St. Louis Blues 21-22

pruman91 · Feb 25, 2022

Blues win 5-3.........................

Kyrou with 2 goals and 1 assist....Barbashev with 3 assists.............Husso was brilliant in goal.............

What an entertaining game with up and down action , plenty of big hits and feisty play .....penalties slowed down the game flow but the good guys won and that's all that manners ....

next game is Sunday 02/27/22 on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks @ 2 pm CT...........................It's the start of another 4 game road trip.......

LETS GO BLUES

pruman91 · Feb 26, 2022

Kyrou has two goals and an assist as Blues beat Sabres 5-3

He doesn't get the hat trick, but Parayko turns the rebound of Kyrou's shot into the game-winner

www.stltoday.com

Tom Timmermann
At the end of Blues practice on Thursday, coach Craig Berube pulled forward Jordan Kyrou aside for a chat that was part lesson, part pep talk.
Since coming back from his first All-Star Game, Kyrou had just one goal and two assists in six games and, perhaps more critically, had been increasingly turning the puck over.
The message was received. On Friday, Kyrou scored two goals and had the assist on Colton Parayko’s game-winning goal in the Blues’ 5-3 win over Buffalo at Enterprise Center.
“It’s like a little reset,” Kyrou said. “Get your mind back to where it needs to be to be on top of your game and what you need to do to do that.

“I think I had to just refocus on what makes my game go, and I thought I did that tonight. And that’s just like move my feet, and just competing harder. … Obviously you kind of know what’s not going right. For me it’s just move my feet without the puck. That’s the biggest part of my game. And just compete.”
“He was really good tonight from the get-go,” said Berube. “He was skating and attacking and he’s a dangerous player when he does that.”
Berube downplayed any magic touch to his message. “I don’t know,” he said. “He was going to come out of it, no matter what. It was just a matter of time. It was good to see.”

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Up and down , fast paced game last night......Very entertaining , with the correct finish and the good guys won.......

LETS GO BLUES

pruman91 · Feb 26, 2022

Blues notebook: Walman back in the lineup and letting it rip

The defenseman had 10 shot attempts against Philadelphia and thinks he's at his best when up in the offense

www.stltoday.com

Tom Timmermann
Defenseman Jake Walman had 10 shot attempts on Tuesday against Philadelphia, which is a lot for anybody, let alone a defenseman, let alone a defenseman who played just 11:04 in the game. Only three Blues this season have had more than 10 shot attempts this season: Justin Faulk (who had 12 in 27:01 of ice time), and Jordan Kyrou and Vladimir Tarasenko (11).
“You look back at my reputation, I’m always trying to put pucks at the net,” Walman said Friday. “I did that a lot in college so I’m just trying to get that game back.”
Walman didn’t score on any of his shots — he had just one goal this season entering the Blues’ game with Buffalo on Friday — but that hasn’t deterred him. The more he shoots, the better he feels.

“I think that’s when I play my best,” he said, “when I’m up in the offense and being like a second wave to the forwards, so take the puck in and just trying to jump up into the play and help create offense from the back end.”

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good read

pruman91 · Feb 27, 2022

Blues notebook: An angry Parayko is a good Parayko

The defenseman had a bit more of an edge on Friday in a chippy game with Buffalo; no update on Sundqvist

www.stltoday.com

Colton Parayko could be seen visibly jousting with Buffalo players on Friday, which is a bit out of character for the Blues defenseman who, like 1920s New York governor and 1928 presidential candidate Al Smith, could be known as the Happy Warrior. Parayko is pretty much always in a good mood.
Blues assistant coach Mike Van Ryn suggested that Parayko plays better when he’s angry; the challenge is getting him angry, which Buffalo seemed to do a couple times on Friday.
“I thought he (played angry) for sure,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “He went at people hard. He was assertive all night, got rewarded with a goal. That’s something that he’s got to take upon himself on a game-day basis. That’s a great trait if he can get to it. Not everybody has that in him. It’s something that you’ve got to push yourself to do.”

