Blues Give Up 3 in 3rd Period, Fall 4-3 in OT

St. Louis Blues vs Nashville Predators - Game 59 Recap
Goals: Bouwmeester (2), Steen (13) and Schwartz (18)
Record 34-21-4

My Thoughts on the Game

• Did you ever wish you could "unsee" something that you just saw? Did you ever wish you could rewind the clock for just 20 minutes? Well, after this game, that's what every Blues fan, player, and coach would certainly be wishing for.
• If I couldn't sleep after what I just watched, I can't imagine how the players and coaches felt. I doubt that anyone anywhere in Blues Nation got a good night's sleep after the debacle that was the third period in Nashville last night.
• Nashville came out aggressive, hitting hard and it looked like it would be exactly what you would expect in their place, a tough game. A few minutes into the game, the Blues settled into their game and I was able to settle into my spot on the coach as it felt like we were going to give them a good game.
• Tarasenko had a blazing wrist shot that went off the mask of Pekka Rinne after a nice move by Stastny to gain the offensive zone which may have rattled him a little bit. Rinne has played a lot of games and has been among the league's best this season.  He also has been pretty tough on the Blues, so we needed to find a way to get to him.
• Defenseman Vince Dunn was called for holding at the 8:47 mark, but the Blues PK was solid and didn't allow a shot on goal by the Preds. 
• The Blues continued to put on pressure and had a couple of chances. One rush ended with the puck on top of the net behind Rinne and could have easily gone in. Another shot by Tarasenko ended up under the pad of Rinne, but he wasn't sure where it was so it could have easily slipped into the net.
• The offensive chances finally produced fruit at the 15:18 mark of the period. As the Blues were leaving the defensive zone with the puck, Patrik Berglund was tripped and drew a delayed penalty. The puck went to Jay Bouwmeester who was in some space on the left side. He crossed the blue line and let one fly from the top of the circle, beating Rinne short side over the blocker to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.
• Another solid performance of the penalty kill in the final minutes of the period held Nashville to 2 shots on goal while Gunnarsson served a 2-minute penalty for a high stick.
• Hutton saved a potential tying goal late in the period on a point-blank shot from the high slot and kept Nashville off the board in the first.
• The 2nd period was ALL St. Louis! They scored at the 3:10 mark on an offensive rush that started with Tarasenko passing to Stastny who flipped a backhander at the goal. Rinne made a pad save, but the rebound came out in front of Alexander Steen who had gained some space on his man, and he stuffed it in over Rinne's shoulder for a 2-0 lead. 
• The Blues' offensive pressure was relentless as they just kept coming, wave after wave in the Nashville end of the ice. A nice move by Pietrangelo to get through the defense and then a pass to Berglund, then to Schwartz and back to Berglund nearly led to another goal as Berglund's backhander hit the right post AND the crossbar but somehow stayed out of the net.
• Nashville tripped Schenn at the 7:47 mark and the Blues capitalized near the end of the power play when Jaden Schwartz poked home the rebound of a Steen shot on goal. Schwartz looked like he was playing 'wack a mole' as he fought to get the puck in the net, taking three wacks at it before it finally crossed the line. I couldn't believe it. It was 3-0.
• Nashville didn't even get a shot on goal in that period until almost 14 minutes in. They were then whistled for too many men on the ice near the end of a St. Louis penalty to give the Blues another power play opportunity. The referee explained it as "Six men and a goaler" on the ice. 
• A shot on net by Dunn and then a scrum in front of the net that ended with 3 or 4 bodies on the ice looked like the Blues might add another but Nashville managed to hold on. They were outshot in the 2nd period 16-3 by the Blues.
• I had just made a note that our top three lines were continuing the offensive pressure in the third when all hell broke loose. 
• Nashville scored on a rebound in front of Hutton when Calle Jarnkrok was first to the puck, cutting the lead to 3-1 at the 9:06 mark of the period. 
• They picked up a short-handed goal at 14:33 and tied the game at the 15:48 mark. Their fans were going nuts. It definitely sounds like a hostile environment and they helped tilt the ice back in the direction of the home team.
• In overtime, Vladi had a shot on goal but Nashville countered and at the 1:19 mark Schwartz was called for tripping on a breakaway by Filip Forsberg and a penalty shot was given. Forsberg beat Hutton and the comeback was complete.
• The Blues have outscored their opponents 10-3 in the last 4 games in the second period. They have definitely owned it lately. But the three goals tonight was not enough, as Nashville made a great comeback.
• I have no idea where to place the blame. I think only the coaches and players can know what happened last night that caused this disappointing collapse. You would think that a 3 goal lead with 11 minutes left could be protected and would be enough to get the win. However, it was not. 
• Nobody has time to hang their heads, another division opponent awaits in Dallas. The Blues will be facing their old coach, Ken Hitchcock and sit just 2 points back of St. Louis with 2 games in hand. Every game is important. Valuable points are at stake. 

#AllTogetherNowStL #LGB