St. Louis Blues 21-22

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#26      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

For a team that’s off to a 6-1 start, the Blues’ season has been anything but easy.
On Tuesday, for instance, they learned that forward Kyle Clifford had been added to the COVID protocol non-roster list and then in practice, forward James Neal took a stick to the mouth and lost some teeth, sending him to the dentist before he could fly with the team to Los Angeles for the start of a four-game trip through California and Manitoba.
There’s always something going on.
“It seems like it,” coach Craig Berube said.

Clifford is the fourth Blue to have been on the COVID list this season, joining forwards Brandon Saad and Ryan O’Reilly and goaltender Ville Husso. Saad is likely to come off the list on Wednesday before the Blues play the Kings, and Berube said O’Reilly would join the team on the trip at some point. Husso and Clifford are likely to miss the entire trip.


When, where: 9 p.m. Wednesday, Staples Center, Los Angeles
TV, radio: TNT, WXOS (101.1 FM)

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Lets Go Blues
 
#27      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

LOS ANGELES – The Blues entered Wednesday’s game as the NHL’s top scoring team, averaging 4.14 goals per game. But things are trending in the wrong direction, and a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings was just the latest example.
In five games with captain Ryan O’Reilly in the lineup, the Blues averaged five goals per game and went 5-0-0. In the three games without him, they have scored six goals – total - in regulation and are 1-1-1.

Do the Blues’ miss O’Reilly, who’s on the COVID list, that much? Or are there other factors at work?”
“He’s our leader for a reason,” said Torey Krug, who scored a dramatic late goal to force overtime. “He does things at both ends of the ice that not many players in this league can do. And when he’s dragging us into battle, he’s shown us by example how to get offense, how to score goals. It pushes everyone else into those areas on the ice and forces us to be better.

“We definitely miss him. Whenever we do get him back, I think we’ll all cherish that.”

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Strong words and very truthful about the value of Ryan O'Reilly to this Blues team........Glue guy who happens to be a very accomplished all around player....

The Blues are also missing his face-off prowess as they have continually gotten beat on face-offs since he has been out........
 
#28      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues beat the San Jose Sharks on the road 5-3.....

Joel Hofer , rookie goaltender wins in his NHL debut........Good game all around for the Blues....

Blues now 7-1-1 for 15 points......

Let's Go Blues

Next game Sunday night @ Anaheim against the Ducks .....I think it's an early start , maybe 5:30 or 6:30 CT...........................
 
#29      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

SAN JOSE – The Blues’ offseason pickups, uh, picked up their play Thursday at SAP Center.
Brandon Saad (free agent) scored twice, while Pavel Buchnevich (trade) and James Neal (successful tryout) scored once apiece. All of which staked the Blues to a 4-3 lead – a lead that held up in what became a 5-3 victory over San Jose in an entertaining back-and-forth contest.
After a harried start, rookie goalie Joel Hofer won his NHL debut, and even got an assist on Robert Thomas’ empty-netter with one minute left in the game.
The Blues had high hopes when they acquired Saad and Buchnevich in the offseason. But Saad missed four games after landing on the COVID list. Buchnevich was suspended for two games – remember that head butt in Arizona?

But the Blues certainly didn’t make it easy on Hofer in his first period of NHL hockey.
Granted, things looked promising when San Jose’s Lane Pedersen was sent off for interference just 4 minutes 50 seconds into the game.
But the Blues’ second-ranked power play barely had a chance to limber up when Buchnevich (boarding) and Vladimir Tarasenko (unsportsmanlike conduct) went off with concurrent two-minute minors just 56 seconds later. Just like that, a Blues power play became a San Jose power play.

Wait. It gets worse.

Just 51 seconds after those penalties, Ivan Barbashev was whistled for high-sticking – getting 4 minutes.

How do you say “penalty box” in Russian? They all got a seat – together - in the sin bin.

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very entertaining article by Jim Thomas , Blues beat reporter....I really enjoy his articles........I really really do......
 
#30      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

Blues put Krug, Mikkola on COVID list; Schenn will miss rest of trip​


In Friday’s spin of the wheel in Blues’ roster roulette, the team lost defensemen Torey Krug and Niko Mikkola to positive COVID tests, lost Brayden Schenn to an upper-body injury for at least the next two games and got Ryan O’Reilly back off the COVID list.

