Blues @ Blue Jackets

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Well, a few bits of news prior to tonight’s game.   Eric Brewer has been placed on IR – retroactive to 25 Nov.  Carlo Colaiacovo took a puck off the foot on Saturday and is unable to play tonight.  The Blues have called up Jonas Junland from Peoria and Junland will play in Colaiacovo’s place tonight.  Why not insert Alex Pietrangelo?  Because Pietrangelo is a right handed shot – Junland and Colaiacovo are left handed – and Junland can take Colaiacovo’s place on the left point of the powerplay – something he’s used to in Peoria.  That’s the explanation from the Blues anyway – courtesy of Jeremy Rutherford of the Post-Dispatch.

Patrik Berglund is also in the lineup tonight after being a healthy scratch for the previous three games. I’m looking forward to seeing how he responds – and personally, I prefer him in the lineup over Winchester at the moment. Winchester doesn’t use his size to his advantage yet – he doesn’t play mean enough and drifts out of the game. Drifting out of the game is a charge that can be levelled at Berglund but I prefer to think that he’s a young player, still finding his feet and he’ll get there. It just takes patience. Anyway – lineup for tonight is:

David Perron-Andy McDonald-Brad Boyes
Paul Kariya-David Backes-T.J. Oshie
Alex Steen-Jay McClement-B.J. Crombeen
Patrik Berglund-Keith Tkachuk-Cam Janssen

Darryl Sydor-Erik Johnson
Barret Jackman-Roman Polak
Jonas Junland-Mike Weaver

Chris Mason once again gets the start in goal – Blues playing the hot handed number 1 goalie.

Source: Jeremy Rutherford

Red Wings 4 – Blues 3 (S/O)

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Well, the Blues got a point – it should have been two but once again an unlucky bounce or two cost the Blues. However, let’s concentrate on the positive: the Kariya-Oshie-Backes line once again produced; the Blues were good on the forecheck for most of the game; they worked hard; created chances – and when it all shakes down, the Blues were the better team on the ice.

Unfortunately, being unable to clear their own zone led to the Red Wings getting back into the game and ultimately winning in the shootout. A heartbreaking end for the Blues – 57 seconds left in the game and the puck goes in off Barrat Jackman’s arm after a scramble. Nothing Jackman or Chris Mason could do about it.

Focussing on the good once again though and it was certainly impressive seeing Paul Kariya all over the ice – defending as well as attacking and creating chances. That second line of the Blues is very dangerous: they are scoring, hitting and defending. Anyway – your game reports:

• Foxsports focusses on the Red Wings ending their slide.
• St Louis Game Time with their quite superb game day thread.
• Jeremy Rutherford sums it up with comments from Andy Murray, Chris Mason and Roman Polak.

Next up – tomorrow the Blues are in Columbus facing off against the Blue Jackets.  The BJ’s are three points ahead of the Blues in Central – this is our chance to cut that deficit.

Red Wings @ Blues

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Chris Mason to get the start tonight…

Well, according to Jeremy Rutherford, the Blues lineup will remain the same as the one that triumphed in Nashville – with one possible exception. If the Red Wings do NOT dress Brad May…then Patrik Berglund could get a start and Brad Winchester would sit out. However, it’s looking likely that Brad May will be playing tonight so expect Winchester in the Blues lineup.

Eric Brewer is still out and Bernie Miklasz has twittered that Chris Mason is expected to play tonight. A bit of a surprising move – considering he had a tough game last night. It’s odd that Ty Conklin isn’t given the start tonight – he played well in the Premiere game against his old team.

Blues 3 – Predators 1

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Paul Kariya broke out of his scoring slump

Well, it was a perfect night for it – Paul Kariya broke out of his scoring slump by registering the Blues third goal last night … against his old team. A faceoff win in the Predators zone, Oshie battling against the boards and sending the puck to a totally open Paul Kariya in front of the net. Kariya made no mistake and scored his first goal in 15 games. Prior to that, Brad Boyes had opened the scoring by flipping the puck to the net and unexpectedly finding it going in off Predators goalie, Pekka Rinne. David Backes put the Blues 2 up after pouncing on a rebound. The Predators got back into the game with a disputed goal – Dave Scatchard seeming to knock the puck in out of the glove of Chris Mason.

