Despite All Efforts, Blues Fall 4-1 To Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues - Game 70 Recap
Goal: Joel Edmundson (7)
Record 37-28-5


Joel Auerbach/Getty Images                                                                            



My Thoughts on the Game

• The story of this game was the Colorado goaltender, Semyon Varlamov. He stopped 44 of the Blues'  45 shots on goal and made save after save on just about everything the Blues threw at him. 
• Despite an excellent effort in all facets of the game, the Blues just couldn't find a way to get the puck past Varlamov. 
• St. Louis outshot the Avalanche 45-23 in the game, including 22 shots on goal in the final period.
• In the first 3 to 3 1/2 minute of the opening period, the Blues top line was getting a lot of pressure in the offensive zone, but Varlamov stopped shots from Brayden Schenn, Jaden Schwartz, and Vladimir Tarasenko. 
• One attempt by Schenn was reviewed as it looked like the glove of the goalie could have been in the net when he stopped the shot, but upon review, it was clearly not a goal.
• It looked like it luck might have been on St. Louis' side when Colorado had an excellent scoring chance where the puck got behind Jake Allen in the goal crease, but rookie defenseman Vince Dunn swept the puck away to keep the game scoreless.
• The luck would change soon thereafter when Nathan MacKinnon scored at the 10:11 mark and then added another at the 13:03 mark to put the Avs up 2-0. 
• St. Louis responded about midway through the 2nd period with a goal from Joel Edmundson in his first game back since suffering a broken arm exactly 5 weeks ago against this same Colorado team. It was Edmundson's 7th of the season but it would be the only Blues goal in the game.
• Mikko Rantanen pushed the lead back to 2 goals when he scored later in the 2nd period.
• St. Louis pulled out all of the stops in the 3rd and had lots of chances including a wide open net that Vladimir Tarasenko missed that would have gotten it back to just a one-goal game.
• The Blues pulled Allen late in the game in favor of an extra attacker, but couldn't find the net.
• Rantanen added an empty-net goal for the 4-1 final. 
• The win for Colorado pushed them into the top wild-card spot and 5 points in front of the Blues. 
• There is still a possibility of a playoff spot with Dallas, Anaheim, and Calgary all in front of the Blues, but St. Louis also has a game in hand. 
• It's gonna be tough. Can they pull it off? Time will tell. If you're interested in the playoff race and didn't see my story about the teams competing for the final spots in the Western Conference, check it out HERE

#AllTogetherNowStL #LGB

Blues Wrap Up Road Trip With Solid 4-2 Win in Anaheim

St. Louis Blues vs Anaheim Ducks - Game 69 Recap
Goals: Bortuzzo (3), Barbashev (7), Sobotka (10) and Berglund (9)
Record 37-27-5