While the COVID cases have all led to 10-day absences so far, Schenn’s situation is murkier. He crashed into the boards against Chicago on Oct. 30, got up, raced to the bench holding his hand and arm and went down the tunnel before falling to his knees and getting treatment. He eventually got up and went to the dressing room, but he was back on the ice in time for his next shift. After that shift, he was removed from the game by the concussion spotter and had to go through the concussion protocol. He was cleared for that and finished the game. On Thursday in San Jose, another hit in the first period knocked him out of the rest of the game and afterward, Berube said Schenn was day-to-day. On Friday, he flew home to St. Louis, seldom a good sign, and will miss the rest of the trip.

“The injury got aggravated,” Armstrong said, “so we decided to fly him home. He’s going to see our doctors over the next couple of days and we’ll see, re-evaluate everything and have an update when the team returns from the road trip.”

The one shred of good news on Friday was that O’Reilly should be back on Sunday and the team got five out of eight points while he was out.

“His quarantining period is over, and he’s with the team now and skated today,” Armstrong said. “I think he’ll be ready to play on Sunday, which is certainly a real positive with Schenner going out. … We’ve been able to take advantage of people being down a quart (to injuries) and when we’re down a quart, it’s not affecting us, so that’s going to be the test moving forward, to be able to stay competitive as we go through these things.”

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getting 5 out of 8 possible points while O'Reilly was out is incredible...........................Schenn's injury and covid concerns could impact the Blues to have to play short if they have any injuries while the 4 players are in covid protocol....Seems like the league should give salary cap space relief while players are in covid period.....JMHO
 
#31      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues lose to the Anaheim Ducks 4-1.........sloppy , uninspired game for the Blues....Got O 'Reilly back but put 3 more on covid list and braden Scheen went back to St. Louis with an upper body injury........

Next game is Tuesday against the Winnepeg Jets......
 
#32      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Honda Center has been the next best thing to home for the Blues lately. They won all four games here last season, and had won eight in a row overall on the frozen Duck pond entering Sunday’s contest.
But the streak ended Sunday, when a noticeably improved Anaheim team turned back the Blues 4-1 before a light but enthusiastic crowd of 12,056. The Blues had a chance to match the 2002-03 squad for the best 10-game start in franchise history at 8-1-1.
Instead, they fell to 7-2-1 on the season and 1-1-1 on this four-game road trip, which concludes Tuesday in Winnipeg.

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As Berube states later in the article , it was a low energy , slow paced game effort by the Blues and they deserved to lose....they had a couple of shots that hit the goal posts , but energy like last night will result in another loss Tuesday against the jets as they have a much faster skating team than the Ducks......
 
#33      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — For as long as Jordan Binnington plays hockey, nothing may ever top his first period in Game 7 against Boston. He was awfully good in the third period of that Stanley Cup-clincher as well in 2019.
But on any list of top games played by the Blues’ goaltender, find a place for Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
“It’s definitely up there for sure,” said Jordan Kyrou, who assisted on the team’s first goal, and scored the second goal which led to overtime. “There’s a couple times where he’s on his stomach, or he was on his back. He just flung his arm up there. Got a stick on it or something.

“Same thing in the shootout, he stopped all four of those.”
That he did. In a game in which the Blues probably deserved to lose by three or four goals — they were outplayed that badly by the Jets — Binnington did more than stand on his head. He did everything but cartwheels, backflips, and snow angels, stopping 39 of 41 shots. And then, as Kyrou mentioned, all four attempts by the Jets in the shootout.

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I missed this game with all the Illini and NL action going on so i will have to savor this article .....I hate to miss any Blues games but I did , so moving on ..................Lets Go Blues !!!!!
 
#34      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
highlights of Blues 3-2 shootout win over the Jets....................

 
#35      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues lead the Nashville Preds 2-0 at the end of 1st period......

Jordan Kryou with both goals for the Blues.......

Let's Go Blues
 
#36      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues & Preds now tied 2-2 at end of 2nd period.....

Blues played lethargic and Preds got a goal 17 seconds into the second period........Blues only had 2-3 good scoring chances all period.....

Let's Go Blues
 
#37      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues lose 4-3 to the Preds in overtime....

Blues deserved the loss as they were a step slow all game and lucky to get 1 point by going to overtime....Tarasenko scored a goal to tie it midway through the 3rd period with the opening barely bigger than the puck through the the goalie's arm and the post right hand side.....

Blues next game is on the road at Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night at 6:30 CT , then return home to face the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night at 6: 00 CT.......

Hope they will pick up the pace as next two games are against quality opponents.............