The Blues second line of Kariya-Backes-Oshie once again had a great game – and it seems Andy Murray now likes his top two lines. So much so that he’s kept them together for a number of games now. So, your game reports:

• St Louis Game Time have fun whilst the game is on.
• Foxsports gives credit where it’s due to Chris Mason’s 37 save game.
• Dan O’Neill at the Post Dispatch gives his view of the game – with comments from Brad Boyes and Chris Mason.
• The Blues Official Site has it’s own recap plus the game highlights.

Next up:  Blues at home to the Red Wings.  Don’t bet against Paul Kariya now starting to score regularly.

Blues @ Predators

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The Blues face the Predators tonight in the first of a “three games in four days” period. Coming off a shootout win against Dallas, the Blues have won three of their last four games. The Predators, however, have won seven games in succession. The Blues will need to be at their best tonight and currently there are no changes in the Blues lineup apart from Chris Mason getting the nod over Ty Conklin.

There IS, however, speculation – namely from Andy Strickland that Eric Brewer could be doubtful for tonight’s game. Strickland is reporting that Brewer suffered an “upper body” injury during Wednesday’s fight against the Star’s Steve Ott. It’s likely that Darryl Sydor would step in if Brewer is unable to play tonight.

Blues 4 – Stars 3 (S/O)

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Okay, so it needed a shootout to get the extra point but this means that the Blues have won 3 of their last 4 games. Some more good points:

• The Blues scored a goal on the powerplay – snapping a 0-19 streak.
• David Backes finally broke through – registering a goal and an assist.
• TJ Oshie also registered a goal and an assist.
• Cam Janssen faced off with Krys Barch in the first few minutes of the game.
• Eric Brewer -normally such a mild mannered guy on ice – took exception to Steve Ott (and really…who wouldn’t?) late in the second period and the two fought/wrestled until the refs stepped in.

It wasn’t perfect – but it was a win.  Both teams had over 30 shots on goal – the Blues with 38 and Dallas with 37.  Ty Conklin made some excellent saves and came good in the shootout to give the Blues their first shootout win of the season.  So, here are some game reports for you:

• St Louis Game Time again sums things up in their own inimitable way.
• Dan O’Neill in the St Louis Post Dispatch recaps the game with comments from Andy Murray and David Backes.
• The Blues Official Site has highlights from the game, postgame interviews and it’s own game recap.

The Blues captain, Eric Brewer, receives more than his fair share of brickbats…so it’s about time he got a bouquet for doing what a Captain should and standing up strong against players like Steve Ott:

Blues @ Stars

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Can Paul Kariya break out of his slump?

Lots of questions ahead of tonight’s game against the Stars. One of the main ones being can the Blues awful Powerplay finally start putting the puck in the net? The Blues practice this morning concentrated heavily on the powerplay – let’s see if it starts producing. A change of personnel – or maybe reverting back to the “umbrella” formation that worked last year – whatever they do, SOMETHING needs to happen to break the Blues forwards out of this slump. We have good players – there’s no question about that – so maybe it’s simply a matter of time. Given time, quality players like Paul Kariya, will start scoring. It’s just a question of when – and with the season already 25% over (and the Blues currently last in the Central Division – 6 points behind the fourth placed Red Wings) – there’s not a lot of time left. It’s all very well proposing a trade…but who is out there who can help? Who would be worth chasing at this point? And more importantly…who would we give up?

Anyway – tonight’s game. It’s going to be physical. There is no doubt about that – especially considering the Steve Ott factor from the last Blues/Stars game. As such, the Blues are sitting out Patrik Berglund tonight and replacing him with Brad Winchester. Let’s hope Winchester plays mean. The rest of the lineup remains the same – with Ty Conklin getting the start in goal tonight.