“I didn’t really have a reason to be angry at anything,” Parayko said Friday night after he scored the game-winning goal against Buffalo. “I think I just wanted to move my feet. I want to be a skater, and that’s when I’m playing my best, when I’m skating and moving my feet, trying to close out plays. Didn’t necessarily play angry or anything; just tried to move my feet and play well.”

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nice read

pruman91 · Feb 27, 2022

Blues looking for a repeat performance on another long trip

They went 3-0-1 o the last one ad start a four-game swing in Chicago on Sunday, with a chance again to pick up some points against teams out of the

www.stltoday.com

Tom Timmermann
In the weeks leading up to the birth of his first child on Wednesday, Blues forward Brayden Schenn would ask some of the more experienced parents on the team, such as David Perron and Tyler Bozak, about what it was going to be like.
“Schenner was talking a few weeks ago,” Perron related on Saturday, “’So it’s not too bad, like, what’s the worst night going to be, the kid’s going to get up at 6:30 in the morning or something?’ I’m like, ‘Wait buddy.’ Me and Bozie were laughing pretty hard at that one. ‘You wait. You’ll probably get up five times before 6:30.’”
It was Perron that retrieved the puck that Schenn shot into the empty Buffalo net in the final minute on Friday night for the goal that secured the Blues’ 5-3 win so the Schenns could have it as a keepsake. (Is there a place in baby books for Baby’s First Puck?) It was all part of a whirlwind week for Schenn, who has four goals in his past five games but, said Perron, “probably very little sleeping in the last few days.”

Schenn hasn’t had time to discuss his sleep schedule yet. He made a speedy exit after practice on Saturday to spend some time with his wife, Kelsey, and young Huxley before flying to Chicago to start another nine-day trip, just like the one the Blues had immediately before Huxley was born. It will be a tradeoff for Schenn: no time with the baby but a good night’s rest.

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On Feb. 11, the day after the Blues were thumped 7-4 by New Jersey, the Blues were in fourth place in the Central Division, two points behind Minnesota and three behind Nashville. At the start of business on Saturday, they were in second in the Central, three points up on Minnesota and four up on Nashville. Their 11 points in that span were the most by anyone in the league.

impressive

whatahack · Feb 27, 2022

3-0 Blues over the craphawks after 2

pruman91 · Feb 27, 2022

Blues win 4-0...........I just finished watching the game and it was a very good performance by the Blues .....Binnington with the shutout...
Perron with 2 goals

LETS GO BLUES

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Feb 27, 2022

Could really tell that the other Blues wanted to get Perron the hat trick against his buddy Fleury.

pruman91 · Feb 28, 2022

A shutout for Binnington, two goals for Perron in 4-0 win over Chicago

Blues extend point streak to seven games (6-0-1).

www.stltoday.com

CHICAGO — David Perron was off to another age-defying start this season, with seven goals by Thanksgiving, trailing only Brandon Saad and Jordan Kyrou — with eight each — for the Blues’ scoring lead.
But when Chicago defenseman Jake McCabe slammed David Perron into the boards on the day after Thanksgiving here at United Center, Perron’s season took an ugly turn.
He missed the next 11 games because of a concussion and then subsequently was sidelined by COVID. The Blues’ leading scorer from last season wasn’t quite the same. It took him a long time to get back on his game. Sure he’d show flashes every now and then, but it was a slow go.
Then came Sunday, back at United Center. Perron scored twice, breaking open what was shaping up as a tight contest, helping the Blues salt away a 4-0 victory over the Blackhawks.
“I did think about it, the first time I went into that corner with McCabe again,” Perron said. “I was like, ‘All right, time to put it behind.’

At 32-14-6, for 70 points, the Blues extended their point streak to seven games (6-0-1). They have firmed up possession of second place in the Central Division, five points ahead of Minnesota — which has two games in hand.
“That’s the cool thing about our team,” Perron said. “I think that we can keep getting better. We have a long ways to go. As we get to those tighter games as we’ve been talking about the last couple weeks, I still think we can get better, a lot better.”