Let's Go Blues
 
#38      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

The Blues’ offense has lacked stability in the opening moments of the season. Ryan O’Reilly missed four games because of COVID and is still showing some aftereffects. Brandon Saad also missed four games and also needed time to get back to full strength. Brayden Schenn missed his third game on Thursday with an upper-body injury that is likely a hand or a wrist. Pavel Buchnevich missed two games because of a suspension, and most of a third. Torey Krug, also out with COVID, may be a defenseman but he also quarterbacks the power play. The Blues haven’t had their full offense together since Buchnevich got kicked out of the team’s second game in the first period.

How soon that happens is anybody’s guess, though at least the steady stream of COVID positives has stopped for the Blues. The Blues got to three goals on Thursday, two by Jordan Kyrou and one by Vladimir Tarasenko, which was just good enough to send the game into overtime, the second game in a row and the third time in the past five the Blues have needed extra time. The Blues let a point get away when Nashville’s Matt Duchene scored 2:01 into the extra period to give the Predators a 4-3 win before a sellout crowd of 19,096 at Enterprise Center and continue a Blues’ streak of alternating wins and losses that has now hit eight games. The Blues haven’t won consecutive games since their five-game season-opening win streak.

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#39      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues on the road vs. the Carolina Hurricanes.............

Canes lead 1-0 at the end of 1st period..............
 
#40      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
end of second period

Canes lead Blues 2-1......................

backup goaltender for Blues , Joel Hofer , has made some decent saves.........................
 
#41      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues came back and tied it 2-2 , but Canes scored with 2 :50 to go and win 3-2..................

Blues really miss Torey Krug on defense...............out with covid protocol....................
 
#42      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Blues never led on Saturday night against Carolina, but by the third period it sure felt like they were ahead. They had gotten even on a goal by Vladimir Tarasenko 48 seconds into the third period, and the momentum clearly was in their favor. It looked as if they would come away with two points, one at the least, in their battle with one of the NHL’s top teams.
They came up empty.

While the third goal finished the Blues off, it was the first, just 75 seconds into the game, that changed the feel of the game in the early going. Robert Thomas turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and the Hurricanes came back at Hofer quickly and Brady Skjei found the top left corner while Hofer hugged the post.
“The first goal, that shouldn’t happen,” Berube said. “It’s a play that we should be able to defend that and then it’s a different game then. … Their D just beat us up the ice and he went backdoor on us. We’ve got to reload and we didn’t reload quickly enough and he beat us up the ice.”

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The reporter states in the article that the Blues were the better team somewhat determined by their play , but i have to disagree with him.......It was , IMHO , the second straight game that the Blues were out skated and out hustled in the corners battles........The second straight game that the Blues had very little puck possession in the Canes end and most of the Blues blue line rushes into the Canes end very seldom led to sustained pressure ......

The Blues have a quick turnaround as they come home for a game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers @ 6 pm ct.....

Let's Go Blues
 
#43      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Blues & Oilers tied 1-1 at end of 1st period.....

Blues skating much better tonight ....McDavid from the Oilers scored with 4.1 seconds left in period.....

referee missed a blatant interference call on Oilers as the goal scoring play was developing.....
 
#44      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Oilers lead 4-2 at the end of second period........

Blues wore down in the last 7 minutes of the period and the Oilers capitalized with 2 goals 8 seconds apart....

Blues will start the third period with a power play with @ 55 seconds left on it.............................

Good news is defensemen Torey Krug and Nikko Mikkola are coming off of covid protocol tomorrow....
 
#45      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Oilers score with 28 seconds to go in the game and end up winning 5-4......Blues were behind 4-2 and then tied it up and had a lot of pressure in the Oilers end until the last rush and goal by the Oilers....

disappointing way to end the game for sure.........

Blues next game is Tuesday at home against the Arizona Coyotes at 7 p,m CT.............................
 
#46      

IlliniwekKDR

Colorado Springs, CO
Just commenting here to make sure pruman doesn't feel like he is talking to himself
 
#48      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

For the second night in a row, the Blues wiped out a two-goal deficit, showing determination and resiliency. For the second night in a row, overtime seemed imminent.
And yet, for the second night in a row, the Blues came away empty-handed. Without a point. This time it was a 5-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers before a sellout crowd of 18,096 at Enterprise Center.
Coming on the heels of a late 3-2 defeat Saturday in Carolina, it’s the third loss in a row for the Blues (0-2-1) who fell to 8-4-2 this season. Edmonton improved to 11-3-0.
 
#50      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Scott Perunovich here to change up the D. Super happy to see what he can do.
Good...it was stated earlier that the reason he wasn't called up earlier was because of cap space with covid protocol not allowing any relief for teams caught like the Blues were...

Hope he plays good enough to stick and Krug and Mikkola get the go ahead to start playing again....Blues need a spark after last 3 games.....
 
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