Blues overcome sluggish game Thursday, work over Blackhawks, 5-1

Five different goal scorers score, Sundqvist leads way with goal, 

assist; Blues limit Hawks to season-low, allow season-low 16 shots 

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Now that was a response.

And quite frankly for the Blues, there was no other choice.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues center Robert Thomas (left) works to win a puck while being battled

by Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik on Saturday.

Not just win a hockey game on the heels of one of their worst performances of the season Thursday against the New Jersey Devils in a 7-4 defeat, but win convincingly against their rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

There were a few dicey moments, but from start to finish, especially in the third period, the Blues were dominant. They allowed only two shots at Ville Husso and polished off a 5-1 win in front of the home crowd at Enterprise Center.

It was a solid start, some dicey times with some ill-advised penalties early in the second by the Blues (27-14-5) that allowed the Blackhawks (17-24-7) to get back into the game, but a clutch goal by Vladimir Tarasenko late in the second and a scripted third according to plan, unlike the third against New Jersey when the Blues frittered away a one-goal lead and were outscored 5-1, prompting Justin Faulk to say, "we just kind of crapped the bed."

They didn't "crap" the bed Saturday.

"It was a good effort," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "I thought we played hard. We were on the same page tonight for three periods. Second period got a little hairy with penalties. But overall a good performance by everybody."

It started well, with goals from David Perron, his first since the Winter Classic, and Dakota Joshua in the first to stake the Blues to a 2-0 lead.

"We always want to start strong, especially in our own building," said forward Oskar Sundqvist, who paved the way with a goal and an assist. "I think we came out really good today. We need to continue to do that. I think we haven't been good during the start of the games and today we proved that we can start good too. We need to maintain that and keep doing that on this road trip coming up."

A couple costly penalties early in the second enabled the Blackhawks to get within one when Dylan Strome scored a 5-on-3 goal, but the Blues kept managing the game well.

They didn't turn pucks over, and when they did, the forwards backchecked to break up rush attacks by the Blackhawks, who were limited to a season-low 16 shots in the game; the 16 shots allowed also was a season-low for the Blues.

"We talk before game. The same as New Jersey, a very good rush team," forward Vladimir Tarasenko said. "We just have to eliminate the turnovers, work hard back, break up the plays. If we defend well, we create offensive chances from it. We did a pretty good job of it tonight."
Tarasenko scored a clutch goal at the end of the second. He converted a sweet give-and-go play with Robert Thomas and wired a wrister from inside the right circle with 41 seconds left in the second for a 3-1 lead.

Those are momentum-type goals. Bad if you give it up, good if you score it. It was evident the Blues fed off it.

"That was a big goal by Tarasenko off of a foreheck," Berube said.

"It was a tight game, both teams play well," Tarasenko said. "'Buchy' made a great forecheck, Robert make a great pass. 

"Goals before intermission always important. I'm happy to have that one and I think it give us confidence before the third period."

Chicago didn't get too many sniffs at Ville Husso, who was sharp despite only facing 16 shots, in the third.

The Blues would have success getting pucks in deep, hunting them down and making plays created by the ensuing offensive zone time. Their forecheck was a direct result of Tarasenko's goal, Sundqvist's goal and Jordan Kyrou's goal that made it 5-1.

"We talked about not turning the puck over, close the game out, finish the game strong," Sundqvist said. "I think we did a good job today in the third period to do that, minimize the turnovers and getting on the forecheck and creating some O-zone time.

"I think we did a really good job, especially F1 and F2 coming in and getting a stop to the play, getting in quick and getting the puck back. The forecheck was really good today and it's a key for our game to be successful. Our forecheck game is very important. When it works, then we're really dangerous."

The results speak for themselves.

"We had a real good forecheck there in the second period," Berube said. "The Dakota line had a good shift in the first on the forecheck and then a good net front for the goal. I thought (Ivan) Barbashev was really good on the forecheck tonight – he was physical. Took the body on the forecheck. So it was good to see.

"Obviously there’s plays in every game that you can correct and work on. We've got to keep pounding away at the rush game, defending the rush. Always working back – it’s really important. All these teams are good rush teams now, so keep pounding away at it, but we did a good job tonight.

"Very good killer instinct I thought in the third. Doing a good job checking and scoring goals. You've got to go after them, you've got to keep playing aggressive. You can’t sit back and hang onto leads. You've got to play your game, you've got to be hard to play against. You've got to shoot and still try to score."

And when the Blues did succumb a few times to Chicago and the Blackhawks would go back on the rush, the forwards, unlike Thursday, back-tracked to break plays up.

"I think everyone reloaded really well, and getting the pucks back," Sundqvist said. "When we're skating and working as hard as we did tonight, it's easier on our D too to stand up and get the pucks back up. I think a lot of stuff worked really well tonight."

And when they didn't, Husso was the last line of defense; he made a clutch save early in the first with the right pad on Kirby Dach, then robbing Patrick Kane off a zone turnover with the left pad, and finished things off with a right pad save from close range in the third on one of Chicago's two shots by Seth Jones.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (right) and Blackhawks forward Ryan

Carpenter battle along the wall Saturday at Enterprise Center.

"A couple 2-on-1’s that he made big saves – one in the second, one in the third," Berube said. "A couple other plays I think in the second period – some good saves there too."

The Blues are 18-2-2 now when leading after two periods. Games like Thursday can happen. Good teams find ways to rebound quickly, like the Blues did.

"I think that's something we need to work on to understand when we're up in the games, especially at home, to be able to finish the games and play well," Tarasenko said. "Doesn't matter what the score is, just play our game, trust our structure, give us wins. Just hold the plan and everybody play for each other, you will be able to win games, and we hope to win the (Stanley) Cup. Only a team game can bring us this."