My thoughts on the game

• Coming off their big win in LA, the Blues were looking to keep things moving in the same direction against the Ducks of Anaheim in this last game of a 4 game road trip. A win would give them 5 of a possible 8 points on the trip and would pull them within 1 point of the last wild-card spot.
• They would face a goaltender, who with his backup are on pace to set franchise records in goals against average and save percentages for the Ducks. Both tonight's starter, John Gibson and backup Ryan Miller came into the game with identical stats in both categories, 2.49 GAA and .926 save percentages.
• Coach Yeo would have been a fool to change anything from last game with the way they played against LA. So, the lineup was exactly the same. Why change anything that's not only not broken, but something that seemed to be working better than ever after scoring 7 goals against a strong Los Angeles Kings team.
• The game started with both goalies being tested on excellent scoring chances. Getzlaf had a breakaway that Jake Allen stopped and Brayden Schenn had a great chance that was blocked by Gibson. In the early going, St. Louis led in scoring chances 6-2.
• LA looked like they had a 2 on 1 breakaway after a Vince Dunn shot was blocked and caromed out to center ice, but the hustle and determination of Dunn to get back slowed the rush and the opportunity was snuffed out.
• Moments later Pietrangelo made a nice drop pass to Robert Bortuzzo who had lots of space in the high slot. The defenseman repeated his magic from the game before with the opening goal. It was his first back-to-back games with a goal in his career and he notched a new career high in goals, this being his 3rd of the season.
• The Blues forechecking in the last two games reminds me of the way they looked in the early part of the season. Their pressure has been creating chances for everyone.
• Their also getting the puck up the ice quick and attacking before the defense has a chance to set up, which is giving them lots more chances to score. 
• St. Louis added another goal 3 minutes into the 2nd period. It started on the forecheck again. Thorburn dug the puck out of the corner and kicked it out to Petro on the point. His shot deflected off Nikita Soshnikov and fell to Ivan Barbashev who knocked it in the net. It was Soshnikov's first point as a Blue. We like the way this guy plays hockey.
• LA closed the gap to 2-1 on a nice pass from Getzlaf to Perry in front of the goal. Jake didn't have a chance as Perry was in alone on the back side.
• Anaheim got a power play opportunity soon thereafter and seemed to be gaining some momentum. The Blues seemed to retreat and weren't advancing the puck as sharply and quickly for a few minutes. 
• The momentum was regained when Vladi Tarasenko skated hard at the net with the puck. He got off a backhand shot that was saved by Gibson, but #91 was tripped and fell into the goalie. The Blues got a power play opportunity and had a couple of shots on goal, the best chance coming from Sobotka who nearly snuck one past Gibson's left pad.
• 2 minutes after the penalty kill by the Ducks, Sobotka found the net. Ivan Barbashev, who has shown another level to his game recently, did a spin-o-rama with the puck along the right half-boards. He passed to Schmaltz who then found Sobotka down low near the goal. The Blues have done a much better job of getting pucks on net and increasing their presence in front. It's made a big difference.
• LA closed the score to 3-2 at the 6:15 mark of the 3rd on a goal by Grant. Jake was screened on the play and got beat on the short side. An overtime loss wouldn't help nearly as much as a win in regulation, but it looked like it could be a possibility.
• However, with 8:32 remaining the always gritty, always hustling Kyle Brodziak stole the puck on the forecheck. He found Patrik Berglund in front of the net and Bergie beat Gibson low on the glove side. It was only the Blues' 2nd shot on goal in the period. But it counted!
• 4-2 was the final. Looking at the stat sheet, it indicated an uneventful game. The SOG were just 23-22 in favor of St. Louis. Faceoffs were 51.2%-48.8%, also in favor of St. Louis. There were only 2 penalties called, one on each team. Hits were nearly even, with Anaheim holding a slight edge. The two biggest stats that made a difference were blocks. St. Louis blocked 20 shots to the Ducks' 11. Lastly, the Ducks had 16 giveaways to the Blues' 9. 
• The forechecking and defense have been outstanding. Jake has been stellar. He stopped 20 of 22 shots. In the last 3 games he has a 1.67 GAA and a .948 save %. 
• Colorado comes to town Thursday and then it's the Rangers on St Patrick's Day. 

#AllTogetherNowStL #LGB

Who Will Make the Playoffs in the West?

It's a tight race for the playoff spots in the Western Conference. With just over a month to go, we've taken a look at the teams contending for a spot. Although we can't predict the future, we can take a look at some factors that will surely play a part in determining the 8 teams.

We've assumed Nashville, Winnipeg and Minnesota will hold on to the top 3 spots in the Central Division, and that Vegas will wrap up the Pacific without question. The rest of the spots are still very much in play. Although, with San Jose and Anaheim currently in 2nd and 3rd respectively in that division, it's their spots to lose.

The remaining 2 wild card spots are up for grabs and there are 5 teams fighting for them. I've included the Sharks and Ducks in this analysis because they could very conceivably lose those spots as only 3 points separate Calgary and San Jose with Anaheim and LA sandwiched in between.

In the facts presented below, it is current info as of Monday, March 12th. Four of the teams below play tonight. St. Louis is at Anaheim, the Kings host Vancouver and the Sharks play host to Detroit.

Also, the goaltender stats are just based on their most recent performances. As we all know, if a goalie gets hot this time of the season it can make a big difference, thus the last 5 games or so are all that we analyzed.