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LETS GO BLUES

pruman91 · Feb 28, 2022

Blues notebook: Is Binnington back? Sure looks that way

After long slump, he posts his second straight strong effort in shutout win over Chicago.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
CHICAGO — In his last two games, Jordan Binnington has stopped 55 of 56 shots. And most importantly, registered two victories.
It sure looks like Binnington’s back, doesn’t it?
Binnington barely nibbled at the question, after posting his 10th career shutout in the Blues’ 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday at United Center.
“Still building that resiliency, and just taking it one game at a time,” Binnington said.
But for coach Craig Berube and the Blues, it certainly was an encouraging afternoon. As we get close to the two-thirds mark of the season and the stretch run approaches, how nice would it be to have two goalies going strong?

“Really happy for him,” said David Perron, who had been in a funk of his own recently but scored twice Sunday. “We saw how hard he worked in practice. He’s the same guy.
“Sometimes you go through a sequence like that. Hopefully him and I are getting out of it together.”

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LETS GO BLUES

pruman91 · Mar 1, 2022

Blues notebook: Agent says Russian players under threat in wake of Ukraine invasion

One of the players he represents is Blues forward Ivan Barbashev.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
NEW YORK — Daniel Milstein, a hockey agent for several Russians in the NHL including Ivan Barbashev of the Blues, has expressed concerns over threats to some of those players, both in-person and via social media.
According to Canadian television network TSN, Milstein has asked for additional security for his players in North America in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
When asked via text if Barbashev had been subject to any such threats, Milstein told the Post-Dispatch: “I am not making any comments about individual players at this time, but the situation in general is very serious and concerning.”
At one time, Milstein also represented Klim Kostin, but Kostin switched agents a couple of years ago.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong declined comment Monday.

pruman91 · Mar 1, 2022

Penalty-killing unit has been unsung hero of this Blues season

Currently ranked fifth in the NHL, Blues penalty-killing group could threaten franchise record for efficiency.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
NEW YORK — This might be one of the most entertaining Blues teams in years. But if you had to point to the single-most important factor in the team’s success so far this season, it might have more to do with grit and elbow grease than flash and dash.
That’s because the unsung hero of this Blues season has been the penalty-killing unit. And with the season about to hit the two-thirds mark, it will loom more important than ever as the team jostles for playoff position in the Central Division.
“Coming down the stretch you need to be really good five on five, and you need to have a really good ‘PK,’” coach Craig Berjube said after the Blues’ 4-0 win Sunday in Chicago. “That’s the bottom line. Not that power play’s not important. It is. But it’s important keeping pucks out of your net.”

Way more often than not, the Blues’ penalty killers have kept pucks out of the net. And they’re on track to have not only a “really good ‘PK,’” but a historically good one.

pruman91 · Mar 2, 2022

Buchnevich has fit in quickly with Blues

Already one of the team's most productive players, Buchnevich plays his first game against his former team - the New York Rangers - on Wednesday

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
NEW YORK — In presenting Pavel Buchnevich with the Blues’ player-of-the-game hat after Sunday’s 4-0 win in Chicago, Brayden Schenn referred to him as the Mayor of New York.
“I don’t know what that means,” a smiling Buchnevich said after Tuesday’s practice at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.
Players move around all the time in the NHL, in this era of free agency and the salary cap. But when you’ve played somewhere for a while — and Buchnevich put in parts of five seasons with the New York Rangers — coming back for the first time still means something.
It certainly means something for Buchnevich, aka the Mayor, when the Blues play the Rangers at 6:30 p.m. (Central) Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

pruman91 · Mar 2, 2022

Blues at Rangers: New York has lots of high-end talent

Goalie Igor Shesterkin leads the NHL in both goals-against average and save percentage.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
Blues at Rangers

When, where: 6:30 pm. Wednesday, Madison Square Garden

The Rangers have high-end talent at every level of their roster. At forward, Chris Kreider is third in the NHL in goals (34) and first in power-play goals (17). Reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox leads all NHL defensemen in assists (43). And Igor Shesterkin is the best goalie in the league this season, ranking first in both goals-against average (1.95) and save percentage (.941); he’s 25-6-3.