Sources: Dan O’Neill and Chris Kerber

Bruins 4 – Blues 2

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Oh dear, oh dear. Once again, the Blues found it impossible to put in an effort for 60 minutes. 20 minutes seems to be what the Blues do now. The first period was good. The second period was bad. The third period was sloppy and slow. So, what do they need to put a rocket up them? In the Central Division, the Blues are last. 6 points behind the fourth placed team, Detroit. However, three of our next four games are against division opponents – namely, Nashville, Detroit and Columbus. Should the Blues stand pat – and see where we are after these games? We’re carrying 8 defensemen – with Junland, Strachan and Bell currently in Peoria. All very well to think of trading one or more…but who is available out there to help the Blues anaemic powerplay? Or even to simply put the puck in the net? It seems the Blues have lots of playmakers and no finishers at the moment.

Anyway – here are last night’s game reports:

• St Louis Game Time sums up the “one period Blues”.
• Jeremy Rutherford explains how the special teams are letting the Blues down.

The next few weeks are going to be very interesting for Blues fans.  Will the Blues be patient – and wait for players like Paul Kariya (no goals in 14 games) to solve their issues and start scoring?  Or will they dip into the trade market?  A number of supposedly good teams are having trouble –  the Ducks and Hurricanes to name two – so it could very well be the case that a change of scenery for a player or two could do some good.

Bruins @ Blues

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Can David Backes get things going again tonight?

We all know what happened last season in the Blues game against the Bruins. The Blues won in a shootout after tying the game in the last second. The Blues then went on that amazing run in the second half of the season that culminated in a playoff appearance. The Blues are coming off back to back wins – with Patrik Berglund, Paul Kariya and BJ Crombeen breaking out of no point streaks. Is this the start of good things for the Blues? Let’s hope so. Tonight’s lineup is the same as the one that beat the Islanders 4-1 on Saturday:

David Perron-Andy McDonald-Brad Boyes
Paul Kariya-David Backes-T.J. Oshie
Patrik Berglund-Jay McClement-B.J. Crombeen
Alex Steen-Keith Tkachuk-Cam Janssen

Barret Jackman-Roman Polak
Carlo Colaiacovo-Erik Johnson
Eric Brewer-Mike Weaver

Chris Mason

Once again, Darryl Sydor, Brad Winchester and Alex Pietrangelo are healthy scratches.

Source: Jeremy Rutherford

Islanders 1 – Blues 4

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David Perron’s second goal was the highlight of the game

When the Blues bust out, they bust out. Patrik Berglund scored for the first time in 13 games, Paul Kariya got his first point in 11 games and BJ Crombeen got his first point in 9 games. Add to that two goals by David Perron and a rocket of a goal by Eric Brewer and you start to get a sense that the Blues offense might just be breaking out. The Blues powerplay, however, is still anaemic – going 0-4 tonight.

The first period saw two powerplays for the Blues and, although they created chances, they couldn’t seem to find that final shot. Then, just after the first Blues powerplay expired, the Islanders took the lead with a wrist shot from Josh Bailey. Less than 3 minutes later, the Blues tied the game. Tkachuk won a face off in the Islanders zone and Kariya laid the puck back to Brewer. With Tkachuk and Kariya at the net, Brewer scored with a slap shot from the left point.

The second period was the Blues worst section of play – mustering only four shots on goal but they managed to take the lead. Berglund picked up the puck at centre ice and with Crombeen skating ahead to screen the goalie, Berglund scored his first goal for 13 games to put the Blues ahead.

The third period was when the Perron-McDonald-Boyes line let loose – after being challenged by Andy Murray for their ineffectiveness. Perron scored his first of the game after knocking in the rebound from a Barrat Jackman shot. Then, with less than 5 minutes left in the game, David Perron scored a goal that will be played on highlight reels for years to come. Picking up the puck after Colaiacovo cleared it along the glass, Perron headed into the Islanders zone on a breakaway. With Mark Streit to beat, Perron deftly played the puck through his own legs and deked Roloson, beating him with a forehand into the net. Check it out for yourselves:

Game reports:

• Jeremy Rutherford reports on the game with comments from David Perron.
• St Louis Game Time – Game Day Thread – again, a total delight and fun to read.
• The Blues Official Site has the game recap, boxscore and, of course, the game highlights. Check these out for a couple of superb saves from Mason, together with all the goals.

Next up: Blues play the Bruins at home at the Scottrade Centre on Monday 23 November 2009.