’s goal at 3:50 of overtime enabled the Flyers (10-6-3) to
erase a two-goal deficit, their third two-goal deficit erased against
the Blues (6-9-6) this season. The Flyers won 6-5 in a shootout on
Nov. 14, erasing 3-1 and 5-3 deficits in that game.
Justin
Faulk scored both Blues goals, his first multi-goal game since Oct.
19, 2022, and Joel Hofer was sharp in goal despite the loss, stopping
25 shots.
Let’s
look at Thursday’s game observations:
*
No killer instinct – It’s built into an alarming trend
this team doesn’t seem to know how to get out of, what winning
teams don’t do.
As
mentioned above, the Blues have led the Flyers three times in two
games by two goals – and lost, albeit in extra time.
Where
is the killer instinct? Where was the putting the foot on the throat
and extending a 2-0 lead into 3-0, 4-0, like the New York Islanders –
who by the way happen to be the next opponent on Saturday afternoon –
did against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, winning 5-0.
There
were several opportunities with quality chances to not only score,
but to get pucks on net.
And
for a capper, Jordan Kyrou had a glorious chance in OT to win the
game but was denied on the doorstep by Dan Vladar with 2:19 to play.
Jake
Neighbours, who returned after missing 12 games and played really
well, was denied on a first-period breakaway, and Alexey Toropchenko,
whose forecheck helped set up Faulk’s first goal, backhanded a shot
wide of the net on a break-in in the second period.
Brayden
Schenn, who had eight(!) shots on goal in the game (10 attempts), and Pavel
Buchnevich combined for 11 shots on goal in this game; they actually
looked good together throughout the game creating opportunities, but
consolation prizes aren’t mattering anymore. These two veterans,
making a combined $14.5 million in cap space, have combined for four
goals in 21 games. It’s just not good enough.
Schenn
is a heart-and-soul guy, and you can’t question his grit and
determination, and we all know Buchnevich simply isn’t getting the
job done offensively, were very noticeable playing with Dalibor
Dvorsky Thursday, with
a Corsi-for of 22-8. Those are great numbers, but pucks have got to
start going into the net. It was probably the best line of the night
for the Blues, but the bottom line is results, and finishing was an
issue.
And
Kyrou, making plays in the game again, had four shots on goal but
there was a backhand in front of decided for whatever reason not to
sling at the net in the second, and had that glorious chance from
Robert Thomas in OT. You have to start finishing.
It’s
no wonder the leading scorer on the Blues (Kyrou, Faulk and
Neighbours) this season only has six goals in 21 games.
Sure,
you credit Vladar for making some quality saves himself, but this
group isn’t closing out games and extending leads, and that’s a
big reason why their record is what it is.
It
started Oct. 25 against the Red Wings, when a 4-0 lead turned into a
6-4 loss; a 2-0 lead against the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 8 turned into
a 4-3 OT loss; the 3-1 and 5-3 leads against the Flyers turned into a
6-5 shootout loss and again on Thursday, 2-0 turns into only one
point. Just there alone that’s five precious points lost from the
bank.
Remember
these if this team gets on a run and happens to fall short in the
end.
*
It was the perfect road game, then a first goal allowed broke a bad seal – Sure, as we mentioned about having the killer instinct to
extend a 2-0 lead, but the Blues were getting the kind of road game
they wanted for the most part and needed.
That
game should have been at the least, 2-0 going into the third period,
but there was the breakdown, late in the second period – the
Kryptonite period – for the Blues, that gave the Flyers life.
Trevor
Zegras, who killed the Blues last week as part of a line with Owen
Tippett and Christian Dvorsk, was able to keep a puck alive with Pius
Suter, who wasn’t able to kill it initially, and get it down low
after Tyler Tucker, who did not have a good game, inexplicably left
protecting the ice he needed to try and jump in to help Suter and in
essence, left the low slot open for Tippett to quickly tip a puck to
Rogrigo Abols, who came in with a whopping two goals in his career,
to beat Hofer with 2:03 left in the period and make it a 2-1 game and
now it’s a one-shot game:
*
Tying goal came off a turnover
– Even at 2-1, the Blues were still in good position, but the tying
goal came off the stick of Tyson Foerster, off an initial giveaway by
Tucker.
The
defenseman, who was minus-2 in 11:19 of ice time, was being pressured
from behind by Noah Cates, and he was looking for an option on the
opposite side, but instead of perhaps protecting the puck in the
corner and get help or even slamming it hard on a rim off the boards,
he softly throws it behind and around that was picked off and back
behind the Blues net. Cates then wins the battle with Tucker behind
the net and Travis Konecny is able to win a puck away from Thomas to
the point to Emil Andrae, who quickly pivots a pass to Foerster and
he one-times a slap shot by Hofer, who was screened by Faulk, to the
near side at 11:49 and it was a 2-2 game:
*
Hofer gave the Blues a chance – Hofer was strong. He made a number
of quality saves and, all you ask of your goalie, is to give you a
chance, and he certainly did.
His
best save of the game was a highlight reel stop with his glove on a
Zegras one-timer on a Philadelphia power play at 8:15 of the third
that kept it a 2-1 game:
*
Faulk came ready – Faulk
had just four goals in 78 games last season and already in his 21st
this season and 1,001st NHL game in his career, he now has six and is
just one off the NHL lead for defensemen.
He
gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 5:31 of the first period after a solid
forecheck by Toropchenko separating Andrae from the puck behind the
net to Oskar Sundqvist, who found the D-man at the right point and
his shot found its way through with Toropchenko and Nathan Walker at
the net providing traffic:
It
was a great shift by the fourth line setting the tone.
And
on his power-play goal at 12:08 of the first that made it 2-0,
Neighbours did what he always does, gets gritty along the wall, does
enough to keep a puck free for it to get back to Kyrou, who finds
Neighbours low, and the forward’s seam pass to Faulk just inside
the top of the left circle gave him a chance for a one-timer:
*
Neighbours affect, especially early – Neighbours
played 14:13 in his first game since Oct. 25 and you come to
appreciate the little things he does that others don’t do on a
consistent basis.
He’s
always in on the forecheck, making smart decisions with the puck on
chips, working, trying to free his linemates up for good ice, things
that seem to go unnoticed to go with three hits in the game but was a
minus-1.
*
Suter,
Thomas lines did not generate nearly enough – The reason the Blues
had Schenn, Dvorsky and Buchnevich on the ice is because they were
creating. The line with Dylan Holloway, Suter and Kyrou, along with
Neighbours, Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud did not.
Suter’s
line was 3-13 Corsi-against, and Thomas’ line was 5-13. Suter
and Holloway combined for one shot on goal, and Thomas, Neighbours
and Snuggerud each had one shot on goal.
*
Costly miscommunication leads to OT goal – The Blues had an
offensive zone draw in Philadelphia’s zone, but Schenn lost it to
Sean Couturier, and the two of them were tied up for a bit as the
puck was being rimmed around the left. But Cam Fowler made a read to
stay with his guy, which was Konecny on a pinch, who easily got to
the puck and fed Sanheim for what amounted to be a 2-on-0 with
Samheim keeping and wristing the winner past Hofer from the inner
slot. The problem was Buchnevich, instead of staying with Sanheim,
also went to Konecny and gave Sanheim an open lane to get the pass
and move up ice with an odd-man break. Buchnevich could not catch
Sanheim, and there’s your game, and another frittered away point:
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
