I don’t know if Tuesday’s game Colorado was a test run for the postseason, or just a look at how the Blues would measure up against the best team in the Western Conference.
The Avalanche prevailed, sending the Blues home with a 5-3 loss. But the game had something for everyone. The optimists, the pessimists and the realists had things to point to.
– If you believe the Blues’ prolific scoring style will be subdued by tighter space, tougher defense and more talented opponents in the postseason … well, you saw what you were looking for in the second period when the Blues had only five shots and were outgunned 3-1. The visitors from The Lou weren’t exactly lionhearts in their competitive fight.
If you think that higher-caliber opponents will find a way to clamp down on STL’s uncontrollable line of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Vladimir Tarasenko … well, Robby and the Russians were limited to six shots on net, and scored no goals, in 11 minutes and 30 minutes of five-on-five play.
If you were starting to believe that goaltender Jordan Binnington was gearing up to make a serious bid to reclaim the net from Ville Husso for the playoffs … well, let’s just say that Binnington’s performance in Denver was, shall we say, too much helter-skelter. His mannerisms were kinda nutty over the first two periods.
If you wanted evidence that the Blues can erupt and sting and score in an instant against a superior team – no matter how poorly they’ve played – well, you saw them escape the cage after falling behind 4-1 early in the third period. After getting loose, the Blues hounded the Avs and backed the home team into a metaphorical corner. The Blues had 60 percent of the shots on goal in the third period, and two goals by Ryan O’Reilly cut the Colorado lead to 4-3. The Blues continued to swarm buzz the Avs and the tying goal seemed inevitable. Alas, Colorado got the clinching empty-netter and could breathe again.
If you’re skeptical about the Blues’ sturdiness defensively and fear that they’ll struggle to contain elite scorers and playmakers … well, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon line had 17 shot attempts, 12 shots on goal, four high-danger chances and outscored STL 2-0 in only 9:25 of five-on–five ice.
You could look at the 5-3 loss being a 5-3 loss and toss out any notion of the frantic third period making up for the Blues’ flat first period and hideous second period.
You could look at the 5-3 loss as being a good thing for the Blues in several ways: (1) the playoff-level intensity over the final 20 minutes was effective preparation for playoff hockey and pressure; (2) the end of a 16–game point streak will inspire the boys to reset and correct some flaws; (3) the Blues were reminded that it won’t be as easy to lollygag, awaken, and score the necessary goals to pull out a win.
They’ll have to go hard for 60 minutes (and possible overtimes) instead of flipping their internal on-off switch. They won’t be able to get away with the snooze-then-score game plan. I’m probably overstating this, but you get the point.
Tuesday’s stop in Denver also reaffirmed another observation that fits this team: we’d prefer to see the Blues avoid falling behind in games, or lagging during extensive stretches of the competition, because that’s a risky way to pursue a triumph. But The Note is capable of overcoming unfavorable situations. The Note is oddly comfortable in the task of reversing adversity. The Note doesn’t panic when stuck at a disadvantage. The Note is a confident and poised team with a pack mentality personified by eight 20-goal scorers … and there could be a ninth (O’Reilly) by the end of Friday’s final regular-season finale, a home clash against Vegas.
The Note is a team with a 49-21-11 record, 109 points, and has only lost one game in regulation since March 28. The Note is ranked fourth in the NHL in goals per game (3.77) and is 11th in goals allowed per game (2.86) and a team that has a league-best plus 29 goal differential on the special teams.
The Blues have 25 come-from-behind victories this season, third-most in the NHL. In the second and third periods combined, they’ve outscored their foes 225 to 154. With rare exception the Blues are never out of a game, and that should make the playoffs even more exciting.
The postseason adventure begins Monday. We know that the first-round series will feature a bout between tenacious rivals: Blues vs. Wild.
The fun will begin in St. Louis or St. Paul – to be determined – but there won’t be any saints on the ice.
I can’t wait.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
Bernie invites you to listen to his opinionated and analytical sports-talk show on 590-AM The Fan, KFNS. It airs Monday through Thursday from 3-6 p.m. and Friday from 4-6 p.m. You can listen by streaming online or by downloading the “Bernie Show” podcast at 590thefan.com — the 590 app works great and is available in your preferred app store.
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All stats used here were sourced from FanGraphs, Baseball Reference, Stathead, Bill James Online, Fielding Bible, Baseball Savant and Brooks Baseball Net unless otherwise noted.