Penalty-killing unit has been unsung hero of this Blues season

Currently ranked fifth in the NHL, Blues penalty-killing group could threaten franchise record for efficiency.

www.stltoday.com

NEW YORK — This might be one of the most entertaining Blues teams in years. But if you had to point to the single-most important factor in the team’s success so far this season, it might have more to do with grit and elbow grease than flash and dash.
That’s because the unsung hero of this Blues season has been the penalty-killing unit. And with the season about to hit the two-thirds mark, it will loom more important than ever as the team jostles for playoff position in the Central Division.“Coming down the stretch you need to be really good five on five, and you need to have a really good ‘PK,’” coach Craig Berjube said after the Blues’ 4-0 win Sunday in Chicago. “That’s the bottom line. Not that power play’s not important. It is. But it’s important keeping pucks out of your net.”

Entering Monday’s contests, the Blues ranked fifth in the NHL in killing penalties, with an 85.0 percent success rate. Only nine times since the league began keeping penalty-killing stats in 1977-78 have the Blues finished a season with a higher percentage.
And they are very much in the running to break the franchise record for such efficiency, 87.9% during the 1998-99 season. The Blues have led the league in penalty killing four times, but finished second that season.

whatahack · Mar 2, 2022

Husso back in the net...A little surprised

whatahack · Mar 2, 2022

Wow...what a final 3 minutes of the second period

pruman91 · Mar 2, 2022

I like it a lot

whatahack · Mar 2, 2022

Gonna be a tough third period

pruman91 · Mar 2, 2022

Blues give up 3 third period goals and lose 5-3
Yuck

pruman91 · Mar 3, 2022

Rangers snap Blues’ point streak with third period outburst, 5-3

Blues yield three goals in third period after taking 3-2 lead after two.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
NEW YORK — The Blues spent much of February beating up on the NHL’s weak sisters. On Wednesday they took on one of its big brothers. Different challenge, different result.
The talented and touted New York Rangers entered the night seventh in the overall league standings. They left with two more points, rallying for a 5-3 win over the Blues at Madison Square Garden.
After falling behind 2-0, the Blues stunned the Rangers with a three-goal blitz over the final 2½ minutes of the second period to take a 3-2 lead. But the Rangers returned the favor with three goals in the third, albeit one of them coming into an empty net (by Artemi Panarin) with 1:52 left.

But the Blues, who saw their seven-game point streak come to an end (6-0-1), couldn’t close it out.
Patrick Nemeth scored his first goal of the season 7½ minutes into the third period to tie the game at 3-3. He shot from distance into an open net with Ville Husso falling to his left in scramble mode and then bumped by a New York player.
A little over four minutes later, Chris Kreider scored the game-winner on the power play, with a net-front deflection of an Adam Fox shot. It was his 35th goal of the season and his league-leading 18th power-play goal. As good as Kreider is in those situations, Berube noted there’s always something you can do defensively.

“We’re not in the shooting lane on the (Fox) shot,” Berube said. “And we gotta get (Kreider’s) stick.”

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The 3 goal blitz was unfortunately the only highlight of the game for the Blues as the Rangers looked and played like a true cup contender .....the blues not so much .....................JMHO

The Blues next game is Saturday 03/05/22 @ the New York islanders @ 11:30 am CT......

