St. Louis Blues vs Montreal Canadiens - Game 28 Recap

Brayden Schennsational's Hat Trick Leads Blues Past Canadiens 4-3

Goals: Schenn (11,12,13) and Upshall (4)

Record 18-8-2

My Thoughts on Tonight's Game

• If Carey Price is the best player in the NHL (As I heard someone say on the radio during pregame), then tonight Brayden Schenn was the best player in the world. Just because Price had led Montreal to 5 straight wins since coming back from an injury, and just because he had only allowed 6 goals in those 5 games, doesn't make him Superman. Either that, or Schenn had a pocket full of Kryptonite as he logged his 3rd career hat trick tonight.
• I like Schenn! He hasn't been in the scoring column for a while, but he made up for it tonight.
• Tarasenko has been struggling to score lately too, but he will get back on track soon.  Look for him to put some pucks in the net in bunches soon.  
• Schwartz looked good. He set Schenn up twice for his 20th and 21st assists on the season. He is a bulldog chasing the puck and possessing it when he has it. He also had a breakaway on Price on which he failed to score.
• Parayko and Pietrangelo added assists tonight to continue the trend of the defense being involved in the Blues' offense.
• There were a couple of weird things that happened in this game. In the first period, I think it was, a puck shot over the goal hit the glass and bounced back over the goal into the crease. Jake was alert and trapped the puck but it could have easily rolled into the net had he not been aware.
• Allen also lost a blade on one of his skates when his skate clipped the post. Carter Hutton relieved him until he could get a new blade.
• The other weird thing that happened came on Shea Weber's slapshot that looked to be going wide of the net. Allen looked convinced that it was going wide and kind of played it casually. But the puck curved, much like a lot of soccer shots and snuck inside the post on Allen's left.
• St. Louis scored early tonight at exactly 5 minutes into the game. It was a much better start, reversing the trend that had been developing. Montreal tied the game 10 minutes later and the first period ended 1-1.
• Montreal's other two goals came on blistering slap shots from Jordie Benn and former Nashville Predator, Shea Weber immediately off two faceoff wins. Weber's slap shot is reminiscent of Al MacInnis and he beat Allen as he shot low through traffic and between the legs of Allen.
• The other goal by the Blues came when Dimitri Jaskin skated in on the right side and drew the goalie to the post. As he got to the goal line with the puck on his backhand, all the while fighting off the defender, he found Scottie Upshall in front of the net who poked it home into the wide open net.
• I think the stat of the night that tells me St. Louis was on their game, playing gritty hockey is the 'giveaway' statistic.  Montreal gave the puck away 28 times. 
• The Blues face the Dallas Stars Thursday back at Scottrade, travel to Detroit on Saturday and then spend the week at home for four straight against Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Anaheim and Winnipeg.

#AllTogetherNowStL #LGB