Pacific Division

San Jose Sharks

• Currently 2nd in Pacific Division with 81 points. 
• They have 14 games remaining, 7 at home and 7 on the road. 
• They have 2 back-to-backs still on the schedule. 
• 10 of their 14 games are against opponents who are competing for a playoff spot. 
• They are 3-2 in their last 5 games with a +6 goal differential.
• Their goaltender, Martin Jones is 3-2 in his last 5 games with a 1.72 GAA and .930 Save %.
• Thier veteran leader, Joe Thornton is on the IR as is Joel Ward.
• Chances of making playoffs seem to be nearly a shoe-in.

Anaheim Ducks

• Currently 3rd in the Pacific Division with 80 points.
• They have 13 games remaining, 8 at home and 5 on the road.
• They have 1 set of back-to-back games remaining.
• 8 of their 13 games are against opponents who are in the playoff race.
• They are 3-2 in their last 5 games with a +6 goal differential.
• Their goaltender, John Gibson is 3-1 in his last 4 starts with a 2.25 GAA and .936 Save %.
• Their chances of making the playoffs are very good.  

Los Angeles Kings

• Currently in 4th place in the division and 3rd in the wild card spot with 79 points.
• They have 14 games remaining, 8 at home and 6 on the road.
• They have 3 back-to-back sets of games remaining.
• 9 of their last 14 games will be against opponents in the playoff race.
• They are 3-2 in their last 5 games with a +1 goal differential.
• Their goaltender, Jonathan Quick is 3-2 with a 2.79 GAA and .913 Save %
• They will need to play well and hope for San Jose, Anaheim, Dallas or Colorado to falter in order to earn a spot.

Calgary Flames

• They are currently in 5th place in the division and 4th in the wild-card race with 78 points.
• They have 12 games remaining, 7 at home and 5 on the road.
• They have 1 back-to-back set of games left.
• 8 of their remaining 12 games are against playoff contenders.
• They are 2-2-1 in their last 5 games with a -1 goal differential.
• Their goaltender, Mike Smith just returned from the IR with a lower-body injury. He lost in his first game back yesterday to the Islanders where he gave up 5 goals.
• His backup, Rittich had a 3.0 GAA and .898 Save % while Smith was out.
• Their chances of making the playoffs at this stage will depend on other teams fading, and unless Smith finds his game quickly and gets red hot, I don't see them in the post-season.

Central Division

Dallas Stars

• They currently are 4th in the division and hold the first playoff spot with 82 points.
• They have 13 games remaining, 4 at home and 9 on the road.
• They have 2 sets of back-to-back games on the schedule.
• 10 of their remaining games are versus playoff contenders.
• They are 2-1-2 in their last 5 games with a -2 goal differential.
• Their goaltender, Ben Bishop has not played in a while. He is close to returning from a knee injury. Backup, Lehtonen is 1-2 in his last 3 games but has a 1.67 GAA and .936 save % in those games.
• They have the toughest schedule remaining and will need good goaltending to hang on to this spot. 

Colorado Avalanche

• They hold down 5th in the central and the 2nd wild card spot with 80 points.
• They have 14 games remaining, 7 at home and 7 on the road.
• 11 of their remaining games will be against playoff contenders.
• They are 2-0-3 in their last 5 games with a +6 goal differential.
• Their goaltender, Bernier missed 10 games with a concussion. He returned yesterday but left the game after taking a shot off his mask. If relying on the backup, Varlanov, he is 2-0-3 in his last 5 games with a 2.4 GAA and .913 save %.
• They have the 2nd toughest schedule of the teams listed here and will need to continue outscoring their opponents to hang on to the last playoff spot.

St. Louis Blues

• They currently sit 6th in the central and in 5th place in the wild-card spot with 77 points.
• They have 14 games remaining, 7 at home and 7 on the road.
• 8 of their remaining games are against playoff contenders.
• They are 2-2-1 in their last 5 games with a -2 goal differential.
• Their goaltender would look to be Jake Allen at this point. He is 1-1 in his last 2 starts and has a 1.5 GAA and .960 save % in those games. It's a smaller body of work than some of the other teams' goalies listed here, but he's getting hot at the right time for a playoff run.
• The key for St. Louis is going to be their offense. If they can continue to put the puck in the net, the schedule is a little more favorable for them than a couple of other teams ahead of them and they might just surprise some people and get to the playoffs.

#AllTogetherNowStL #LGB