LETS GO BLUES

pruman91 · Mar 3, 2022

Blues notebook: Kostin searching for his game

For only the third time this season, the young forward was a healthy scratch against the New York Rangers.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
NEW YORK — Klim Kostin remains a work in progress for coach Craig Berube, and that progress was put on pause Wednesday.
The young forward was a healthy scratch against the New York Rangers, only the third time this season that has happened, and the first time since Jan. 5 against Pittsburgh. He has committed some unwise penalties lately, including an offensive zone hooking penalty Friday against Buffalo that led to a game-tying power-play goal by Tage Thompson.
“The penalties for sure (are an issue),” Berube said. “I mean, they’re needless penalties at the wrong time and they’re not physical penalties.”

Otherwise, Berube said he wants more assertiveness and more predictability from Kostin.
“I’m not sure all the time exactly what we’re gonna get,” Berube said. “And I’d like to see him just be a harder player to play against. Forecheck and physical play. Going to the net. Things like that.
“He’s done some good things though. Don’t get me wrong. He’s come a long way. I think tonight, I just went with Dak. It wasn’t what Kostin did last game or anything like that. I went with Dak tonight, that’s all.”

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good read

pruman91 · Mar 4, 2022

Blues Notebook: Goalie situation remains in flux

As Binnington surges, Husso levels off.

www.stltoday.com

NEW YORK — Perhaps there is only so much magic dust to go around for Blues goalies. Because just as Jordan Binnington is heating up, Ville Husso has cooled off.
Husso allowed four goals, matching his season high, in Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers. (The fifth goal was an empty-netter.)
He has allowed three or more goals in each of his last four outings, a season-long streak. But don’t be mistaken. This really isn’t in the category of a slump; just a leveling off. Meanwhile, Binnington seems to have snapped out of his funk, allowing only one goal in his last two starts.
In the ever-evolving Blues goalie picture, will Binnington get more work moving forward? Will he eventually reclaim No. 1 duties? It all remains to be seen. The picture has changed constantly this season due to injury (Husso), COVID (Binnington and Husso), and of course, the play of both goalies.

It’s not like Husso’s play has declined dramatically — he’s just letting in a goal here and there lately that he was stopping earlier. Case in point was New York’s second goal Wednesday, in which Husso didn’t get over in time to hug the post on Ryan Strome’s net-front score.

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LETS GO BLUES

pruman91 · Mar 5, 2022

Crunch time is here for Blues

Beginning with Saturday's contest against the New York Islanders, the Blues will play 29 games over the final 56 days of the regular season.

www.stltoday.com

Jim Thomas
NEW YORK — Welcome to crunch time. Since the start of this hockey season, coach Craig Berube and the Blues have talked about the closing stretch of games in March and April.
A gauntlet of contests packed tightly on the schedule, testing the team’s resolve, endurance and ability to stay healthy.
Well, here it is. Starting with this weekend’s back-to-back games Saturday against the New York Islanders and Sunday against the New Jersey Devils, the Blues will play 29 games in 56 days to close out the regular season.
That’s slightly more than one game every two days. There are six sets of back-to-backs over these final eight weeks. And on only four occasions do the Blues have more than one “off” day between games.

Berube believes the Blues are prepared for what lies ahead.“But we gotta stay prepared,” he said. “It demands a lot of discipline on each individual to take care of himself off the ice. Do the right things on the ice, and make sure we’re playing as a team. Nothing matters but playing as a team, and the success of the team.

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LETS GO BLUES

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Mar 5, 2022

Mask mandates and other covid protocols are no longer in effect at Enterpise Center starting Sunday: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/hoc...cle_3e0ff451-1bf9-5e4d-b963-4f08a705cd0f.html

Same protocols are no longer in effect at neighboring Stifel Theater starting Monday though some concerts or shows at both venues may still require vaccinations or mask protocols at the request of the artist.

pruman91 · Mar 5, 2022

Blues lose 2-1 in one of the more painful games to watch this season............................The Blues were out skated , out hit and were 1-2 full steps slower than the Islanders today.......

Bummer

Blues next game is against the New jersey Devils , on the road ,tomorrow , Sunday 03/06/22 @ 12 noon CT

LETS GO BLUES

St. Louis Blues 21-22

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